The Planning Advisory Council is one of the most important parts of the Mayor's vision for a transformed City planning process in Boston. Created by an Executive Order in January 2023, the purpose of the Planning Advisory Council is to guide the planning and implementation of the City’s built environment.

• The Council will establish a coordinated Citywide vision for Boston’s future and create accountability for delivering on that vision.
• ​​The Council will be composed of Cabinet officials, including those overseeing housing, parks, equity and inclusion, arts, and transportation, to ensure that long-range planning includes those perspectives.
• The Council will break down silos between departments, tie planning efforts to the City’s capital budgeting process, and serve as a central authority for initiating, reviewing, and implementing Citywide planning.
• The Council  will take responsibility for improving interdepartmental engagement in planning efforts, creating transparency with community members, and ensuring planning efforts support those who have historically not been represented in the planning process.

The Executive Director of the Planning Advisory Council will report directly to the Chief of Planning and be responsible for achieving these goals.

Under the supervision of the Chief of Planning, the Executive Director will oversee all operations and staff of the Planning Advisory Council. They will establish planning best practices and policies, enable consistent initial, ongoing, and final review of plans, facilitate public engagement, inform the capital budget, and publish an annual report.

They will enable and achieve close coordination and collaboration between all member departments and Cabinet Chiefs, and facilitate conversations to build consensus with diverse stakeholder groups.

General Duties and Responsibilities:

• Work across cabinets to translate the vision set forth in the Mayor’s Executive Order to specific operational protocols, procedures and policies to achieve the mission of the Planning Advisory Council. 
• Oversee all operations and staff within the Planning Advisory Council.
• Directly or through staff, manage all aspects of the functioning of the Planning Advisory Council, including scheduling, convening, setting the agenda, and preparing presentation materials for the Council meetings, to take place at minimum every 90 days.
• Create policies and best practices for the initial, ongoing, and final plan reviews of the Council.
• Create a schedule for ongoing plan review at the recommendation of the Council members.  
• Ensure all plans seeking approval from various governmental bodies receive prior review from the Council.
• Create policies and best practices to enable the regular review of progress against approved plans.
• Publish an annual public report to the Mayor of past outcomes and anticipated upcoming efforts.
• Organize and support public access to Council meetings.
• Develop and evaluate best practices and standards for public engagement in planning to be shared across departments executing planning, through close collaboration with the Community Engagement Cabinet.
• Serve as liaison to the member departments and Cabinet Chiefs.
• Work with other City departments on all planning related issues relevant to the Council.
• Work with the Chief Financial Officer and Budget Office to assist in the annual development of the City’s five-year Capital Plan.
• Evaluate performance of assigned staff; recommend appropriate personnel actions. Review and approve personnel actions of staff. Comply with City policies and procedures
• Develop and oversee the Planning Advisory Council’s operating budget.
• Administer and implement approved budget; authorize purchases; justify variances. Maintain current, accurate documentation of financial transactions.
• Perform other related duties as required.

• Must have five to seven (5-7) years of related experience.
• Work requires a bachelor's degree in Business, Management, Planning, Urban Design, Government, Public Policy or related field.
• A Master’s degree is preferred and may be used to substitute for (3) three years of required experience. 
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, with demonstrated ability to facilitate conversations and build consensus with diverse stakeholder groups.
• Demonstrated ability to lead organizational change. 
• Familiarity with the City of Boston and management experience are preferred.
• Understanding of and/or interest in city planning, urban design, architecture, and/or real estate development is desirable.
• Excellent oral, written, presentation and organizational skills required.
• Proficiency with Microsoft applications, and Google Suite.
• Ability to exercise good judgment and focus on detail as required by the job.

Boston Residency Required.

Terms:

Union/SalaryPlan/Grade:Non-Union. Salary range $125,000-$135,000

Hours per week: 35