Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Urban Development Director

🎯 Role Definition

The Urban Development Director leads the strategic vision, policy development, project delivery and stakeholder engagement for urban growth and redevelopment initiatives. This role manages cross-functional teams and external consultants to deliver transit-oriented development, mixed-use redevelopment, affordable housing, infrastructure upgrades, and economic revitalization programs while ensuring regulatory compliance, fiscal responsibility, and community-centered outcomes.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Senior Planner or Principal Planner with demonstrated project leadership and entitlement experience
Economic Development Manager with experience in business attraction, incentives, and redevelopment
Development Project Manager from municipal capital programs or public-private partnership teams

Advancement To:

Chief Development Officer / Director of Community Development
Deputy City Manager or City Manager (for municipal environments)
Executive Director of Redevelopment Authority or Regional Development Agency

Lateral Moves:

Director of Housing & Community Development
Infrastructure Program Director or Capital Projects Director
Director of Transit-Oriented Development / TOD Program Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop, implement, and continuously refine a multi-year urban development strategy that aligns land use, zoning, economic development, affordable housing, transportation, and sustainability goals to attract investment and improve community outcomes.
Lead and coordinate complex entitlement processes including zoning amendments, general plan updates, design review, and conditional use permits to accelerate priority development projects while ensuring legal and policy compliance.
Manage and negotiate public-private partnership agreements (PPAs), development agreements, joint-powers agreements, and memoranda of understanding that define roles, revenue-sharing, public benefits, and risk allocation for large-scale developments.
Oversee project delivery for high-profile capital projects—from site acquisition through planning, permitting, financing, construction oversight, and final close-out—ensuring schedule, scope, budget, quality, and compliance targets are met.
Secure, structure, and administer project financing including grants, tax increment financing (TIF), community facilities districts, bonds, affordable housing subsidies, and other public funding mechanisms to close viability gaps and leverage private investment.
Develop and present evidence-based business cases, feasibility studies, pro forma financial models, and market analyses to inform decision-making and secure approvals from city council, boards, or oversight committees.
Direct multidisciplinary teams and external consultants (planners, architects, engineers, environmental consultants, legal counsel, financial advisors) to deliver coordinated technical, environmental, and design workstreams for complex redevelopment initiatives.
Lead environmental review processes and regulatory compliance (e.g., NEPA/CEQA or local equivalents), coordinate mitigation strategies, and negotiate conditions of approval to minimize litigation risk and ensure timely permitting.
Supervise the land acquisition, disposition, and real property management lifecycle including site due diligence, appraisals, easements, encumbrance clearance, and conveyance documentation for public or catalytic private development sites.
Establish and manage procurement processes, RFPs/RFQs, vendor selection, contract negotiation, and consultant performance monitoring to ensure value for money and contractual compliance.
Design and implement community engagement programs, public outreach campaigns, and stakeholder consultation strategies to incorporate community priorities, manage expectations, and shepherd projects through public hearings and advisory bodies.
Drive affordable housing strategies and programs—partner with housing developers, non-profits, and funders to deliver mixed-income housing, inclusionary zoning programs, preservation strategies, and tenant protection policies.
Coordinate with transit agencies, transportation planners, and utility providers to integrate mobility, right-of-way improvements, and infrastructure upgrades that support compact, walkable, and transit-oriented development.
Monitor and report on portfolio performance using KPIs, dashboards, risk registers, and financial reporting; present program status, budget forecasts, and policy recommendations to executive leadership and elected officials.
Negotiate development incentives, land assemblies, community benefits agreements, and mitigation measures that balance fiscal stewardship with equitable community outcomes and economic competitiveness.
Champion sustainability, resilience, climate adaptation, and green building standards across projects—apply low-impact development, stormwater management, and energy efficiency measures to reduce lifecycle costs and environmental impacts.
Lead dispute resolution and claims management processes for development contracts and construction phases, working with legal counsel to mitigate exposure and preserve project momentum.
Build and maintain strategic relationships with regional partners, state agencies, philanthropic organizations, lenders, and private developers to align resources, co-fund initiatives, and capitalize on regional opportunity zones.
Oversee grant identification, proposal development, and grant administration—including performance milestones, compliance reporting, and audit preparedness—to supplement capital budgets and advance priority projects.
Prepare and present clear, persuasive reports, briefing documents, policy recommendations, and public testimony for city councils, planning commissions, boards, and stakeholder groups to secure approvals and political support.
Establish and enforce development standards, design guidelines, and placemaking initiatives that enhance urban form, mixed-use activation, streetscape quality, and community character while facilitating economic vitality.
Implement risk management frameworks and contingency planning for project schedules, funding shortfalls, environmental constraints, and stakeholder opposition to keep programs resilient and on-track.
Mentor, recruit, and develop a high-performing urban development team; set performance objectives, conduct evaluations, and create professional development pathways to build institutional capacity.
Coordinate interdepartmentally across public works, housing, planning, finance, legal, and parks to ensure integrated project delivery and effective use of municipal assets and rights-of-way.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
Monitor regulatory changes and industry best practices to update policies and advise executive leadership on potential impacts and strategic opportunities.
Represent the organization at conferences, working groups, and professional forums to advance the city's development objectives and attract investment.
Support grant compliance, audit responses, and program reporting as needed by finance and compliance teams.
Assist in the preparation of annual departmental budget requests and long-range capital improvement plans (CIPs) related to development initiatives.
Serve as senior liaison during public hearings and community advisory meetings to respond to technical questions and synthesize public feedback into actionable project modifications.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Advanced knowledge of federal, state, and local land use regulations, zoning codes, entitlements, and permitting processes (e.g., CEQA/NEPA experience strongly preferred).
Demonstrated experience structuring and negotiating public-private partnership agreements, development agreements, ground leases, and community benefit agreements.
Proficient in project finance and capital funding strategies including pro forma modeling, gap financing, tax increment financing (TIF), bond financing, and grant leveraging.
Strong experience with real estate transactions: site acquisition/disposition, easements, appraisals, and title clearance processes.
Technical familiarity with urban design principles, transit-oriented development (TOD), mixed-use development, and affordable housing delivery models.
Experience managing complex capital projects and construction oversight, including change order control, contract administration, and construction close-out procedures.
Proficiency with GIS, spatial analysis, and data visualization tools to support site analysis, market studies, and equitable impact assessments.
Skilled in procurement processes, RFP/RFQ development, consultant selection, contract negotiation, and vendor performance management.
Ability to prepare detailed feasibility studies, financial pro formas, market analyses, and technical reports for elected bodies and funding partners.
Familiarity with sustainability frameworks, resilience planning, and green building standards (LEED, energy codes, net-zero planning).
Facility with common office and project collaboration tools (Microsoft Office suite, project management platforms, SharePoint, stakeholder engagement platforms).

