Assistant Director of Redevelopment

Shape What's Next for Sugar Land!

The City of Sugar Land is seeking a strategic, entrepreneurial and relationship-driven leader to serve as Assistant Director of Redevelopment.

Sugar Land is a nationally recognized community with a strong economy, highly educated workforce, exceptional quality of life and a reputation for thoughtful growth and innovation. As the community continues to mature, the City's economic opportunity is evolving. The next generation of economic development is not simply about attracting something new. It is about reimagining what is already here.

The Assistant Director will play a central role in helping Sugar Land identify, advance and implement opportunities to redevelop aging commercial and retail properties, strengthen established neighborhoods, reposition underutilized land, catalyze private investment and create the places that will define Sugar Land's next chapter.

The Opportunity

This position is ideal for a professional who can see both the market opportunity and the community opportunity. You may be an experienced economic development professional who has developed a particular expertise in redevelopment. You may be a commercial real estate professional ready to bring your market knowledge into public service. You may be an urban planning or community development leader who knows how to turn vision into implementation. Or you may be a public-private partnership professional who understands how government can strategically catalyze private investment. Whatever your path, you should be someone who looks at an aging shopping center, commercial corridor, vacant parcel or established neighborhood and asks: "What could this become?"

What We Offer 

• A competitive Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance package with coverage starting Day 1
• TMRS pension with 2:1 city match; 457(b) options
• Paid holidays, vacation, and paid parental leave
• Wellness programs, mental health resources, and an EAP
• Grow your career with professional development programs, training opportunities, and career advancement through our Gold Standard People Development Division.

What We Pay

The Assistant Director of Redevelopment is an exempt position with a starting salary of $102,898.

What You Will Do as the Assistant Director of Redevelopment:

Working as a strategic member of the City's redevelopment leadership team, you will:

• Lead and advance complex redevelopment initiatives involving commercial, retail, mixed-use and community assets.
• Identify opportunities for strategic redevelopment and reinvestment throughout Sugar Land.
• Develop relationships with property owners, developers, investors, brokers, businesses, community leaders and other stakeholders.
• Evaluate market conditions, development opportunities and potential public-sector strategies to catalyze investment.
• Develop and implement redevelopment strategies for targeted properties, corridors and areas.
• Help structure and negotiate public-private partnerships, development agreements, incentive programs and other tools that support strategic redevelopment.
• Collaborate with Planning, Engineering, Public Works, Finance, Legal, Communications and other City departments to move complex projects from concept to implementation.
• Advise executive leadership and elected officials regarding redevelopment opportunities, challenges and strategies.
• Monitor economic, demographic, retail, real estate and development trends affecting Sugar Land.
• Represent the City in meetings with developers, investors, businesses, regional partners and community stakeholders.
• Build consensus around complex projects where economic, community and public interests intersect.
• Lead, coach and develop staff while creating a culture of innovation, accountability and collaboration.
• Help shape the City's long-term redevelopment strategy and identify opportunities for proactive intervention.

What Makes This Position Different

The City's redevelopment function was intentionally established to spotlight a critical dimension of economic development: reinvestment in the community we already have. Our redevelopment work recognizes that successful communities evolve. Retail changes. Consumer behavior changes. Properties age. Neighborhoods mature. Land uses shift. Market opportunities emerge. And community expectations change. The successful candidate will help the City anticipate those changes and turn them into opportunities.

Formal Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Economics, Public Administration, Urban Planning, Business Administration, Finance or a related field.
• Master’s degree preferred.

Relatable Work Experience:

• Minimum five (5) years of professional exempt-level experience in urban planning, redevelopment, economic development, zoning, and/or municipal finance, including three (3) years in a supervisory role. 
• Municipal experience working with various municipal government departments including executive leadership, City Council and appointed boards and commissions, state and federal agencies, consultants developers and business owners is preferred.

An advanced degree or two (2) additional years of exempt-level relevant work experience resulting in acceptable proficiency levels in the above knowledge, skills and abilities may be substituted in lieu of experience or specific education requirements.

The citizens of Sugar Land depend on City employees before, during and after an emergency or disaster to provide or restore essential public services for the health, safety and quality of life for our community. In the event of a wide scale emergency that could impact our community, all employees must be ready to assist in managing the crisis and will be considered essential for the continuity of governmental operations.