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Job Description
Description
The City of Palo Alto is offering an exciting opportunity for an experienced planning professional to fill the position of Current Planning Manager in the Planning and Development Services Department.
Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Palo Alto is a vibrant, well-educated, and involved community. It boasts a high-livability score and is and home to many tech companies.
The Current Planning Manager will work with senior management, boards and commissions, city leaders, and the community. This position is responsible for the processing and review of various development applications for conformance with the City’s Comprehensive Plan, zoning ordinance, and land use regulations and policies. Top-level candidates are familiar with public outreach and engagement, project management, working with consultants, and local, State, and Federal land use laws.
For more information on the City of Palo Alto, click here.
For more information on the Planning and Development Services Department, click here.
IDEAL CANDIDATE
The ideal candidate will:- Have strong experience managing complex projects and competing priorities.
- 5 years of experience with implementing the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) including EIRs and MNDs.
- Knowledge of accepted practices of local and State laws and regulations relating to California municipal planning and zoning, and experience implementing State density bonus, Housing Accountability Act, SB 330, and similar State legislation.
- Experience evaluating and processing major housing applications.
- Be an organized, creative, and energetic self-starter with excellent communication and project management skills, who enjoys working within a collaborative team dynamic.
- Have experience working with and overseeing the work of consultants.
- Have strong analytical, communication, management, and supervisory skills.
- Have served as a liaison to a board or commission.
- American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) certification is desirable.
Essential Duties
Essential and other important responsibilities and duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:- Supervises technical, clerical, lead staff, and entry level supervisors or managers, which includes prioritizing and assigning work, conducting performance evaluations, ensuring staff are trained, and making hiring, termination, and disciplinary recommendations.
- Manages and directs the operations of a team, including developing policies, principles, procedures, work processes and evaluating achievement of goals and objectives.
- Attends, chairs, and conducts a variety of meetings; serves on committees as requested; makes presentations to the City Council; represents the Department and makes oral presentations at internal meetings, inter-agency meetings, conferences, and other events.
- Prepares and develops budgets; monitors and approves expenditures in accordance with policies and principles of sound fiscal management. Develops and maintains analytical tools for audit and control of programs.
- Manages consultants and contractors.
- Exercises good judgment and manages expectations with sensitive projects in a politically challenging environment.
- Performs other duties of a similar nature or level.
Minimum Qualifications
Sufficient education, training and/or work experience to demonstrate possession of the following knowledge and skills, which would typically be acquired through:- Bachelor's degree in urban planning, architecture, or a related field.
- Five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in municipal government including supervisory experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential duties of the job such as those listed above. Master’s Degree is preferred.
Licensing Requirements:- Valid California Driver's License;
- Relevant professional certifications are desirable.
Supplemental Information
The Current Planning Manager falls within the full job description for Planning Manager, which can be found here
The City of Palo Alto is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EEO). In compliance with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), the City will provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both perspective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.
For more details visit our Careers Page, by clicking HERE.
Learn more about our Compensation Plan HERE.
Closing Date/Time: 2/16/2025 11:59 PM Pacific -
ABOUT THE COMPANY
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City of Palo Alto
Show morePalo Alto is located about 35 miles south of San Francisco; and 14 miles north of San Jose. Palo Alto, known as the “Birthplace of Silicon Valley” and global center of technology and innovation, is the corporate headquarters for many world-class companies and research facilities such as VMWare, Hewlett-Packard, IDEO, Tesla, and Skype. Home to Stanford University and a top-ranked public school system, Palo Alto also features beautiful and historic residential neighborhoods, vibrant shopping and retail districts.
Palo Alto has a highly educated and culturally sophisticated citizenry that is actively engaged in making a difference both locally and globally. Unique among city organizations, Palo Alto operates a full-array of services including its own gas, electric, water, sewer, refuse and storm drainage provided at very competitive rates for its customers.
The birthplace of Silicon Valley, Palo Alto, is a community of approximately 68,000 residents and nearly 100,000 jobs. Located on the mid-Peninsula between San Francisco and San Jose, Palo Alto is recognized worldwide as a leader in cutting-edge technology, medicine, and green innovation. Many world-class businesses maintained or started offices here, including Amazon, Tesla, Hewlett Packard, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Rivian, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, SAP Ariba, Houzz, Varian Medical Systems, and VMware. Numerous start-ups are also at home in Palo Alto, arguably making it the startup capital of the world.
Stanford University is foundational to the history and prestige of Palo Alto, reflected in the community’s dedication to life-long learning. Stanford’s cultural and educational offerings are integral to the vibrancy and charm of Palo Alto, while the City’s exceptional K-12 school district ranks among the top public school systems in the country. With more than 50% of adult residents holding a graduate degree or higher, Palo Alto is frequently listed as one of the most educated cities in the nation.
Home to picturesque tree-lined streets, bike lanes, and historic buildings that reflect its California heritage, Palo Alto boasts a genuine sense of community and an active citizenry with strong environmental values. Beautiful neighborhoods are complemented by vibrant commercial corridors and a bustling economy with premium shopping and dining options. Excellent health care facilities, performing arts, and diverse recreational opportunities are just some of this incredibly desirable community’s cherished amenities.
Join an Award Winning Team
Palo Alto is an award-winning City recognized nationwide as innovative and well-managed. Palo Alto is one of a small number of California cities with a AAA bond rating. Recently, Palo Alto became one of the most livable cities in the U.S. by Livability.com. It's the only city to receive the Platinum Beacon Award in sustainability best practices by California’s Institute for Local Government.
We offer a variety of career paths that relate to building and improving communities. The City has fourteen departments employing 1,000 full-time staff. Police officers, fire fighters, paramedics, and building inspectors keep us safe. Engineers and public works staff build and re-build the physical infrastructure. City planners help envision and shape future community growth. Recreation, arts and library professionals enhance community life. Utilities provides electric, gas, water, sewer and other services. Internal services departments help manage, staff, and protect the City.
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