Planning Aide (PT)

Overview

OVERVIEW

The Mercer County Planning Department seeks a part-time Planning Office Aide to join our team. We serve 12 diverse municipalities within urban, suburban and rural settings in Central New Jersey. This part time position is perfect for a college student, stay at home parent, or retiree. The hourly rate is $20/hour, not to exceed 28 hours a week.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Under direction, the duties of the position include assisting the office administrator with clerical duties and providing support to the professional planning staff with noncomplex tasks related to planning projects, grants, and programs, including assisting the Open Space and Farmland Preservation Coordinators with open space and farmland preservation planning tasks.

SKILLS/ABILITIES

• Ability to perform routine clerical tasks such as opening, distributing, and sending out mail; maintaining records and files; and answering the phone
• Strong communication skills with the ability to respond to public inquiries and interact with the public, the Planning Department staff, and other County office
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail needed to input and maintain data in an efficient and clear manner and to be able to work efficiently in a busy office with many diverse programs and personnel
• Basic computer skills such as email, Microsoft Word, and Excel; more advanced skills are desirable
• Ability to learn various computer programs
• Ability to read, write, speak, understand, and communicate in English sufficiently to perform the duties of this position
• Performs routine and non-complex tasks involved in preparing graphic and written presentations of solutions developed for particular planning problems
• Performs tasks involved in transposing statistical data into forms suitable for the preparation of maps and charts
  Will be required to learn to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units
• Willingness to work in the field performing site inspections. This includes visits to preserved farms and parkland, which may require hiking through the woods on uneven surfaces.
• Ability to work cooperatively within a team and to work independently
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously

REQUIREMENTS

Candidate with familiarity with planning and/or open space/farmland preservation strongly preferred. Must possess a valid driver’s license.

SALARY

$20/hour