Deputy Director of Development Services- Planning

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 is not theoretical; every decision has immediate consequences for neighborhoods, infrastructure, economic vitality, and the lived experience of residents and businesses. That reality has shaped a culture that values execution, measurable outcomes, transparency, and cross‑department collaboration.

As Fort Worth continues to grow and evolve, the City is investing in leaders who can match pace with performance, leaders who can protect what works while advancing what’s next. The City’s Development Services Department sits directly in that equation, serving as both the operational gateway for development activity and a strategic platform for shaping Fort Worth’s long‑term community framework.

This recruitment represents a rare opportunity: a senior leadership role inside a nationally recognized development services organization, now evolving from “exceptional at managing growth” to “exceptional at guiding it.”

The City of Fort Worth is a full-service municipal organization operating under a council–manager form of government. The Mayor and City Council set policy direction, and the City Manager Jay Chapa serves as the organization’s chief executive, responsible for implementing Council priorities and overseeing daily operations across the enterprise.

Fort Worth delivers services through 27 departments and major offices, spanning public safety, infrastructure, community development, financial stewardship, and internal operations. The City’s scale is reflected in its workforce of approximately 7,200 employees, including roughly 4,500 civilian employees, 1,700+ police employees, and about 960 fire employees. Supporting this platform is a multi‑billion‑dollar operating structure; the City’s FY2026 operating budget is $3.09 billion, including a $1.11 billion General Fund.

Together, this scope demands leaders who can drive performance in a complex environment, balancing customer expectations, transparency, risk management, and cross‑department coordination while delivering measurable outcomes.

Fort Worth has surged past a million residents and is still adding almost 20,000 new neighbors each year. That explosive growth keeps the Development Services Department (DSD) at the center of the City’s economic engine. A 240‑person team guides every plat, permit and inspection, and has been ranked #1 in Texas amongst 1,200 cities by Texas Businesses in verified reviews on the economic development platform Scout.

Fort Worth ranked the highest in two categories: “Speed of Permitting” and “Speed of Zoning.” (4.0 of 5 for both). The only city to reach above 4 stars in these categories.

DSD’s 2029 Strategic Plan is ambitious and outward‑facing. Among its headline initiatives:

• Delivery support for the $1.16 billion Panther Island flood control and riverfront redevelopment
  , coordinating entitlements across federal, regional and local partners.
• Launch of a next‑generation, AI‑enabled online permitting portal that improves both the customer experience as well as reduce staff time related to minor reviews and publish real‑time KPI dashboards that will aid in governmental transparency.
• Update to the Transportation Impact Fee (TrIF) program and 2028 study
  , opening the door to public‑private partnerships that keep new roadway capacity ahead of growth.
• Restoration of landmark civic spaces—including Heritage Park
  —and completion of the Historic Resource Survey that will guide preservation policy for the next decade.

These projects will contribute to shaping how, and how fast, Fort Worth grows. The Deputy Director will help turn strategy into reality.

Development Services is not a back‑office function in Fort Worth. It is a high‑volume, high‑accountability operation that influences how the City grows, how quickly projects move, and how consistently…