Principal Planner

County of Riverside; Riverside (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

County of Riverside TLMA Planning Department is seeking a Principal Planner to lead a major planning section and guide projects from entitlement through implementation.

The role requires directing a team of professionals, coordinating with internal and external stakeholders, and reporting to the Planning Director. The ideal candidate will have supervisory experience, strong planning expertise, and communication skills for public presentations and reports.

Qualifications

• Four years of professional environmental planning, land use planning and/or transportation planning experience, including at least two of: comprehensive, regional, area, or community planning; plan/proposal review; general plan amendments; zoning, land division; information services; urban renewal; planning administration or transportation planning.
• One year of lead or supervisory experience. A master's degree may substitute for the supervisory experience.

Responsibilities

• Plan, organize, direct, and coordinate the activities of a major planning section within the division (or district office).
• Review and evaluate programs for effectiveness and efficiency; initiate operational improvements.
• Represent the department before boards, committees, agencies and the public; confer with property owners and developers on policy applicability.
• Coordinate staff development, supervise personnel, and provide direction.
• Prepare or delegate reports and recommendations for hearings (Board of Supervisors, Planning Commission, etc.).
• Draft new ordinances and review existing ordinances; analyze impacts of proposed legislation.

Education

Bachelor's degree in planning, transportation planning, public administration, geography (with related course concentration), architecture, environmental sciences, landscape architecture, or closely related field

Job description

The County of Riverside's Transportation and Land Management Agency (TLMA) Planning Department has an exciting opportunity for a Principal Planner.

Under general direction, assists in planning, organizing and managing a group of professional and support personnel in a specialized planning section or district office; performs other related duties as required.

The Principal Planner classification is allocated and characterized by the responsibility of managing and coordinating the activities of a major section within a planning division, a combination of smaller planning sections, a district office, or an outreach program. Incumbents direct these activities through subordinate personnel and report to the Planning Director or other management level position. The Principal Planner is distinguished from the Planning Director in that the latter manages the Planning Department.

Key Responsibilities:

• Managing the implementation of the Cabazon Community Plan, guiding projects and initiatives through the public hearing and approval processes and into implementation.
• Lead post-entitlement planning efforts and collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to attract new development, businesses, and investment to Cabazon.
• Identify economic development opportunities.
• Identify opportunities for construction of new infrastructure.
• Perform a variety of planning assignments and other related duties as assigned.

The ideal candidate will possess:

• Knowledge of housing production strategies.
• Knowledge of available housing grant and funding opportunities.

Meet the Team!

The Planning Department is responsible for Riverside County's General Plan, a comprehensive long-range plan intended to guide the growth and development of unincorporated areas within the County. This department formulates growth management plans and zoning for the County.

EXAMPLES OF ESSENTIAL DUTIES

• Plan, organize, direct, and coordinate, directly or through subordinate lead personnel, the activities of a major section within a planning division, a combination of smaller planning sections, a district office, or participate in the development and review of division policies and goals, particularly as they affect the assigned section.
• Review and evaluate existing programs for overall effectiveness and efficiency in meeting division and section goals, initiating action for operational improvements as necessary.
• Review studies of ordinance amendments, policies and staff reports to ensure thoroughness of analyses, consistency with County requirements and legal compliance.
• Represent the department on committees and before civic and community groups, other County Departments, governmental agencies, environmental regulatory and permitting agencies, stakeholders, and the public; confer with property owners, developers and their representatives regarding the applicability and impact of County policies, ordinances and other regulations related to property development.
• Confer with staff regarding problems and progress in their functional areas and provide technical and administrative direction; interview and recommend the selection of prospective employees.
• Coordinate and assign personnel within the section; plan and conduct staff development and in-service training programs in operational procedures, and policy; review and evaluate the performance of subordinate personnel.
• Work with staff of other departments and regional and state agencies to exchange or clarify information used in developing regional land use and operating work plans; coordinate the design and execution of projects to ensure consistency.
• Compile data regarding section workloads, staffing levels and priorities for input in the department's program budget.
• Prepare, or delegate preparation of, reports and recommendations to all levels of County hearing bodies, including Director’s Hearing, Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors.
• Make presentations to the Board of Supervisors, Planning Commission and other local, regional and state agencies on activities being conducted within the section as needed; respond to difficult public relations problems, investigate complaints or requests and recommend resolutions.
• Coordinate efforts to draft new ordinances and review existing ordinances pertaining to the Planning Department, as needed.
• Participate in the analysis of proposed or adopted legislation to determine the potential or actual impacts to the County, on implementation.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree in planning, transportation planning, public administration, geography (with related course concentration), architecture, environmental sciences, landscape architecture, or a closely related field. (Additional qualifying experience may substitute for the required education on the basis of one year of full-time experience equaling 30 semester or 45 quarter units of the required education.)

Experience: Four years of professional environmental planning, land use planning and/or transportation planning experience which must have included performing at least two kinds of the following planning activities associated with a planning agency: comprehensive, regional, area, or community planning; plan/proposal review; general plan amendments; zoning, land division; information services; urban renewal; planning administration or transportation planning. One year of experience must have been in a lead or supervisory capacity. (A master's degree in planning or transportation planning, or a closely related field may substitute for the one year of the required supervisory experience.)

Other Requirements:

License/Certificate: Possession of a valid California Driver's License is required. This position involves travel to various locations throughout the county to visit various project sites and attend meetings.

Knowledge of: The principles of good organization and decision making, management and supervision; the principles, methods and procedures applicable to land use or transportation planning activities; the physical, social, environmental, and economic implications of land use or transportation planning; local, state and federal legislation governing land use development and transportation planning activities; research methods; general plan elements and factors that must be considered in evaluating land use or transportation proposals for consistency with these elements; the organizational structure and jurisdiction of governmental agencies involved in the planning process.

Ability to: Manage and coordinate the work of subordinate planners; plan and conduct any necessary training for subordinate staff; motivate and evaluate the work performance of subordinate personnel; collect and analyze data, generate and evaluate alternatives, reach logical conclusions, and formulate consistent recommendations; compose clear and thorough study reports and recommendations; orally present study findings and recommendations to a variety of public groups and governmental bodies; work effectively with the general public and community and governmental boards and commissions; ability to interpret and apply laws and regulations pertaining to planning projects and cases.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

Who May Apply:

This recruitment is open to all applicants.

General Information

If you have any questions regarding this posting, please contact Vanessa Diaz Beaird at [e-mail] or [phone]. Please allow 1-2 business days for a response to general inquiries.