Posted October 06, 2026 Director of Development Services City of Rancho Santa Margarita Rancho Santa Margarita, CA, USA Full Time Compensation: $177,192 to $239,208 Annually$2100/month Cafeteria Plan Allowance. Any unused amount is reimbursed to employee. • Planning/redevelopment Application Deadline/Closing DateNovember 30, 2026 The Development Services Department is responsible for Planning, Building and Safety, Code Enforcement, and Economic Development. The Development Services Department has a City staff of 7 FTEs and contracts for Building and Safety Services and Administration of the City’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). The City has a certified Housing Element and recently updated General Plan. The Department provides support to the Planning Commission, analyzes development applications, provides plan check, permitting and inspections, investigates and resolves citizen inquiries regarding Code compliance, and delivers Economic Development activities to support business attraction and retention. Rancho Santa Margarita’s City leaders take pride in being business friendly. The Development Services Director reports directly to the City Manager, serves as a member of the executive management team, and is responsible for overseeing and guiding the daily functions and long-term vision of the Department. Overall, this position will require an exceptionally strong hands-on director with strong administrative and writing skills. Key to this role is to effectively manage projects and service contracts in a fiscally responsible manner that ensures financial accountability and excellent customer service. Customer service is a critical component to this role. The City strives to deliver outstanding and responsive services to the community. The Director is expected to serve as a role model who embodies the commitment to efficient service delivery and engages the entire organization towards this sense of mission. The ideal candidate will be proficient in the operations, services and activities of a comprehensive development services department and in establishing efficient and effective departmental operations consistent with City Council policies and administrative guidelines established by the City Manager. This position requires a Bachelor’s degree, or higher, from an accredited college or university with major course work in urban planning, public administration or a related field; four years of increasingly responsible experience, including at least two years of administrative and supervisory responsibility, or any combination of education, experience, and training that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities. A Master’s Degree in Planning or Public Administration is highly desirable. A positive interpersonal style with the ability to develop and maintain positive work relationships with all city employees and with the community is an additional priority area for this role. The candidate will also have the ability to deal effectively with a sophisticated and engaged City Council. The successful candidate will operate with a high level of ethics and integrity and reflect a value system of coaching and mentorship, collaboration, and commitment to responsive public service. Please see www.cityofrsm.org/jobs for more details. Additional Application Instructions To be considered for this employment opportunity, please submit a City Employment Application, Resume and Cover Letter, along with five references electronically to [email protected] This will be an IN-PERSON interview process. No video conference requests will be accepted. Application for employment can be found at https://www.cityofrsm.org/jobs Apply to this Job Apply to this Job Sign up for Job Alerts Apply to this Job Share this Job