Soft Skills

Executive leadership with proven ability to build, inspire, and manage multidisciplinary teams in high-stakes, politically visible environments.
Exceptional stakeholder engagement and public speaking skills; comfortable presenting complex information to elected officials, community groups, and media.
Strong negotiation and conflict-resolution skills, with an ability to broker creative outcomes that balance public benefit and private feasibility.
Strategic thinker with policy acumen and the ability to translate broad objectives into actionable programs and measurable results.
High political savvy and emotional intelligence to navigate contentious public hearings and conflicting stakeholder priorities.
Excellent written communication skills to draft policy memos, briefing papers, RFPs, and public-facing materials.
Project management discipline, detail orientation, and the ability to manage multiple concurrent workstreams and competing deadlines.
Analytical mindset with the ability to synthesize market data, financial metrics, and social impact indicators into clear recommendations.
Coalition-building and partnership development skills to mobilize regional stakeholders, philanthropic partners, and private capital.
Customer-service orientation focused on equitable engagement, transparency, and responsiveness to community needs.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Urban Planning, Public Administration, Architecture, Civil Engineering, Real Estate Development, Economics, or related field.

Preferred Education:

Master's degree (MUP, MPA, MBA, or related) in Urban Planning, Public Policy, Real Estate Development, or comparable advanced degree.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Urban Planning / City & Regional Planning
Public Administration / Public Policy
Real Estate Development / Finance
Architecture / Urban Design
Civil Engineering / Infrastructure Planning
Economics / Economic Development

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

8–15+ years of progressive experience in urban planning, economic development, real estate development, or municipal capital programs; at least 5 years in a senior leadership or director-level role preferred.

Preferred:

10+ years managing major redevelopment projects, public-private partnerships, or municipal development programs with demonstrated outcomes in affordable housing delivery, capital project delivery, or economic revitalization. Experience working with elected officials, community stakeholders, and complex regulatory environments is strongly preferred.