Associate Planner

City-of-Sacrament; Sacramento (CA); Hybrid; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

City of Sacramento seeks an Associate Planner to support funding and asset planning for transportation projects focused on safety, equity, and compliance. The role involves grant strategies, fee programs, and environmental mitigation.

The ideal candidate has planning data analysis skills and experience with state and federal funding, plus ability to lead project teams with diverse partners. Public works duties include coordination and reporting.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in urban planning or closely related field required.
• 101
• 1 year of professional planning experience; a Master’s degree may substitute for the experience.
• Experience with federal, state, and regional transportation funding encouraged.

Responsibilities

• Review and analyze land-use projects for conformance with adopted City plans, guidelines, codes and regulations.
• Prepare and present data in written, graphic, or oral form for officials, committees, or community groups.
• Coordinate departmental activities with other City departments and outside agencies.

Skills

Data analysis

Report writing

Stakeholder engagement

Project management

Education

Bachelor's Degree in urban planning or related field

Master's degree in Urban Planning or closely related field

Tools

GIS

Spreadsheets

Databases

Word processors

Job description

With supervisor approval, incumbents may be eligible for intermittent remote work; however, they must physically reside within the Sacramento region or have the ability to regularly report to a City of Sacramento physical worksite with little notice.

The Public Works Department, Division of Mobility and Sustainability, is seeking an Associate Planner for the Funding and Asset Planning section to support planning and implementation of the City’s adopted transportation plans and policies, focusing on safety, equity, and compliance with changing standards and mobility options in Sacramento. The section’s work supports developing and managing regional, state, and federal grant strategies, the allocation of dedicated transportation funds to best achieve policy goals, as well as developing and updating fee programs and environmental mitigation strategies and identifying and pursuing new revenue streams. Specific tasks for this position include project and program management in areas such as funding and municipal fee programs.

The ideal candidate will preferably have interest and experience with transportation funding, grant application development, and municipal fee programs. The ideal candidate will possess technical skills and knowledge and ideally have experience with federal, state and regional transportation funding. They will have the skills to collect and analyze planning data, prepare reports and studies, and engage with diverse internal and external partners. The ideal candidate will be results oriented.

ASSISTANT PLANNER / ASSOCIATE PLANNER

To perform professional, technical, statistical and analytical duties involving land use or other planning studies for a variety of public or private development projects. The scope of assignments includes project management work, land use studies, policy development recommendation, revision or implementation, and preparation of a variety of documents for compliance with state or federal environmental laws.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

Assistant Planner

The class of Assistant Planner is distinguished from Associate Planner by performing less complex to moderately difficult project management work. Incumbents in this class may work independently on assignments but generally do not have the responsibility for team leadership. Positions are flexibly staffed and are normally filled by advancement from the Junior Planner class.

Associate Planner

The class of Associate Planner is distinguished from that of Assistant Planner by the greater complexity of assignments received, and the advanced planning project management work. Associate Planners manage projects with greater independence and limited supervision and lead project teams made up of individuals from various technical disciplines. Positions are flexibly staffed and are normally filled from the Assistant Planner class.

General direction is provided by a manager who is usually a Senior Planner. Associate Planners may provide direct or indirect supervision and training of other subordinate technicians, planners, or interns. The Assistant Planner usually does not perform direct or indirect supervision of staff.

Assistant Planner Duties

• Review and analyze proposed minor development projects for conformance with adopted City plans, design/architectural guidelines and standards, applicable codes and ordinances and other regulations, and prepares recommendations on approval of such projects.
• Review proposed tentative subdivision and parcels maps, and recommend necessary revisions to meet City requirements.
• Evaluate the environmental effects of proposed projects and prepare, or supervise the preparation of environmental documents.
• Conduct onsite investigations of proposed development projects or community areas.
• Provide information to the public on City of Sacramento requirements related to City planning, policies, and procedures.
• Prepare and present data in the form of written, graphic, or oral reports for use by elected and appointed officials, special committees, or community organizations involved in planning matters.
• Assist in the coordination of departmental activities with other City departments and divisions, and with outside agencies.
• Participate in special projects and perform related duties as assigned.
• Negotiate, prepare and manage consultant contracts.
• Facilitate discussion groups to aid in building consensus, and resolve conflicts on projects and policy matters, under supervision of a Planning Manager.
• Other related duties may also be performed; not all duties listed may necessarily be performed by each individual holding this classification.

