For over 95 years, The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) has enjoyed a national reputation for excellence in planning and, today, serves the culturally diverse populations of Montgomery and Prince George's Counties on the border of Washington, D.C. The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of M-NCPPC, provides countywide planning functions including long range planning as well as reviews of development applications in a diverse built environment of downtown urban districts, suburban communities, and agricultural areas. Montgomery Planning has pioneered nationally-modeled programs in agricultural preservation, inclusionary housing, and transit-oriented design. Montgomery County is evolving quickly as a model of new suburbanism, shifting away from traditional suburban greenfield development to a greater emphasis on infill redevelopment, complete streets, and urbanizing areas around transit and key corridors. The links between mobility, land use and the jobs/housing balance will be critical in determining the future sustainability of the County.

To learn more about who we are and what we do, we encourage you to watch this brief video here and visit our website at www.montgomeryplanning.org.

We are seeking a dynamic leader and a highly innovative planner as the Countywide Planning and Policy Division Chief. The Division Chief reports to a Deputy Director as part of the Department's senior management team supporting the Planning Director's leadership of the Department's mission and work program. Strong analytical and creative problem-solving skills and management experience is crucial in bringing forward new insights covering a range of planning issues affecting Montgomery County and helping staff realize their potential.

This position manages an interdisciplinary team working in the fields of countywide zoning, housing, transportation, environmental policy and historic preservation. The division is the Planning Department's lead for policy-making that affects the entire county. This includes the important preparation of the quadrennial Growth and Infrastructure Policy, the County's guidance for growth management and linkage to the adequate provision of public facilities, as well as countywide transportation planning analysis and policy development. School capacity and multimodal transportation concerns are at the forefront of the County's growth management issues.

Recent initiatives include the completion of Montgomery County's first Pedestrian Master Plan, work on the Department’s Attainable Housing Strategies initiative and several cross-department efforts. All of these are grounded in our updated General Plan, Thrive Montgomery 2050.

The successful candidate will have a strong overall knowledge of land use planning and of how planning systems or networks, such as transportation, housing, the environment and historic resources, function in urban, suburban, and rural contexts.

We are seeking an individual who demonstrates creative thought and problem-solving for complex issues and an attention to detail; strong analytical, writing and verbal skills; facility in building collaborations with internal and external partners; and a background in or comfort working with a variety of planning issues, including transportation/transit planning at both the local and county wide levels, zoning, housing, historic preservation and environmental policy. A candidate with a strong background in management is highly desired, as this position supervises a range of professional staff, including three supervisors. This individual will be an essential leader in guiding the future of growth in the county.