Senior Planner

THE POSITION

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 Community Development Department is seeking a hard-working and innovative professional for environmental review and oversight with the Environmental Planning Services section of the Planning Division. Major functions include:
• Overseeing initial review of proposed projects and providing preliminary environmental determinations for development projects.
• Providing advice relating to environmental assessment for internal City departments and projects.
• Overseeing Native American consultations and compliance with requirements of AB52.
• Overseeing and reviewing the work of planning staff and consultants in the preparation, revision and enforcement of California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) environmental documents.
• Customer service to both internal and external clients.
• Representing the City in public and official meetings with other City departments, organizations, and professional groups on planning matters.

IDEAL CANDIDATE STATEMENT

The ideal candidate will have a deep understanding of the California Environmental Quality Act and the associated regulatory framework. Additionally, the ideal candidate will have the ability to lead and guide staff for the environmental review of complex projects while ensuring compliance with legal requirements and protection of the City’s interests.

Under general direction, the Senior Planner performs responsible administrative and professional planning work; provides lead direction of assigned staff engaged in performing duties in the research, compilation, analysis, and reporting of planning data for a geographical area or a particular project, or by assuming highly complex and critical planning assignments.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

This classification is populated with multiple incumbents. Senior Planners are responsible for interpreting and administering existing regulations, codes, and policy through the application of knowledge and procedures above normal or standard processing operations. The Senior Planner is distinguished from the next lower level of Associate Planner by degree of difficulty in planning assignments, such as in economic development, air quality, transportation issues, etc. and because the Senior Planner may provide lead supervision to a limited number of planners and technical staff. The Senior Planner is distinguished from the higher-level classification of Principal Planner in that the latter is responsible for overseeing several teams of staff engaged in planning duties for a large region of the City and participates in the development of the goals, objectives, and policies of the division.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED

General direction is provided by a Principal Planner or a higher-level management position. Incumbents may oversee a project team consisting of professional and technical personnel staff assigned to a project. The Senior Planner does not supervise.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

TYPICAL DUTIES

- Plans, assigns, coordinates, supervises, and reviews the work of professional planning staff and others in the preparation, revision, and administration of master plans, zoning ordinances, environmental compliance (CEQA/NEPA) and development regulations.
- Compiles and evaluates data and makes recommendations for the more complex planning projects; manages compliance permits and consultant/contractor contract administration for all City and private development projects.
- Manages environmental investigations, remedial actions, and oversight of budgets.
- Represents the City in public and official meetings with other city departments, organizations, and professional groups on planning matters related to environmental issues, land use entitlements, policy development and development applications.
- Serves on interdepartmental committees related to land use issues; responds to concerned individuals, developers, community and professional groups related to various planning policies and regulations.
- Prepares and presents staff reports for the Planning Commission and City Council; attends and facilitates community meetings and holds public hearings.
- Interprets and applies applicable regulations, codes, and policies; conducts special studies or projects related to current, long range and environmental planning.
- Performs other or related duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

Knowledge of:

- Principles and practices of land use planning, environmental decision-making, and governmental planning.
- Applicable Federal and State regulations, and local laws, ordinances and guidelines, including the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), National Environmental Policy Act, Superfund Amendments.
- General Plan and specific plan preparation.
- Regulations and procedures affecting local planning agencies.
- Other disciplines related to city planning such as architecture, urban design, historical preservation, urban studies, environmental studies, land use planning, transportation, public administration, or economic
development.
- Project management.
- Statistical concepts and methods.

Skill In:

- Use of computers, computer applications, and software.

Ability to:

- Lead professional and technical personnel on a team or project.
- Provide technical advice to subordinate personnel in solving difficult assignments.
- Perform technical research on planning, including environmental, economic, and transportation problems, analyze data and present recommendations on complex planning projects.
- Recognize and analyze potential environmental and policy impacts, develop planning policies and implementation strategies.
- Establish effective working relationships with employees, elected officials, government agencies, the business community, and the general public.
- Persuade, negotiate, and develop alternatives and resolve conflict among competing interests.
- Represent the City in meetings with other City departments, organizations, and professional groups on matters pertaining to development applications.
- Communicate clearly and concisely, verbally and in writing; make presentations before large and small groups; organize and lead meetings to facilitate public participation.
- Prepare clear, concise, and accurate reports, correspondence, and policy documents.