Associate Planner Duties

• Compile and analyze data and make recommendations on complex planning matters, involving issues related to land use, traffic, parking, aesthetics, environment, landscaping, energy and preservation.
• Review and analyze proposed major development projects for conformance with adopted City plans, City design/architectural guidelines and standards, applicable codes and ordinances and other regulations; prepare recommendations on approval of such projects.
• Review criteria for various Federal and State grants and prepare necessary reports.
• Develop work programs, budgets, scope of work, and time estimates.
• Program, coordinate, and oversee the work of other planners and individuals from other disciplines and sectors as their work relates to completion of a project.
• Supervise and train staff as assigned, and provide technical advice to subordinate staff.
• Prepare, analyze, and interpret recommendations of new revisions and existing City regulations, policies, and procedures.
• Assist in the development and implementation of goals, objectives, policies and priorities.
• Confer with, and conduct meetings with elected and appointed officials, other City departments, members of the public, neighborhood organizations and developers to explain policies, procedures, proposed development, proposed regulations and policies, and code enforcement.
• Represent the City in community and official meetings with other City departments, organizations and professional groups on planning matters.
• Facilitate discussion groups to aid in building consensus, and resolve conflicts on projects and policy matters.
• Other related duties may also be performed; not all duties listed are necessarily performed by each individual.

Assistant Planner Knowledge of

• Principles and practices of local urban planning, environmental planning, economics, public administration and/or other related disciplines as applied to urban planning.
• Research techniques, sources and availability of information, methods of report presentation, and basic project management skills.
• State and federal planning and environmental laws.
• Computer applications such as GIS, spreadsheets, databases, word processors.

Assistant Planner Ability to

• Prepare required maps and other graphic material; evaluate statistical data and present facts and conclusions clearly in written and oral form.
• Conduct meetings with other public agencies or citizens groups.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with the general public.
• Read and understand architectural plans.
• Understand and apply the adopted City plans, code, ordinances, and other materials in evaluating specific projects or plan elements.
• Work with interested parties to resolve issues related to planning and policy projects.
• Build consensus among diverse groups.
• Learn new computer software programs.

EDUCATION and EXPERIENCE

Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities would be qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:

Education:
Equivalent to a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in urban planning or a closely related field.

Experience:
One year of professional planning. A Master's degree in Urban Planning or a closely related field may substitute for the required experience.

Substitution
Additional years of professional planning experience beyond the minimum may be substituted for the required education on a year-for-year basis.

Associate Planner Knowledge of

• Regulations and procedures affecting local planning agencies.
• Specific comprehensive knowledge of one or more activity areas utilized in urban planning, and advanced project management skills.

Associate Planner Ability to

• Program and manage projects and lead project teams; motivate individuals assigned to a project team.
• Present written and oral reports, representing Department positions to elected and appointed officials, special committees, or community organizations.
• Identify and define issues, and solve problems.
• Build consensus among diverse groups.
• Manage multiple projects at one time.

Associate Planner EDUCATION and EXPERIENCE

Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities would be qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:

Education:
Equivalent to a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in urban planning or a closely related field.

Experience:
Two years of professional planning experience performing duties comparable to those of an Assistant Planner in the City of Sacramento,
- OR -
One year of experience performing duties comparable to those of an Assistant Planner in the City of Sacramento AND a Master's degree in Urban Planning or a closely related field.

Substitution
Additional years of professional planning experience beyond the minimum may be substituted for the required education on a year-for-year basis.

COMPARABLE CLASSIFICATION SPECIFICATION

To see the classification specification for the comparable classification of Assistant Planner, please click here.

PROOF OF EDUCATION

Should education be used to qualify for this position, then proof of education such as, but not limited to, university/college transcripts and degrees should be submitted with your application and will be required at the time of appointment. Unofficial documents and/or copies are acceptable.

An applicant with a college degree obtained outside the United States must have education records evaluated by a credential's evaluation service. Evaluation of education records will be due at time of appointment.

PROBATIONARY PERIOD

Employees must complete twelve (12) months of probation at a satisfactory performance level prior to gaining permanent status.

Application & Hiring Process

All applicants must complete and submit online a City of Sacramento employment application by the final filing deadline.

Upon receipt of a conditional offer, the selected candidate must complete and pass Live Scan/fingerprinting. If applicable, candidates may also need to pass a pre‑employment medical exam, controlled substance and/or alcohol test, and possess any required licensure or certification prior to receiving a start date from the Department. Failure to meet these prerequisites will be grounds for withdrawal of your conditional offer of employment.

Candidate’s eligibility expires one year from the date of notification of a passing score for the Associate Planner examination.