Senior Planner (Planner 2)

Work Hours:  Monday – Friday, 8:00 A.M. – 4:30 P.M. (EST)

*Hours may vary due to work assignments, or projects.*

FLSA Status:  This is an Exempt position

Department:  City Planning, Regional Planning Agency

Location:  1250 Market Street, Suite 2000 (DRC Building), Chattanooga, TN  37402

The Regional Planning Agency is hiring a Senior Planner (Planner 2) in its Community Planning & Design division. This division focuses on area planning, placemaking, and urban design. The division’s work over the next two years will be focused on developing Area Plans that cover all of Hamilton County. A new Place Types palette will be applied to each Area. We will also be developing more detailed plans for designated mixed-use centers in each area. Candidates for this position should have a Bachelor’s Degree in Planning or a related field, and 3 years of experience in physical land use planning. Experience with geographic information systems (GIS) is also required. A background in urban design, architecture, or landscape architecture is preferred, but not required.

Summary

Incumbents in this classification are responsible for providing professional expertise in all aspects of the planning and development process, including policy formulation, neighborhood planning, transportation planning, land use, and redevelopment. Duties include developing long-range plans to comply with federal guidelines; administering local zoning; conducting research and analyses; and performing long-range projects related to neighborhood planning, transportation planning, land use, and urban redevelopment. Work requires limited supervision and the use of independent judgment and discretion.

Examples of Duties

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: The following duties ARE NOT intended to serve as a comprehensive list of all duties performed by all employees in this classification, only a representative summary of the primary duties and responsibilities.

Develops various plans, studies, and analyses on a municipal, county, or regional basis and provides planning assistance to member communities on various land use and transportation projects.

Conducts research and prepares statistical reports on land use, transportation, physical, social, and economic issues and trends, and other planning-related studies; and updates existing plans, studies, programs, and regulations.

Prepares planning documents such as community plans, policies, ordinances, regulations, grant applications, technical reports, and requests for proposals.

Develops project budgets, administers bidding processes, and verifies contract expenditures and compliance.

Performs field inspections to gather data relevant to the development review process and to verify that development projects comply with approved plans.

Presents reports and other findings to staff, appointed boards, and elected officials and serves as liaison to the same.

Attends a substantial number of evening and weekend meetings.

May serve as a lead to lower-level staff which includes prioritizing and assigning work; training staff on work methods and procedures.

Creates a variety of materials such as maps, reports and brochures, visual presentations, site plans, and renderings for presentations in meetings and to facilitate community education and outreach activities with neighborhood associations, advisory boards, and elected officials.

Reviews zoning and development proposals and prepares findings for Planning Commission(s) which includes but is not limited to organizing meetings, preparing informational packets for members, and performing other related activities.

Reviews and monitors projects to ensure compliance with applicable local, state, and federal guidelines.

Communicates and collaborates with a variety of agencies, governmental departments, consultants, boards, and community organizations on plans and studies; organizes, conducts, and facilitates meetings with neighborhood associations, advisory boards, and elected officials.

Monitors development and zoning activity in an assigned area of the County and answers inquiries from the general public.

Represents the Agency, County, and jurisdictions and serves as a technical resource on a variety of committees, task forces, and/or other related groups.

Reviews interprets, and applies federal, state, and local regulations as they relate to planning projects.

Evaluates recommendations for land use, transportation, capital improvement, and other areas to be adopted as guides for public policy; work with stakeholders to update and implement plan recommendations.

Updates and maintains a variety of records, files, and related planning information.

Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s Degree in Urban Planning or related field and three (3) years experience, including professional-level work in urban development, planning, or geographic information systems (GIS), as well as community outreach and decision-making processes or any combination of equivalent experience and education.

LICENSING AND CERTIFICATIONS: Valid Tennessee Driver’s License

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS: Knowledge of one or more planning disciplines such as urban design, affordable housing, economic or community development, environmental/natural resources planning, historic preservation or land use; research methods; environmental planning principles; mathematical concepts, including statistical methods; site planning and architectural design principles; planning terminology, methods, materials, practices and techniques; budgeting principles; customer service and public relations principles; mapping software applications; project management principles and practices; applicable federal, state and local laws, ordinances, codes, rules, regulations, standards, policies and procedures.

Skill in prioritizing and assigning work; using computers and related software applications; providing customer service; implementing public relations programs; managing projects; managing multiple priorities simultaneously; manipulating GIS data; performing mathematical calculations; compiling data from multiple external sources; designing and executing surveys; reading and interpreting architectural and engineering drawings; reading maps and scales; conducting research; interpreting and applying applicable laws, ordinances, codes, rules, regulations, policies and procedures; organizing, collecting and analyzing data; resolving conflict; creating and giving presentations; speaking in public and effective writing techniques, preparing reports and documents; communication and interpersonal skills as applied to interaction with co-workers, supervisor, the general public, etc. sufficient to exchange or convey information and to receive work direction.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: Positions in this class typically require reaching, fingering, grasping, talking, hearing, seeing, and repetitive motions.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: Light Work: Exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 10 pounds of force frequently and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects. If the use of arm and/or leg controls requires exertion of forces greater than that for Sedentary Work and the worker sits most of the time, the job is rated for Light Work.  Incumbents may be subjected to extreme temperatures.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: 

Safety Sensitive: N

Department of Transportation – CDL: N

Child Sensitive: N

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION:

Note the following If you are invited for an interview:

• Be prepared to provide two examples (PDF or JPG format) of computer-generated maps, that you created conveying your skills in GIS.
• Be prepared to provide an example of a plan or report of which you were the sole author.
• Candidates with a background in Urban Design, or a related design field, be prepared to provide at least one example of a drawing (either computer-generated or free-hand) that you personally created.