Planner III - Affordable Housing

Pima County; Tucson (AZ); On-site; USD 79,000 - 111,000; Full time

Job summary

Pima County Development Services Department seeks a Planner III to lead housing policy initiatives and coordinate the 10-Year Regional Housing Strategy. You will work across counties and cities to shape housing supply, affordability, and land use policy, while advancing evaluation metrics and annual action plans.

The role involves presenting to commissions and elected officials, managing data-driven reports, and guiding program implementation with multiple stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in City, Urban or Regional planning, Geography, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Environmental Engineering, Cartography, Remote Sensing or related field.
• Four years of professional planning experience in subdivision plats, development plans, rezoning or comprehensive urban or regional planning.
• Alternative: two years of experience with Pima County in Planner II or related position.
• Prefer three+ years housing policy development or implementation.
• Prefer three+ years drafting land use or zoning code amendments.
• Prefer three+ years coordinating multi-department or multi-jurisdiction projects.
• Prefer HUD/LIHTC program grant reporting experience.
• Prefer three+ years data analysis and reporting for public audiences.
• Prefer one year presenting to elected officials, boards, or community groups.

Responsibilities

• Lead housing policy initiatives under the PRO Housing grant and coordinate implementation of regional strategy and funding plans.
• Analyze housing data and program outcomes, develop annual action plans and reports, present recommendations.
• Support grant compliance and HUD reporting requirements with internal departments and partners.
• Coordinate meetings with cities, towns, tribal governments and regional bodies to share progress.
• Prepare written reports and deliver presentations to boards, commissions and community groups.

Skills

Housing policy

Policy coordination

Public speaking

Education

Bachelor’s degree in City/Urban/Regional planning or related field

Tools

GIS

Job description

Pay Range

Pay Range: $79,185 - $95,056 Annually

Pay Range: $79,185 - $110,905 Annually

• Hiring Range is an estimate of where you can receive an offer. The actual salary offer will carefully consider a wide range of factors, including your skills, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, training, and internal equity.
• Pay Range is the entire compensation range for the position.

Job Details

Job Type: Classified

Job Classification: 5233 - Planner III

Salary Grade: 16

Department

Development Services

Job Description Summary

The Pima County Development Services Department is seeking an innovative and collaborative Planner III to lead the County’s housing policy initiatives under the Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing (PRO Housing) grant. This is an opportunity to shape the region’s housing future by coordinating implementation of the 10-Year Regional Housing Strategy and Funding Plan, advancing land use and zoning changes that expand housing supply, diversity, and affordability, and helping launch a new transportation impact fee subsidy for affordable housing.

Job Description

Working across County departments and in partnership with cities, towns, and tribal governments, the Planner III will turn regional housing priorities into actionable programs, policies, and investments. The position will analyze housing data and program outcomes, develop annual action plans and reports, present recommendations to boards, commissions, elected officials, and community groups, and support grant compliance and federal reporting. This highly visible role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on housing affordability and access throughout the region.

The Planner III coordinates implementation of the 10-Year Regional Housing Strategy and Funding Plan, including developing annual action plans in collaboration with County departments and convening regular meetings to monitor progress on identified action items. The position coordinates quarterly meetings with cities, towns, and tribal governments to share progress and support regional collaboration; collects and analyzes program metrics, including data from participating jurisdictions; and prepares an annual report documenting progress and outcomes. The Planner III regularly attends meetings of the Regional Affordable Housing Commission and develops land use and zoning code updates intended to increase housing supply, diversity, and affordability, including drafting text amendments and presenting proposed changes to the Planning and Zoning Commission and Board of Supervisors. Additional responsibilities include assisting with implementation of the Transportation Impact Fee Subsidy for Affordable Housing; collecting, collating, and analyzing data and information from research, departments, and other sources; preparing written reports and delivering presentations to boards, commissions, elected officials, other jurisdictions, and community groups; and supporting grant compliance by providing programmatic data and documentation to Community & Workforce Development (CWD) for HUD reporting requirements.

Essential Functions

As defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act, this classification may include any of the following tasks, knowledge, skills, and other characteristics. This list is ILLUSTRATIVE ONLY and is not a comprehensive listing of all functions and tasks performed by incumbents of this class. Work assignments may vary depending on the department’s need and will be communicated to the applicant or incumbent by the supervisor.

