DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES / BUILDING OFFICIAL
Department: Development Services
Reports To: City Administrator
Employment Status: Full-Time
FLSA Status: Exempt, subject to final classification review
Salary Range: Dependent on Experience
Supervises: Assigned employees, contractors, consultants, and third-party inspectors
Position Summary
Under the direction of the City Administrator, the Director of Development Services/Building Official manages the City’s planning, zoning, subdivision, development review, permitting, building-code administration, and inspection functions.
The position serves as the City’s principal advisor regarding Texas municipal platting and zoning requirements, development processes, growth management, building safety, and land-use regulation. The Director is responsible for developing and maintaining clear, predictable, and customer-oriented processes that allow applicants to understand and comply with City requirements while protecting the City’s infrastructure, residents, and long-term interests.
The Director coordinates construction-plan review between applicants, City departments, the City’s contracted City Engineer, and other consultants. The Director also serves as the City’s Building Official, performs inspections within the individual’s qualifications and certifications, and manages third-party plan review and inspection services when necessary.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Development Services and Growth Management
· Directs and administers the City’s planning, zoning, subdivision, permitting, building inspection, and development-review functions.
· Reviews the City’s ordinances, development standards, fee schedules, application forms, checklists, and internal procedures and recommends revisions necessary to accommodate anticipated growth.
· Develops clear and consistent development processes that identify submission requirements, review responsibilities, approval authority, applicable deadlines, and required next steps.
· Advises the City Administrator, various boards, and City Council regarding development trends, land-use issues, and recommended policy or ordinance changes.
· Monitors changes in Texas law affecting municipal platting, zoning, subdivision regulation, permitting, building codes, annexation, extraterritorial jurisdiction, and development review.
Platting, Zoning, and Land-Use Administration
· Reviews and processes preliminary plats, final plats, replats, amending plats, site plans, zoning changes, special-use permits, variances, annexation requests, development agreements, and other land-development applications.
· Reviews applications for completeness and compliance with applicable state law, City ordinances, adopted plans, and development standards.
· Tracks statutory and City-established review deadlines and ensures that approval, conditional approval, or disapproval recommendations are properly documented.
· Provides written comments identifying applicable requirements and the corrections necessary for an application to proceed.
· Conducts preapplication and development-coordination meetings with property owners, developers, engineers, surveyors, architects, contractors, and other applicants.
· Coordinates required notices, public hearings, agenda materials, staff reports, maps, exhibits, ordinances, resolutions, and presentations.
· Serves as staff liaison to the various boards and commissions and provides development-related support to the City Council.
Construction Plan Review and Development Coordination
· Manages the review of subdivision construction plans, civil plans, utility plans, drainage plans, site-development plans, and related technical documents.
· Serves as the primary administrative liaison between applicants and multiple departments within the City that include Legal, Engineering, Public Works, Fire, Police, etc.
· Consolidates City and engineering comments, tracks applicant responses, and verifies that outstanding items are resolved before recommending approval.
· Coordinates preconstruction meetings, construction inspections, testing documentation, record drawings, final walkthroughs, punch lists, warranties, and infrastructure-acceptance recommendations.
· Maintains appropriate separation between administrative development coordination and professional engineering decisions. Engineering judgments and approvals must remain under the responsibility of a properly licensed professional engineer.
Building Official and Inspection Services
· Serves as the City’s Building Official or Code Official when appointed or designated in accordance with City ordinance.
· Administers the building, residential, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, energy, existing-building, property-maintenance, and other construction codes adopted by the City.
· Reviews or coordinates review of permit applications, construction plans, specifications, and supporting documents.
· Issues or authorizes permits, correction notices, inspection approvals, certificates of occupancy, stop-work orders, and related documents within the authority granted by City ordinance.
· Performs residential and commercial inspections within the employee’s training, certifications, experience, and lawful authority.
· Documents inspection findings and provides clear written correction notices identifying observed deficiencies and applicable code requirements.
· Maintains complete permit, plan-review, inspection, certificate-of-occupancy, and enforcement records.
· Collaborates with the Code Enforcement Officer when enforcing unsafe structures, unpermitted work, occupancy violations, and other development-related violations.
· Does not perform plumbing inspections or other specialized inspections requiring a state license unless the employee possesses the required license.
Third-Party Review and Inspection Services
· Coordinates third-party plan review and inspection services when needed because of workload, employee absence, project complexity, statutory deadlines, specialized licensing, or technical expertise.
· Verifies that third-party inspectors, plan reviewers, engineers, and consultants possess appropriate qualifications, licenses, insurance, and contractual authority.
· Assigns and tracks third-party work and monitors cost, timeliness, quality, consistency, and compliance with City requirements.
