Job Title: Director of Development Services

Employment Type: Full-time

Location: In-person, Fort Worth, TX office (with travel to client jurisdictions as needed)

About the Role

Aoka is looking for an experienced Director of Development Services to lead the strategic and operational direction of our municipal plan review, planning, and inspections service line. This role combines hands-on technical expertise in planning and code with strong leadership and client-facing skills, guiding our team as we support cities across Texas with building department, planning and zoning, and public works services. The ideal candidate has led a development services or planning department in a smaller city (around 15,000 population), understands the day-to-day realities of running lean municipal teams, and can dig into municipal codes and ordinances to find precise, defensible answers for staff, developers, and residents alike.

Key Responsibilities

- Lead and oversee development services functions delivered to client cities, including planning, zoning, plan review, permitting, inspections, and code enforcement support.

- Serve as a senior technical resource on planning and code matters, researching and interpreting zoning ordinances, subdivision regulations, and building codes to resolve complex or ambiguous cases. Delegate these functions where appropriate.

- Act as a trusted advisor to client city staff, councils, and planning and zoning commissions, representing Aoka with professionalism and responsiveness.

- Identify opportunities to improve service delivery, turnaround times, and client satisfaction across Aoka's development services engagements.

- Collaborate with Aoka's software and operations teams to strengthen permitting workflows and technology-enabled service delivery.

Leadership and Team Management

- Provide executive-level operational support, cross-department problem solving, and recommendations.

- Directly supervise 6 regional managers and provide broader oversight of a 50+ person client-facing team.

- Lead regional manager hiring, onboarding, coaching, performance development, operational decision-making, and upward mobility.

- Manage the plan review team, providing guidance and direction to the plan review manager on assignment, workload and capacity, and staffing adjustments; oversee relationships between regional managers and plan examiners and facilitate coordination between field operations and plan review.

- Hire, supervise, mentor, and evaluate planners, plan reviewers, permit technicians, and inspectors assigned to client accounts.

- Oversee staff hours, PTO, expenses, and reimbursements.

- Lead or participate in daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly operations meetings.

Client Relationships and Business Development

- Oversee daily client updates, ensuring action items are assigned, tracked, and completed. Manage the regional managers' client-visit program and provide quarterly reporting to the CEO.

- Serve as the Operations liaison to Business Development, ensuring operational feasibility is considered in sales commitments.

- Support RFP/RFQ responses and proposals through operational scope development, staffing and credential input, technical content, and quality control.

- Support business development efforts by contributing subject-matter expertise to proposals, client presentations, and scoping discussions.

What We're Looking For

- Bachelor's degree in Urban Planning, Public Administration, Architecture, Construction Management, or equivalent. 

- 8+ years of progressively responsible experience in municipal planning, plan review, or development services, ideally including time spent working directly for or with cities of approximately 15,000 population.

- Strong planning background is preferred, with working knowledge of building codes and code enforcement practices.

- Demonstrated ability to research, interpret, and apply municipal ordinances and zoning regulations to resolve real-world questions.

- Experience in both private sector (consulting, engineering, or plan review firms) and public sector (municipal government) settings is strongly preferred.

- Excellent customer service skills, with a track record of building trust with city staff, elected officials, developers, and the public.

- Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain technical and regulatory topics clearly to non-technical audiences.

- Proven leadership and team management experience, including supervising managers and mentoring technical staff.

- Comfortable working across multiple client jurisdictions and adapting to varying local codes, priorities, and political environments.

- Proficiency with permitting software, and standard office productivity tools, including AI-assisted tools.

Compensation & Benefits

- $120,000–$150,000 annually, based on experience and qualifications

- Health, dental, and vision insurance

- Retirement plan with 5% company match

- Paid personal time, sick days, and federal holidays

Why Aoka

At Aoka, we help local governments modernize how they review plans, issue permits, and inspect development, so that communities can grow safely and efficiently. As Director of Development Services, you will play a central role in shaping how we deliver this work for cities across Texas, combining technical planning expertise with the chance to build and lead a growing team.

Our Values: Continuous Improvement | Diversity of Thought | Empathy | Focus

Our Vision: Using technology to reshape construction.

Apply Now to Join Our Team!

Aoka is an equal opportunity employer (EEO), providing fair employment to all applicants and employees.