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION

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

Experience:

Five years of progressively responsible experience in urban planning.

Education:

A Bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year college or university with a major in planning, architecture, engineering or other design-related field, urban studies, environmental planning, public administration, political science, economics, or closely related field.

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 credentials evaluation service. Evaluation of education records will be due at time of appointment.

SPECIAL QUALIFICATIONS

Driver License:

Possession of a valid California Class C Driver License at the time of appointment. Individuals who do not meet this requirement due to physical disability will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

THE SELECTION PROCEDURE

Please note, the City of Sacramento's preferred method of communication with applicants is via e-mail. As such, please ensure you verify the e-mail address on your application, and check your e-mail frequently, including your spam and junk folders. All e-mail notifications can also be accessed through the governmentjobs.com applicant inbox.

1. Application: (Pass/Fail) - All applicants must complete and submit online a City of Sacramento employment application by the final filing deadline ;

• Employment applications must be submitted online; paper applications will not be accepted.
• Employment applications will be considered incomplete and will be disqualified:
  • If applicants do not list current and past job-related experience in the duties area of the "Work Experience" section. Note: Qualifying experience is based on full-time experience (40 hours per week). Qualifying experience is calculated to the full-time equivalent (pro-rated if less than 40 hours/week).
  • If "see resume" is noted in the "Work Experience" section; a resume will not substitute for the information required in the "Work Experience" section.

Position/job titles will not be considered in determining eligibility for meeting the minimum qualifications for this position. Proof of education such as, but not limited to, university/college transcripts and degrees should be submitted online with your application. Proof of education will be required at time of appointment.2. Supplemental Questionnaire: (Pass/Fail) - In addition to the City of Sacramento employment application, all applicants must complete and submit online responses to the supplemental questionnaire to the City of Sacramento Employment Office by the final filing deadline ;

• Responses to the supplemental questionnaire must be submitted online; paper questionnaire will not be accepted.
• Incomplete supplemental questionnaire will not pass the review process; omitted information cannot be considered or assumed.
• A resume will not substitute for the information required in the supplemental questionnaire.
• Possession of the minimum qualifications is not necessarily a guarantee for further advancement in the selection process.

3. Screening Committee: (Pass/Fail) - All applications received by the final filing deadline will be forwarded to the hiring department for review. The hiring department will select the most competitive applications for further consideration. Human Resources will only evaluate employment applications for the minimum qualifications, as stated on the job announcement, for applications selected by the hiring department.

4. Interview Process: Human Resources will forward applications to the hiring department. Those determined to be the most qualified candidates will be invited to participate in an interview process.

5. Conditional Hire: 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.

QUESTIONS:
For questions concerning this job announcement and the application process:

• Please visit https://www.governmentjobs.com/Home/ApplicationGuide for a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to the application process.
• For technical support between 6 AM - 5 PM PT, contact Live Application Support at 855-524-5627.
• Visit the City of Sacramento Human Resources Department website at https://www.cityofsacramento.gov/HR/employment ;
• Send an email to employment@cityofsacramento.org ; or
• Call the Human Resources Department at (916) 808-5726

Bilingual Pay
Did you know that the City offers bilingual pay? That's right, most labor agreements offer the option of providing employees with bilingual pay if the department deems it to be operationally necessary.

Pension Reform Act
The City of Sacramento is covered by the California Public Employees' Retirement System, and as such, must adhere to the California Public Employee's Pension Reform Act (PEPRA) of 2013. Please note that the provisions within this act may affect or impact an applicant's eligibility and/or selection for open vacancies at the City of Sacramento.

Equal Opportunity Employer
The City of Sacramento is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

Additional Information

Civil Service Rules: https://www.cityofsacramento.gov/content/dam/portal/hr/documentlibrary/CivilServiceBoardRules62012.pdf

Union Contracts: https://www.cityofsacramento.gov/HR/labor-agreements.html

Salary Schedule: https://www.cityofsacramento.gov/content/dam/portal/hr/documentlibrary/SalarySchedule.pdf

Closing Date/Time: 1/16/2025 11:59 PM Pacific

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• City of Sacramento

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