• Coordinates and participates in the work of a section in the Public Works department;
• Plans, supervises, schedules, and participates in work related to long range and current planning;
• Develops and updates the community facility plans;
• Coordinates and participates in the development, revision, and update of major plans such as the regional comprehensive plan, regional transportation plan, or the regional master drainage plan which includes the research, gathering and analysis of socio-economic data, land use information, public infrastructure and the application of such information in the County’s Geographic Information System (GIS);
• Participates in the development and periodic updating of capital improvement plans;
• Coordinate the activities of subdivision review, landscaping, native plant preservation and flood plain management ordinance administration;
• Coordinates general zoning administration including research, review and revision to codes, ordinances, regulations and policies to ensure compliance with local, State and Federal laws;
• Performs required research and prepare publications of regular and special reports;
• Plans and organizes special area and regional analysis studies, prepare recommendations and make proposals for presentation;
• Gathers and analyzes natural resource, transportation, census, building construction, employment, and other data, and develops this research data for use;
• Present oral and written presentation and staff reports or recommendations to various County, other government or public agencies, committees, boards, regulatory committees, or citizens groups;
• Consults with the public, architects, engineers and developers on development proposals and applicable regulations and policies;
• Trains professional, technical and support personnel and review the work of subordinate professional planning staff;
• Formulates and reviews major policy decisions with management;
• Represents the Department or County in speaking engagements, legal proceedings and on various local or regional planning boards or committees;
• Coordinates planning objectives with local, State and Federal planning agencies and committees;
• Participates in the development of the section budget and capital improvement program;
• May supervise staff;
• May act as Executive Secretary or other official to regulatory committees or boards such as the Zoning Board of Adjustment, Flood Control District Advisory Committee and the Design Review Committee.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a major in City, Urban or Regional planning, Geography, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Environmental Engineering, Cartography, Remote Sensing or other degree as identified by the department head at the time of recruitment, AND four years of professional planning work experience preparing, reviewing or processing subdivision plats, development plans, rezoning applications or comprehensive urban or regional planning.

(Relevant experience and/or education from an accredited college or university may be substituted.)

Or

Two years of experience with Pima County in a Planner II or related position as determined by the department head at the time of recruitment.

Qualifying education and experience must be clearly documented in the "Education" and "Work Experience" sections of the application. Do not substitute a resume for your application or write "see resume" on your application.

Preferred Qualifications

(Be specific in describing your experience in your application. Ensure the descriptions provided illustrate your competencies, specifically addressing the required and preferred qualifications.)

• Minimum three (3) years experience developing or implementing housing policy, affordable housing programs, or a regional or local housing plan.
• Minimum three (3) years experience drafting land use or zoning code amendments, including text amendments intended to increase housing supply, diversity, or affordability.
• Minimum three (3) years experience coordinating projects or programs across multiple departments or jurisdictions, including cities, towns, tribal governments, or regional bodies.
• Minimum one (1) year experience working on state and/or federally funded programs, including Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) programs, and grant reporting and compliance requirements.
• Minimum three (3) years experience collecting and analyzing housing, demographic, or land use data and preparing written reports for public audiences.
• Minimum one (1) year experience presenting to elected officials, appointed boards or commissions, and community groups.

Selection Procedure

Pima County Human Resources Department reserves the right to admit to the selection process only those candidates that meet the minimum qualifications. All applications will be assessed based on an evaluation of the listed education and experience. Candidates meeting the minimum qualifications may be further evaluated/scored against any advertised Preferred Qualifications. The hiring authority will interview and select the successful candidate from a referral list provided by Human Resources. Additional assessments/testing may be required as part of the selection process.

Supplemental Information

Licenses and Certificates: Valid driver license is required at time of application. Valid AZ driver license is required at time of appointment. The successful applicant will be subject to a 39-month DOT Motor Vehicle Record review to determine applicant’s suitability to operate county vehicles in accordance with Pima County administrative procedures. Failure to obtain and maintain the required licenses and certifications shall be grounds for termination. Any offer of employment resulting from this recruitment is contingent upon Fleet Services’ review and approval of the candidate’s driving record.

Special Notice Items

The County requires pre-employment background checks. Successful candidates will receive a post‑offer, pre‑employment background screening to include verification of work history, education, and criminal conviction history. A prior criminal conviction will not automatically disqualify a candidate from employment with the County. Pima County determines whether a position is eligible for visa sponsorship at the time of recruitment. Eligibility is based on the requirements of the position and applicable laws and regulations. Not all positions with Pima County are eligible for visa sponsorship.

Physical/Sensory Requirements

Physical and sensory abilities will be determined by position. Action Activity - bending, climbing, kneeling, reaching, squatting, stooping; Motion Activity - simple and firm grasping, fine movement; Hearing Activity - none; Speaking Activity - in person and on the phone; Vision - operate a motor vehicle, distinguish colors, have depth perception.

Working Conditions

Works primarily in an office setting. Some work is performed outdoors in extremes of heat, cold, inclement weather and exposure to dust, dirt, wind, construction activities and materials and to traverse rough terrain. Other working conditions will be determined by position.

EEO Information

Pima County Government is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We are committed to an inclusive and diverse workforce and will not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, kinship, political interest, or any other characteristic protected by law.