· Ensures that the City retains appropriate control over permits, official records, administrative decisions, and code interpretations.
Customer Service and Department Administration
· Provides applicants with clear, accurate, and consistent information concerning City development requirements and processes.
· Identifies regulatory, infrastructure, and procedural concerns as early as reasonably possible.
· Develop application forms, checklists, process guides, standard operating procedures, development manuals, and online resources.
· Prepares and administers the departmental budget and recommends staffing, technology, consultant, vehicle, equipment, and training needs.
· Supervises assigned employees and manage departmental contracts and consultants.
· Maintains development records in accordance with applicable retention and public-information requirements.
· Applies City codes and ordinances consistently and impartially and avoids actual or apparent conflicts of interest.
· Performs other duties reasonably related to the responsibilities and classification of the position.
Minimum Qualifications
Education and Experience
A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in urban planning, public administration, architecture, construction management, engineering, or a related field is preferred.
Candidates should have at least five years of progressively responsible experience in one or more of the following areas:
· Municipal planning and zoning;
· Subdivision and plat review;
· Development review and permitting;
· Building-code administration;
· Construction inspection; or
Substantial experience interpreting and applying Texas municipal platting, zoning, subdivision, and development requirements is required.
The City may consider an equivalent combination of education, certifications, training, and directly related experience that demonstrates the ability to perform the essential functions of the position.
Supervisory, project management, consultant management, or departmental leadership experience is preferred.
Licenses and Certifications
· Valid Texas Class C driver’s license and an acceptable driving record.
· At least one applicable International Code Council inspection, plans-examiner, or building-official certification is preferred at appointment.
· A candidate without an applicable ICC certification may be required to obtain certification within a period established by the City.
· A Texas Plumbing Inspector License is required before conducting plumbing inspections.
· The employee must obtain and maintain any licenses or certifications required for assigned duties.
Preferred credentials include:
· ICC Certified Building Official;
· ICC Residential or Commercial Building Inspector;
· ICC Building Plans Examiner;
· Texas Plumbing Inspector;
· American Institute of Certified Planners certification; or
· Certified Floodplain Manager.
Required Knowledge and Abilities
The position requires knowledge of:
· Texas municipal platting, zoning, subdivision, annexation, permitting, and development laws;
· Comprehensive planning and growth-management principles;
· Building-code administration and construction inspection;
· Municipal infrastructure, including streets, drainage, water, and wastewater systems;
· Public-hearing and municipal board procedures;
· Construction plans, plats, surveys, site plans, utility plans, and technical reports;
· Project management, consultant coordination, and records management; and
· Customer-oriented regulatory administration.
The employee must be able to:
· Interpret and apply statutes, ordinances, codes, plans, and technical standards;
· Manage multiple applications and statutory deadlines;
· Prepare clear staff reports, review comments, correspondence, ordinances, and presentations;
· Explain complex regulatory requirements to applicants, officials, and the public;
· Coordinate technical reviews without performing regulated professional services for which the employee is not licensed;
· Present information at public meetings; and
· Maintain professional working relationships during difficult or contentious situations.
Physical Demands and Work Environment
The employee must be able to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.
Work includes office duties, public meetings, driving, field inspections, and visits to active construction sites. The position may require prolonged sitting or standing, walking over uneven or unfinished surfaces, climbing stairs or ladders when safe, bending, kneeling, crouching, and occasionally lifting or carrying objects weighing up to approximately 30 pounds.
The employee may be exposed to heat, cold, rain, dust, mud, noise, moving vehicles, construction equipment, excavations, unfinished structures, electrical or mechanical hazards, insects, and uneven terrain.
The employee must follow City safety procedures and use required personal protective equipment. The employee is not required to enter an excavation, confined space, unsafe structure, energized area, or other hazardous location without appropriate authorization, training, equipment, and safety protections.
Work Schedule
The normal work schedule will be established by the City Administrator. Attendance at evening meetings of the City Council, and other boards or committees may be required.
Occasional early-morning, evening, weekend, emergency, or extended-hour work may be necessary due to inspections, public meetings, development deadlines, or operational needs.
Conditions of Employment
Employment may be conditioned upon verification of education, experience, licenses, certifications, employment eligibility, and driving history, along with other lawful and job-related preemployment requirements.
A pre-employment background check and drug screening will be required.
This job description does not constitute an employment contract. Duties may be modified or reassigned consistent with the general purpose and responsibility level of the position.
Equal Employment Opportunity
The City of Troy is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are made without unlawful discrimination or retaliation based on any status protected by applicable federal or state law.
The City will provide reasonable accommodation to qualified applicants and employees with disabilities as required by applicable law.
Pay: $75,000.00 - $95,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Bereavement leave
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Retirement plan
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
