Parks Planning and Development Manager

Bellevue Parks & Community Services (PCS) is seeking an experienced leader and creative systems-thinker to serve as Parks Planning and Development Manager within the Planning, Design and Project Management (PDPM) division. This position leads a team of nine charged with delivering a portfolio of varied capital projects and programs totaling approximately $40 million a year. This position oversees budget development, project delivery, community engagement processes, landscape and architectural design, and construction of major capital and renovation projects. Further, as a key member of the PCS Management Team, this individual is skilled in personnel management, strategic planning, performance management, and contract management. Excellent communication skills, strategic thinking, and political acumen are needed to be successful in this publicly facing position.

With over 2,700 acres of parks and open space, Bellevue is known as "A City in a Park." The city is dynamic, international and multicultural, future-focused, diversity-driven, and high-performing with a vision for a livable, vibrant, and equitable community. The Parks & Community Services Department builds a healthy community through an integrated system of exceptional parks, open spaces, recreation, cultural arts and community services. Consider joining a team dedicated to realizing a vision where, in Bellevue, everyone can connect to each other and to nature through experiences that help them to live, grow, and thrive.

• Leads staff team delivering capital development projects and programs as well as the department's capital facility renovation program.
• Plans, organizes, evaluates, coordinates, and directs the work of staff; selects, hires, coaches, counsels, and disciplines staff and makes other personnel decisions; prepares and delivers performance evaluations.
• Develops and prepares division budget proposals, performance metrics reports and workload plans.
• Provides leadership and direction in the planning, preparation, and management of contracts, project design, and community outreach.
• Negotiates and prepares formal agreements to establish projects and/or public and private partnerships.
• Develops and implements policies; ensures compliance with relevant federal, state, and local codes and regulations.
• Collaborates with customers, stakeholders, elected and appointed officials and residents on project and policy issues. Facilitates large or small groups dealing with controversial and/or competing viewpoints and desired outcomes.
• Prepares and delivers presentations to a variety of audiences including city leadership, councilmembers, commissions, and the general public.
• Establishes and maintains a working environment conducive to positive morale, individual style, quality, creativity, and teamwork.

Supervision Received and Exercised

• Receives occasional feedback from a manager; sets objectives and goals for a program.
• Supervises multiple professional and technical staff.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Extensive knowledge of capital project portfolio planning, design, construction practices, project schedule management and budget control for small and large, complex projects.
• Experience in leading and supervising a sizable staff team.
• Knowledge of applicable city, state and federal policies, laws, and regulations affecting capital improvement project portfolios.
• Ability to preemptively identify risks or obstacles to project completion and develop options to mitigate.
• Significant ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, with employees, consultants, other governmental agency representatives, city officials, and the general public.
• Ability to mediate between groups and convey differing opinions for policy makers/Council. Strong leadership skills with ability to build consensus with diverse groups.
• Ability to develop and maintain effective working relations with associates, colleagues from other departments, representatives of other organizations and grant agencies, neighboring jurisdictions, City officials, and the public.
• Considerable skill in negotiating contracts and determining cost estimates on complex projects.
• Knowledge of architectural and engineering principles; ability to read and interpret architectural and landscape plans, profile drawings, survey and maps.

Education, Experience, and Other Requirements

• Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a degree in business or public administration, project/construction management, urban planning, landscape architecture or related field.
• Five or more years of progressively responsible related experience in capital construction project management.
• Equivalent combination of education, experience, and training that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities may be considered.
• Possess a Washington State driver's license.
• Pass a criminal background check.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with a disability to perform the essential functions.

• Work involves moving, communicating, operating objects, tools, or controls and reaching.
• Vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• The employee may be required to push, pull, lift, and/or carry up to 20 pounds.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderately quiet while in the office or moderately loud when in the field.