Planning Technician

Douglas County Government; Castle Rock (CO); On-site; USD 52,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits package

Paid holidays

Job summary

Douglas County Government's Community Development Department seeks a detail-oriented professional to provide technical assistance and administer planning-related programs. This role handles intake, review of land use and liquor license applications, and coordination with applicants to ensure accuracy and compliance.

You will support staff with plan reviews, perform data analysis, assist with public notices, and help prepare staff reports.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED; college coursework in community planning preferred.
• Two years of related experience required.
• Knowledge of zoning, subdivision, and land use regulations.

Responsibilities

• Manage intake and processing of pre-submittal land use applications and liquor licenses.
• Serve as initial contact for land use or liquor license approvals; coordinate with applicants for accuracy and compliance.
• Assist Planning, Building, and Engineering staff with review of pre-submittal applications and provide concise summaries.
• Support GIS needs and data collection for planning studies.
• Review and analyze zoning, subdivision, and site plan applications for conformance with regulations.
• Prepare materials for staff meetings and assist with staff reports and project closeouts.

Skills

Customer service

Multitasking

Communication skills

Spanish bilingual

Teamwork

Problem solving

Education

High school diploma or GED

Planning coursework

Tools

GIS

MS Office

Job description

Summary of Position
This is complex administrative and technical work in the Community Development Department. Provides technical assistance and information to staff and the public in the administration of specific Community Development and Planning-related programs. Reviews and processes a variety of applications related to Department programs.
Example of Duties
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: (The following examples are illustrative only and are not intended to be all inclusive.)

• Manages the intake and preliminary processing of pre-submittal applications, land use applications, and liquor licenses. Serves as the initial point of contact for those seeking land use or liquor license approvals. Negotiates and coordinates with applicants to ensure accuracy and completeness, reviews and researches compliance with regulations, follows up and tracks pre-submittal applications, and presents findings to the appropriate reviewers.
• Assists Planning, Building, and Engineering staff with the review of pre-submittal applications by giving additional comments and requesting necessary clarification, clearly and concisely summarizing verbal pre-submittal review comments, providing updates, and contributing to weekly staff meetings.
• Arranges and participates in face-to-face pre-submittal meetings; provides, explains, and clarifies formal application requirements, processes, and procedures.
• Provides support for addressing services and fundamental GIS needs.
• Reviews formal applications to determine if initial pre-submittal comments have been satisfied and that the proposed application reasonably matches what was reviewed at the pre-submittal meeting.
• Reviews and analyzes zoning, subdivision, variance, appeal, special use, site plan, and other land use applications for conformance with County regulations, State requirements, the Comprehensive Master Plan objectives, and departmental policies and standards.
• Reviews and analyzes building permits, sign permits, seasonal use permits, and other types of permits for conformance with Zoning, Subdivision, and other County regulations.
• Provides informational and technical assistance concerning land use issues including, but not limited to, zoning and subdivision regulations, development policies and procedures, and code interpretation to development professionals, the public, and County personnel.
• Researches project title and legal descriptions ensuring correct succession is maintained and that accurate data is entered.
• Processes applications relating to land use reviews.
• Assists with various projects including referral packets, adjacent landowner notifications, project closeouts, data collection and analysis, public notices, scheduling, and staff report packets.
• Performs public assistance functions such as providing customer service at the front counter and resolving phone-in questions and concerns.
• Provides support to boards and commissions.
• Reviews liquor license permits to ensure compliance with local and state laws.
• Supports and assists new employees as necessary.
• Coordinates, researches, and manages special projects as assigned.
• Designs various planning documents as needed.
• Researches and collects data for special planning studies and assembles findings for reports.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED: Works under general supervision with periodic review of work.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: None.
INDEPENDENT JUDGMENT: Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions. Discretion and judgment required within the parameters of the job function.

Minimum Qualifications

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE: A high school diploma or GED; college coursework in community planning preferred. A minimum of two (2) years related experience is required. A combination of experience and education may be considered.

Knowledge

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• Working knowledge of professional planning theories, concepts, principles, and methodologies.
• Read and interpret plans, maps, permits, plats, zoning and legal documents, and regulations.
• Acquire and retain knowledge of policies, procedures, and regulations related to the primary duties of this position.
• Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, and other office procedures and terminology.
• Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Skills

• Work with the public in a courteous and professional manner. Provide professional customer service to clients, vendors, staff and public.
• Ability to successfully execute many complex tasks simultaneously; with ability to work as a team member, as well as independently.
• Bilingual in Spanish a plus.
• Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as interest, proportions, and percentages.
• Basic to intermediate computer skills are required. Must have intermediate Microsoft Office Suite skills, especially Outlook, Word, and Excel.
• Must have the ability to grasp the complexities of computer-based systems and audio-visual equipment.
• Ability to effectively communicate in both oral and written form. Ability to effectively present complex information in layman’s terms.
• Ability to read and interpret documents and procedure manuals.

Abilities

• Responds to supervisor’s direction and adjust work practices accordingly.
• Establish and maintain professional and effective working relationships.
• Effectively communicate verbally and in writing to exchange general information and follow written or verbal instructions.
• Organize and prioritize work and to complete assignments in an accurate and timely manner
• Ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Ability to apply common sense understanding to the situations presented.
• Ability to handle detail with accuracy and recall information

Additional Information

Work Environment

Physical Work Environment: Work is performed in a typical office environment. Subject to interruptions. Frequent, in-person contact with coworkers and customers.
Physical Demands: Work is primarily sedentary with heavy computer use. Incumbent is required to talk, hear, speak, and be understood. Frequent phone use.
Material and Equipment Directly Used: Typical office equipment including but not limited to computer, iPad or similar device, desk phone, smartphone, copiers, printers, etc.
In the event of an emergency/disaster in or near the County, all County employees are expected to make every effort to be available to assist the County Manager, Elected/Appointed Officials and Department Directors to ensure the continued operation of any and all necessary County functions. This may mean being available to perform additional duties and hours beyond what is normally required. In the event that an exempt employee does work more than 40 hours a week in support of County operations during an emergency, such employee may receive overtime or other appropriate wage compensation in accordance with existing County policies or at the discretion of the County.

• Douglas County is dedicated to the principles of Equal Employment Opportunity in any term, condition, or privilege of employment. We do not discriminate against applicants or employees on the basis of age, race, sex, color, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other status protected by federal, state or local law.
• In compliance with the Job Application Fairness Act (SB 23-158), applicants may redact information that identifies age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution in your application, transcripts and/or other application materials.
• Douglas County requires a pre-employment drug screen (including marijuana) and background check, which may include fingerprinting to be run through a national database to determine criminal activity, prior to employment.
• Douglas County participates in E-Verify. We will provide the Social Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security, with information from each new employee's Form I-9 to confirm work authorization.

Douglas County offers a comprehensive benefit package.
http://www.douglas.co.us/government/departments/humanresources/employee-benefits/

Why Douglas County?

We offer excellent benefits to our employees!

• 11 ½ paid holidays each year + a floating holiday
• 9 hours of paid vacation per month
• Medical insurance employees can choose from two plan options: United Healthcare Doctors Plan or United Healthcare HDHP Plan
• Life insurance 2 times employee salary at no cost to employee
• Mandatory retirement – defined contribution of 8% - matched at 8%
• Annual performance reviews with potential for an increase

Additionally, we offer dental, vision, accident/critical illness insurance, tuition reimbursement, and employee training.