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Employer: City of Seattle
Location: Seattle, WA
Job Type: Management
Job Number: 2019-01378
Division: Office of Planning and Community Development
Salary: $94,816.08 - $142,213.68 Annually
Opening Date: 08/16/2019
Closing Date: 09/17/2019

Job Description:

The City of Seattle is recruiting for an inclusive and collaborative leader to serve as Chief of Staff for the Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD). OPCD is the planning agency for one of the fastest-growing and most dynamic cities in the country. We are at the forefront of equitable development policy and practice; affordable housing policy; integrated public space planning; and a range of other planning issues. The Chief of Staff supports the OPCD Director and Deputy Director in providing strategic leadership and direction for the department. This position leads Legislative Affairs and Communications and provides oversight on work programs related to land use policy and other priority initiatives for the City. This leader is responsible for overseeing and managing the flow and exchange of information between OPCD and the Mayor's Office and Council, ensuring alignment with key Mayoral priorities.

The Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD) engages in citywide and neighborhood planning efforts to ensure Seattle supports thriving communities with a mix of amenities, open space, transportation, affordable housing, and educational and economic opportunity. We are committed to collaborating with diverse communities and to ensuring that the economic, social, and environmental benefits of our work helps to build an equitable city. OPCD works across City departments to assess community needs, prioritize resources, and develop a vision for how Seattle grows. We are working toward a city that is inclusive, affordable, vibrant, interconnected and innovative. We develop strong partnerships with community organizations and other agencies and help ensure that all voices are represented in our planning-and-action processes. We work to develop better strategies, processes, and tools that support meaningful engagement for communities of color and lower-income populations. We support community capacity building and help to guide investment and action to support equitable outcomes and counter the forces of displacement.

Job Duties:

The Chief of Staff has a key leadership role in guiding OPCD's work, ensuring alignment with the Mayor's office and other departments and delivering high quality outcomes. The successful candidate will be central to our ongoing efforts to create a high-performance departmental culture that embraces diversity, dismantles institutional racism and delivers desired outcomes with and for the communities we serve.

Key priorities of the Chief of Staff include:

  • Lead strategic initiatives.
  • Assures integrated policy analysis and strategy consultation on major policy issues.
  • Closely coordinates with stakeholders to ensure policy alignment on the Mayor's key initiatives, such as the Comprehensive Plan major update, approaches to industrial lands, and Urban Village-based planning.
  • Provides the Director and Mayor's Office with strategic perspective on policy through reports, briefings and presentations.
  • Conducts research and analysis related to land use policies and programs and coordinates closely with the Mayor's Office policy staff.
  • Align for success.
  • Guide the team's work, ensuring alignment with the Mayor's Office and other city departments.
  • Supports the executive team in managing the department's work plan and coordinating staffing decisions.
  • Supports OPCD's ongoing efforts to create a high-performance culture that embraces diversity, dismantles institutional racism and delivers desired outcomes with and for the communities we serve.
  • Communicate with clarity.
  • Oversees communication with the Mayor's Office, Council and other city departments.
  • Works with Council and Mayor's Office to identify, define and scope major initiatives, including Mayoral priorities.
  • Responds to Mayoral and Council requests on key issues and constituent responses.
  • Works with Council and Mayor's Council Liaison to coordinate on key issues and OPCD-related legislation.
  • Champion equity.
  • Partners to articulate a shared vision for the future that advances our values of equity, sustainability and long-term resilience.
  • Collaborates with diverse communities to ensure that the economic, social, and environmental benefits of our work help build an equitable city.
  • Lead effective and efficient operations.
  • Directs "best in class" administrative and operational functions that demonstrate excellence in budgeting and fiscal management, program and project planning, civic engagement; and performance-based management.
  • Deliver program management excellence.
  • Tracks overall department work program including projects and staffing priorities.
  • Works with department leaders to scope project and secure resources, reviews analysis and preliminary recommendations, tracks progress and trouble shoots as needed.
  • Inspire a culture of excellence.
  • Supports a continuous and consistent flow of communication regarding our work within the department, and with stakeholders.
  • Seeks to solve problems and create innovative ideas through collaborative teamwork.
  • Develops planning staff through recruitment, training and professional development.

Experience/Qualifications/Knowledge/Skills:

The successful candidate will be a collaborative, innovative, and experienced leader with a demonstrated commitment to an integrated and equitable approach to planning and community investment. They possess management expertise in multi-disciplinary land use planning, community planning or public policy. Their work must be centered in racial, social, and economic justice and demonstrate strong problem-solving as well as analytical skills and understanding of public policy and the policy-making process. They have a demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective communication between stakeholders. Their professional practice reflects a commitment to customer service, data-informed effectiveness and addressing racial and social inequities. They have a reputation as a strong collaborative partner, exercising a high level of tact, good judgment, discretion, diplomacy and cooperative working relationships with diverse groups of people.The ideal candidate has served in a senior leadership position within a large and complex publicly accountable organization and has successfully led high priority and high visibility policy initiatives.Please note this job advertisement is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Supplemental Information:

Who May Apply: This position is open to all candidates that meet the qualifications. The Seattle Department of Human Resources values diverse perspectives and life experiences. Applicants will be considered regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, disability, religious or political affiliation, age, sexual orientation, or gender identity. The Department encourages people of all backgrounds to apply, including people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ, people with disabilities, veterans and those with diverse life experiences.

How to Apply:
Submit your application, resume and cover letter online. If you have questions, please contact Pam Inch, Senior Executive Recruiter at [email protected].

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