Senior Planner - Office of Planning

Dakota County; Apple Valley (MN); Sur place; USD 82 000 - 129 000; Plein temps

Avantages offerts par ce poste

Comprehensive medical, dental, vision

Excellent work-life balance

Pension plan

Paid time off

Remote work option

Résumé du poste

Dakota County is seeking a Senior Planner to lead the design and development of policies and plans within the Office of Planning. This role supports the 2050 Comprehensive Plan update and collaborates on parks, bike/pedestrian, and environmental planning efforts.

The Senior Planner will supervise teams, coordinate with consultants, and engage with the public to advance Dakota County's planning goals.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Geography, Urban Planning, Public Administration, GIS, Landscape Architecture, or related field.
• Equivalent combination of education and experience to equal or exceed 6 years professional land use or community planning experience.
• Master's degree or grants/capital planning experience are preferred.

Responsabilités

• Lead planning projects, develop teams, set milestones, engage stakeholders, and present to the Board.
• Oversee consultants and ensure timely, on-budget delivery of plans and studies.
• Provide planning expertise across departments and write clear policy documents.

Connaissances

Project team leadership

Communication skills

GIS software

MS Office 365

Formation

Bachelor's degree in Geography or related field

6+ years land use planning equivalent

Outils

ArcGIS Pro

Adobe

MS Office 365 suite

Description du poste

POSTING TYPE: Open-competitive

DEPARTMENT: Office of Planning

HOURS: Full-time

SALARY RANGE: $82,337 - $128,651/year (109 grade Level)

LOCATION: Western Service Center, Apple Valley

UNION: None

CLOSE DATE: 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 29, 2026

What You'll Do

A Senior Planner serves as a lead role in the design and development of policies and plans related to the Office of Planning. The Senior Planner serves on a multitude of team projects providing the technical expertise needed to develop and implement planning projects. This position will have a lead role in the 2050 Dakota County Comprehensive Plan update. Other project work may include park and greenway long-range plans, active living, pedestrian and bicycle planning, environmental planning (e.g. natural systems plan, solid waste plan, ground and surface water plans, and sustainability planning), and others.

Who We Are

Dakota County is Minnesota’s third largest county and home to more than 400,000 residents. We strive every day to achieve excellence in public service, with a focus on four values: Service, Integrity, People, and Innovation.

Dakota County aims to create an environment that is welcoming and inclusive of diverse people, backgrounds, and experiences. Our goal is to have a workforce that is reflective of the communities and individuals we serve. We promote an equitable and culturally aware work environment where everyone can be their authentic selves.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree AND two years' experience in Geography, Urban Planning, Public Administration, GIS, Landscape Architecture, or a related field. OR
• An equivalent combination of education and experience to equal or exceed 6 years professional land use or community planning experience.

PREFERRED EDUCATION BEYOND MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master's Degree in Geography, Urban Planning, Public Administration, GIS, or Landscape Architecture or a related field.
• Grant writing or capital improvement planning experience.
• Knowledge of GIS applications and planning software.
• Comprehensive planning experience.

These examples do not include all possible tasks in this work and do not limit the assignment of related tasks in any position of this classification. Regular attendance according to the position's management approved work schedule is required for all positions.

Responsibilities

1. Manage a range of Physical Development Division and inter-divisional planning initiatives, including formal plans, policies, and studies, by developing project teams, roles, desired outcomes, interim milestones, stakeholder engagement, advisory committee participation, and Board presentations.
2. Effectively manage consultants in the preparation of plans and studies. Oversee the process of soliciting and selecting consultants. Ensure on-time, on-budget delivery.
3. Provide planning expertise to inter departmentalteams.
4. Write clear, concise plans to document policies, visions, goals, objectives, priorities, phasing, and budget needs. Oversee plan approval process with external agencies and County officials.
5. Lead the design, preparation, and implementation of research and analysis. Conduct quantitative and qualitative research and analysis to synthesize findings that can inform policy and plans. Develop and implement a range of studies (e.g., precedents, best practices, benchmarking, or legal requirements) to inform plan development.
6. Develop and execute public engagement plans that gather community input representative of Dakota County’s demographics.
7. Update and maintain technical expertise in mapping, engagement, analysis, and presentation. Recommend software and hardware resources as needed.
8. Manage and coordinate contractor selection and contract administration.
9. Identify and pursue grant opportunities to support planning efforts andimplementation.
10. Identify, research, and track emerging issues with potential impacts to County programs, plans, and services.
11. Respond to information requests from staff, elected officials, and the public in a timelymanner.
12. Prepare and manage grants for external funding.

Essential Functions: 1-12

• Ability to manage planning project teams from multiple disciplines, including staff and consultant teams.
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written.
• Strong skills with Microsoft Office 365 (e.g. Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel), ArcGIS Pro, Adobe, and commonly-used software for word processing, graphic design, presentations, database management and analysis, mapping and spatial analysis, and surveys/audience participation.
• Ability to manage projects to meet deadlines with high-quality results.
• Ability to facilitate meetings, discussions, strategic planning sessions with staff, elected officials, other agencies, and the public.
• Public speaking and presentationskills.
• Ability to write and manage grants.
• Demonstrated knowledge of and skill in database design, database management and GIS database optimization. Additional expertise in specialized data analysis and modeling tools, such as statistical summaries, travel demand modeling.
• Demonstrated knowledge of principles and practices relating to planning and programdevelopment.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the roles and responsibilities of Dakota County and the roles and responsibilities of federal, state, metro, municipal, and other agencies.
• The ability to develop cooperative relationships with both technical and policy staff in Dakota County, state and local government officials, and private entities and citizens.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and be adaptable to a variety of disciplines and requests.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to reason through projects.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Work is primarily sedentary, although there is some walking and carrying of lightweight items such as laptop, notebooks, and work papers. The work is typically performed in an adequately lighted and climate-controlled office. There is some travel to meetings and conferences away from the regular place of work. Lifting requirement of up to 20 pounds on an occasional basis.

Benefits

• Comprehensive and affordable medical, dental, vision, and other benefits
• Excellent work-life balance
• Generous paid time off (accrual rate starts at four weeks per year)
• Eleven paid holidays and one floating holiday each year
• Pension with a generous employer contribution
• Ability to work from home some of the time