Continuing to Build a Great Community

Director of Community

Development

1Continuing to Build a Great Community

Arvada, Colorado is a beautiful, first-ring suburb of Denver with 109,157 residents, approximately 15 minutes northwest of downtown Denver and 30minutes from Denver International Airport, with direct access to two interstates. It is home to threefuture stops on the Gold Line commuter rail system,to be completed in 2016. Residents and businessesenjoy tree-lined streets, award-winning City services, and spectacular views of the Rocky Mountains. The City has strong civic leadership thatbalances quality of life with business and economicdevelopment for a strong and stable economy.

Arvada was the site of the first gold strike in Colorado in 1850 and was established in 1870. TheCity is now the home of a robust mix of businesses

which utilize the community’s well-educated workforce. The Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities is a unique institution offering year-round world class theater, concerts, art galleries, a historical museum, and numerous classes and camps in performing and visual arts. It also featuresexceptional banquet facilities.

The City’s trails are extensive within the 39.2 squaremile City limits and offer links to the Denver trails to the east and the foothills of the Rocky Mountainsto the west. With over 163 miles of trails, 87 parks,three golf courses, three skate parks, and 300 annualdays of sunshine, there are ample outdoor activities.

The Community

is seeking a

Director of

Community

Development

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The City of Arvada is a home-rule City and operatesunder a Council-Manager form of government, combining strong political leadership of elected officials with strong managerial experience of an appointed City Manager. The City Council and Mayorall serve four-year, staggered terms. The Mayor andCouncil appoint the City Manager who is responsiblefor policy implementation, service delivery and theoverall operations of the City. The City’s financial position is strong, earning a AAA bond rating by bothStandard and Poor’s and Fitch’s rating agencies, andis known for its strategic outlook, sound financialmanagement, and exceptional customer service.The City was named one of the Top Places to Work in2012 by the Denver Post.

The Director of Community Development reports tothe Deputy City Manager.

City Government Organizational

Values

ProfessionalismWe will provide quality service through

commitment and responsiveness.

AccountabilityWe will accept ownership for our actionsand decisions.

Open CommunicationWe will openly listen and share wholeand complete information.

RespectWe will value each person for his/her thoughts, opinions, diversity, and personal needs.

InnovationWe will be solution oriented with flexibility,creativity, and new ideas.

IntegrityWe will be truthful, dependable and fairin all actions.

CommunityWe will work together in a shared responsibility of service.

Personal and Professional Enrichment We will acknowledge and encourage individual development and personalwell-being.

3Continuing to Build a Great Community

• Key opportunities for the Community DevelopmentDepartment include: implementation of the newlyadopted Comprehensive Plan; a major update of theCity’s Land Development Code to make it more user friendly and develop a long-term strategic approach to build a “bridge” between City Plans andthe Land Development Code; and implementationof a Neighborhood Engagement Program to betterconnect neighborhoods and the City.

• Like many municipalities, the City faces an aging infrastructure and financial challenges thataccompany that issue.

• Demographic changes are occurring with an agingand more ethnically diverse population.

• A major transit-oriented development associatedwith the commuter rail line will present both challenges and opportunities that come with expected growth.

• The City hopes to develop and expand businessand job opportunities in order to attract new residents.

• Providing a mix of housing stock including work-force housing continues to be a challenge.

• Neighborhood renewal and revitalization is alsopresenting a challenge for the community.

• Organizational expectations include internal andexternal teambuilding, continuing current effortswith other departments to improve the develop-ment process.

• The strategic FOCUS initiative (performance-basedmanagement and budgeting) will require contin-ued collaborative leadership and engagementthroughout the organization.

Community and Organizational

Challenges and Opportunities

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Core

Competencies

Effectively Manages RelationshipsRelates to all individuals tactfully, from front lineto top executive. Draws out the best in people.Acts decisively when faced with tough decisions.Acts fairly. Allows talented people to do their jobs.Recognizes individual contributions. Encouragesand praises others. Recognizes and utilizes untapped talents. Establishes strong collaborativerelationships. Seeks solutions that benefit thewhole rather than the individual. Hires well.

Communicates EffectivelyEncourages direct and open discussions about all issues. Clearly articulates all areas and all subjects.Listens to individuals at all levels. Listens whetherthings are good or otherwise. Is willing to speak up.

