Deputy Director of Development Services- City of Fort Worth

Overview
Deputy Director of Development Services – Zoning & Design Review

— City of Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth is a high-performance, full-service municipal organization operating at the center of one of America’s most dynamic growth regions. The City’s work has immediate consequences for neighborhoods, infrastructure, economic vitality, and the lived experience of residents and businesses. Fort Worth values execution, measurable outcomes, transparency, and cross-department collaboration. This recruitment represents a senior leadership role inside a nationally recognized development services organization evolving from managing growth to guiding it.

About the City of Fort Worth as an Organization
The City operates under a council–manager form of government. The Mayor and City Council set policy direction, and the City Manager leads daily operations across the enterprise. Fort Worth delivers services through 27 departments, with a workforce of approximately 7,200 employees, and a FY2026 operating budget of $3.09 billion ($1.11 billion General Fund). The City emphasizes performance, transparency, and cross-department coordination.

The Development Services Department: A performance-driven organization with a five-year blueprint
Fort Worth has grown rapidly, with a 240-person Development Services Department (DSD) guiding every plat, permit, and inspection. DSD has been ranked #1 in Texas among 1,200 cities by Texas Businesses on Scout for customer reviews on speed of permitting and speed of zoning. The 2029 Strategic Plan outlines initiatives including delivery support for the Panther Island project, an AI-enabled online permitting portal, updates to the Transportation Impact Fee program, and restoration of landmark civic spaces such as Heritage Park and the Historic Resource Survey. The Deputy Director will help turn strategy into reality and focus on customer experience, employee experience, and operational priorities.

Department structure and scope
DSD operates through multiple divisions delivering a coordinated development experience:

Customer Care

– front door for submittals, inquiries, and customer education.

Development Coordination

– contract management, financial management, project facilitation, KPI tracking, and transportation impact fee administration.

Development Engineering

– engineering plan review, stormwater, transportation, and utility coordination.

Plans Exam & Inspections

– building plan review, code adoption, inspections, and modernization efforts.

Zoning & Design Review

– land use, urban form, entitlements, and design outcomes.

The role: Zoning & Design Review as the City’s growth-shaping platform
The Deputy Director of Development Services – Zoning & Design Review is a senior leader who sets direction, aligns teams, and ensures timely, strategically grounded decisions. The role supports growth management during a period of rapid development volume and evolving policy needs.

This is a phase of proactive planning, area plan development, and alignment of land use decisions with infrastructure and transportation investments. The Deputy Director will oversee a complex 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 and related boards and commissions.

Zoning plan review, urban forestry, and zoning appeals , including urban forestry compliance and Boards of Adjustment.

Platting and annexation / ETJ coordination , subdivision enforcement, and cross-department collaboration.

What makes this opportunity distinctive
The department is high-performing and measures its performance. The Strategic Plan emphasizes operational efficiency, smart growth, and continuous improvement, with initiatives in technology enablement, customer self-service, dashboards, and clear cycle-time metrics.

The role combines operational excellence with strategic city-building, area plans, and growth alignment. It is a two-level leadership position: operational excellence and strategic city-building, with a three-year leadership agenda focused on area plans, growth patterns, transparent processes, leadership development, and proactive department posture.

Key Responsibilities
Strategic leadership and growth-shaping execution

Provide senior leadership for the Zoning & Design Review portfolio, translating priorities into direction and measurable outcomes.

Advance the evolution from processing growth to guiding growth, strengthening area-based planning and aligning land use with infrastructure and mobility realities.

Ensure zoning, design review, and entitlement practices reinforce neighborhood stability and long-term community outcomes.

Zoning, land use policy, and entitlement leadership

Oversee zoning change case management and improve the zoning process from intake through public hearing.

Lead zoning ordinance and map amendments, including Council priority initiatives.

Ensure consistent interpretation and application of the Comprehensive Plan and zoning ordinances across land use actions.

Urban design, downtown, and historic preservation stewardship

Direct design review functions for historic preservation, form-based codes, and downtown design.

Guide staff support for boards and commissions, ensuring strong public process management and decision clarity.

Oversee updates to plans, guidelines, and ordinances to support smart growth.

Platting, annexation, and ETJ coordination

Provide leadership for platting and annexation services with regional coordination where applicable.

Ensure subdivision administration is legally sound and customer-oriented; improve SOPs and process clarity.

Oversee Plan Commission and Development Review Committee workflows with cross-department alignment.

Boards, commissions, and public decision-making

Represent the Department in public settings; prepare and present clear recommendations and materials.

Maintain a consistent, credible staff posture across public hearings and quasi-judicial processes.

Operational excellence, service-level performance, and continuous improvement

Direct and evaluate programs, projects, workflows, and service offerings to improve cycle time and transparency.

Identify opportunities for process improvement; implement changes that enhance predictability and customer experience.

Partner with internal and external stakeholders to create a seamless development experience.

People leadership and capability building

Lead and develop a multidisciplinary team; set expectations and build a leadership bench.

Strengthen training, cross-training, and succession readiness across zoning, design review, urban forestry, and platting/annexation.

Foster a culture of empowerment, accountability, and professionalism in a resource-constrained environment.

Budget, stewardship, and organizational management

Participate in budget development and administration; forecast resources and manage expenditures.

Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local laws and standards with attention to defensibility and risk management.

Why Fort Worth—and why now
The Deputy Director role is central to building an operational foundation during sustained growth. The right leader will advance proactive planning and long-term alignment beyond processing growth.

Qualifications
Fort Worth seeks a seasoned municipal leader with technical depth in zoning and entitlement systems, credibility in public-facing decision environments, and the ability to translate policy into predictable outcomes at scale. The candidate will be strategic and operational, 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 related field.

Six (6) years

of progressively responsible experience in city planning, development services, or related municipal function with zoning/entitlements exposure.

Four (4) years

of management or administrative leadership experience.

Valid Texas driver’s license

(or ability to obtain upon hire).

Preferred / Highly Desirable Qualifications

Masters Degree in Planning, Regional Planning, Urban Design, or related field.

Experience leading zoning and land use policy in a high-growth environment, including ordinance interpretation and code modernization.

Experience with urban design, form-based tools, conservation districts, or historic preservation programs with strong public process.

Working knowledge of subdivision/platting and annexation/ETJ coordination and cross-functional collaboration.

Track record of improving customer experience and service-level performance while maintaining decision quality and public trust.

Strong people leadership with training and accountability in a high-volume environment.

Professional credentials such as AICP and/or CNU are valued.

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