Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Deputy Director of Development Services – Zoning & Design Review
The Role
The Deputy Director of Development Services – Zoning & Design Review is a senior leader who helps set direction, align teams, and ensure decisions are consistent, timely, and strategically grounded. The role has historically been a key part of the Department’s leadership team during a period of tremendous growth, strengthening the operational foundation, improving processes, supporting staff, and keeping pace with increasing development volume while maintaining high service standards.
Now, the role is evolving.
This is not a turnaround. Fort Worth is not “fixing what’s broken.” The City is building on a strong foundation and asking the next Deputy Director to help the City Manager’s office shift the organization from primarily responding to development pressure to more intentionally guiding growth through proactive planning, area plan development, and alignment of land use decisions with infrastructure and transportation investments. This Deputy Director will oversee a complex and high-impact portfolio, including:
- Zoning change case management, ordinance updates, and administration of the Zoning Commission.
- Historic preservation, form-based codes, and downtown design, including Certificates of Appropriateness, code enforcement in designated districts, federal review components, and the boards and commissions that support design and preservation.
- Zoning plan review, urban forestry, and zoning appeals, including compliance with the urban forestry ordinance, Boards of Adjustment administration, verification letters, and related determinations.
- Platting and annexation / ETJ coordination, including subdivision ordinance enforcement, coordination of Plan Commission and development review committees, and collaboration across the entitlement and predevelopment landscape.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic leadership and growth-shaping execution
- Provide senior leadership for the Zoning & Design Review portfolio, translating City and departmental priorities into clear direction, measurable outcomes, and decision-ready implementation.
- Lead the evolution from primarily “processing growth” to more intentionally guiding growth, strengthening area-based planning, aligning land use outcomes with infrastructure and mobility realities, and improving predictability in how policy is applied.
- Ensure zoning, design review, and entitlement practices reinforce neighborhood stability, quality-of-place, and long-term community framework outcomes.
Zoning, land use policy, and entitlement leadership
- Oversee zoning change case management and support continuous improvement of the zoning process—from intake through public hearing—balancing speed, transparency, and sound recommendations.
- Lead zoning ordinance and map amendments and updates, including Council priority code and policy initiatives.
- Ensure consistent interpretation and application of the Comprehensive Plan, zoning ordinances, and relevant state law across all land use actions.
Urban design, downtown, and historic preservation stewardship
- Direct design review functions spanning historic preservation, form-based codes, and downtown design—ensuring standards are clear, defensible, and consistently administered.
- Guide the administration and staff support for boards and commissions associated with preservation and design, ensuring high-quality staff work, strong public process management, and decision clarity.
- Oversee updates to plans, guidelines, and related ordinances to support smart growth and predictable outcomes in designated districts.
Platting, annexation, and ETJ coordination
- Provide leadership for platting and annexation services that support orderly growth in the City and ETJ, including coordination with regional partners and neighboring jurisdictions where applicable.
- Ensure subdivision ordinance administration is consistent, legally sound, and customer-oriented; improve SOPs and process clarity where needed.
- Oversee the cadence and quality of City Plan Commission and Development Review Committee workflows, including briefing support and cross-department alignment.
Boards, commissions, and public decision-making
- Represent the Department in high-visibility public settings; prepare and present clear, professional recommendations and decision-ready materials.
- Ensure a consistent, credible staff posture across public hearings and quasi- judicial processes, including zoning-related boards and appeals.
Operational excellence, service-level performance, and continuous improvement
- Direct and evaluate programs, projects, workflows, and service offerings—improving cycle time, reducing friction, and strengthening transparency for customers and internal partners.
- Identify opportunities for process improvement; implement changes that enhance predictability, quality control, and customer experience.
- Partner with internal “alliance” departments and external stakeholders to create a seamless development experience.
People leadership and capability building
- Lead and develop a multidisciplinary team; set expectations, prioritize work, coach performance, and build a stronger leadership bench across specialized functions.
- Strengthen training, cross-training, and succession readiness—building resiliency across zoning, design review, urban forestry, and platting/annexation functions.
- Foster a culture of responsible empowerment, accountability, and professionalism in a “do more with less” environment.
Budget, stewardship, and organizational management
- Participate in the development and administration of division/department budgets; forecast resource needs; approve expenditures; and implement adjustments as needed.
- Ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws, codes, and standards, with strong attention to defensibility and risk management.
Qualifications
Fort Worth is seeking a seasoned municipal leader who brings technical depth in zoning and entitlement systems, credibility in public-facing decision environments, and the ability to translate policy into predictable, high-quality outcomes at scale. The successful candidate will be both a strategic growth-shaper and an operational executive—equally capable of building durable internal systems and navigating complex stakeholder dynamics.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Planning, Urban Planning/Design, Public Administration, Urban Geography, Civil Engineering, or a closely related field.
- Six (6) years of progressively responsible experience in city planning, development services, or a closely related municipal function, including broad exposure to zoning/entitlements, land use regulation, and development review.
- Four (4) years of management or administrative leadership experience, including supervising professional staff and coordinating multi-function work programs.
- Valid Texas driver’s license (or ability to obtain upon hire).
Preferred / Highly Desirable Qualifications
- Masters Degree in Planning, Regional Planning, Urban Design or planning related degree strongly preferred.
- A demonstrated record of leading or influencing zoning and land use policy in a high-growth environment, including ordinance interpretation, case management, and code modernization.
- Experience overseeing or partnering closely with urban design, downtown design standards, form-based tools, conservation districts, or historic preservation programs where public process and defensibility are paramount.
- Working knowledge of subdivision/platting and annexation/ETJ coordination, including collaborative workflows with engineering, transportation, utilities, and capital planning partners.
- A history of success improving customer experience and service-level performance (cycle time, predictability, transparency) while maintaining decision quality and public trust.
- Evidence of strong people leadership—developing staff capability, building a leadership bench, implementing training/cross-training, and strengthening accountability in a high-volume environment.
- Professional credentials such as AICP and/or CNU (or comparable design/planning credentials) are valued.
How to Apply
Apply online at: https://