Director of Planning Services

Summary: The Director of Planning Services reports to the Associate Superintendent of Student Assignment and School Choice. The Director will provide strategic leadership and execution in the areas of enrollment projections, school boundaries and continuation patterns, projecting district needs based on community growth and changes in housing patterns, liaising with municipal planning departments, and other related duties as assigned.

Essential Duties: (These duties represent a sample and may vary by position.)

• Assigns work for specific work activities, projects, and programs; monitors work flow and quality; reviews and evaluates work products, methods, and procedures; monitors progress and relative needs of project outcomes and adjusts accordingly.
• Monitors the needs of personnel within the sphere of responsibility with respect to resources, knowledge, and skills necessary for the successful completion of assignments; seeks and obtains those resources wherever necessary.
• Offers and provides technical assistance and support to other operating departments as needs dictate. One specific example is preparation of district's long-range and school-by-school enrollment estimates and projections.
• Keeps abreast of on-going events and activities within the Mecklenburg County community and assesses the degree to which these larger community initiatives may impact the district and its programs and initiatives.
• Conducts demographic analyses and quantitative assessments.
• Develops and applies evaluation mechanisms to processes and procedures to ensure that process/procedure improvements may be designed and implemented.
• Creates and maintains an environment whereby communication on matters pertaining to sphere of influence can be maximized, both internally (within the department) as well as throughout the school system and the community.
• Selects, trains, motivates, and evaluates personnel; fosters a sense of integrity in staff; identifies professional development opportunities; works with employees to correct identified deficiencies or difficulties.
• Makes recommendations to the Superintendent and Board related to student assignment boundaries and continuation patterns; also makes recommendations to the Chief Operation Officer to inform the capital needs assessment, priorities for new schools and school relief, and building utilization; responds to requests from municipal planning offices in the county
• Manages non-payroll budgeted items for the sphere of influence, as well as discretionary funds which may become available for special projects; approves payroll.
• Performs related duties as assigned.

Education and Experience:

Minimum:

• Undergraduate degree in Planning, Urban Studies, Public Administration, or a related discipline
• Five to ten years' experience working in a planning capacity with a public agency/agencies, plus experience leading and managing teams.
• Proficiency with ESRI GIS Mapping software and related tools

Desirable:

• Advanced degree in Planning, Urban Studies, Public Administration, or a related discipline
• Ten years' experience working specifically in planning in a public school system
• AICP certification and membership