Demonstrates LeadershipExhibits a positive, open, and realistic view, evenin the face of adversity. Promotes a strategic viewand vision consistent with the City’s mission. Actsas a role model. Is flexible and adaptive whendealing with others. Acknowledges and values different backgrounds and perspectives. Pursues,responds to, and uses feedback effectively.

Is Self AwareUses humor appropriately and has a positive sense of themselves. Listens to new ideas andmethods. Appropriately prioritizes tasks based on organizational objectives. Accepts responsibilityfor actions and words. Is self disciplined and energetic. Balances life and work.

Demonstrates Ethics and IntegrityIs consistently truthful, honest, and trustworthy. Isconsistently accountable for words and actions. Isconsistently approachable. Exemplifies honor.

Demonstrates Problem Solving and DecisionMaking Skills

Looks beneath the surface, tests the validity of information. Analyzes complex situations and can reduce it to the simplest terms. Appropriatelyobserves people, events, and things. Develops solutions that effectively address obvious underlyingproblems. Seeks opportunities and identifiesthreads and trends. Shows good judgment in decision making. Willing to disagree and still commit. Offers innovative ideas. Acts when othershesitate. Takes calculated risks when it is in the bestinterest of the organization. Gathers information tomake decisions.

¸Effectively Values Diversity and InclusionFosters a welcoming environment for all employeesand citizens. Acknowledges and values differentbackgrounds and perspectives. Actively learnsfrom the experiences, viewpoints and perceptionsof others. Refrains from using, and speaks upwhen witnessing, offensive jokes, derogatory comments, or stereotyping when discussing customers or co-workers. Withholds judgmentwhile treating co-workers and customers fairly, inclusively, and respectfully.

Key Functions

of this Position

The Ideal Candidate

5Continuing to Build a Great Community

The ideal candidate is someone who is highly moti-vated and skilled at building relationships and part-nerships throughout the community. The Director ofCommunity Development must be astute in strategicplanning and policy development that leads the Cityin areas of sound community development practicesand procedures, planning, and administration to include urban and city planning, architecture, civilengineering and municipal financing.

The Director of Community Development must possess excellent written and presentation skills.He/She will have the ability to deal with a variety ofpeople and political issues, possess solid commonsense and ability to speak with City Council, citizens,land developers, planning commissions and otherson City wide issues.

The purpose of the Arvada Community DevelopmentDepartment is to sustain a planned and balancedcommunity that provides affordable housing whilepreserving existing neighborhoods and the relatedhousing stock, enhance the image of the community,provide quality jobs for citizens, generates additional revenue, and insures the economic health and financial stability for the City of Arvada.Responsible for coordinating development activitiesto conform to City policies and regulations.

MISSION STATEMENT:To provide land use planning, affordable and qualityhousing, neighborhood engagement, and property

code compliance services to the City and Community ofArvada so they can live and work in a well-planned,

safe, and vibrant City for current and future generations.

• To guide the social, economic and physical development of Arvada.

• Provide quality working, living and recreationalenvironments.

• Promote diverse housing and employment opportunities.

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Typically, candidates applying for this position willpossess a Master’s Degree in Planning or related degree or equivalent combination of education andrelated experience, ten (10) years of experience inareas relating to public and private sector planning,and five (5) years of supervisory experience. American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) designation preferred.

Compensation PackageThe salary for the Director of Community Developmentis dependent upon qualifications; the current salaryrange is $110,296 - $143,900 annually.

The City also provides an attractive benefit packageincluding Retirement, Medical, Dental, Life Insurance,Long-Term Disability, Holidays, Sick Leave, Vacation,Car Allowance, Deferred Compensation Plan, andFlexible Spending Account.

Education and Experience

7The City of Arvada is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Application and Selection Process

A City of Arvada application is mandatory in order to be consideredfor this position. Please complete the on-line City application onour City’s web page at www.arvada.org/city-jobs. Resumessubmitted without a City application and late applications will notbe considered. Questions may be directed to Heather Spencer at720-898-7565 or Lisa Raber at 720-898-7568.

The deadline to apply is: January 9, 2015Following the filing date, resumes will be screened in relation to thecriteria outlined in this brochure and in the job posting. Candidateswith relevant qualifications will be referred to the Deputy City Manager for further consideration. Interviews will be offered to a select number of candidates. Reference and background checks aswell as additional pre-employment processes will be conducted onthose candidates in the final process after receiving candidates’ permission. The preliminary interview process will begin in January with the finalist interviews to be held in February. Finalists’ application materials will be subject to disclosure.