Overview

Position Title: Senior Planner – Natural Resources

Company: City Of Alachua

Location: Alachua County, FL

Job Description:

An employee assigned to this classification designs and performs difficult and complex planning research; prepares reports; assists senior professional staff in conceptualizing, formulating, and implementing the County’s overall Comprehensive Plan, land development regulations, and other departmental policies and procedures; economic development and housing program activities; environmental and transportation impact studies; developing and conducting research projects; supervising research project teams presenting research results and recommendations to management. Performs difficult and complex environmental trend analysis, performs difficult and complex transportation analysis, as well as detailed development plan analysis which culminate in comprehensive reports and presentations, as required.

Responsibilities:

  • Confers with the public on matters concerning planning, both in individual and group settings, including making formal presentations to groups of citizens.
  • Advocates building organizational culture through aligning decisions with core values including: integrity, honesty, respect, diversity, innovation, accountability and communication.
  • Operates, as required, motor vehicles (including departmental motor vehicles) in order to conduct field tests, inspections, and investigations to obtain data for use in determining code compliance and sources of, and methods for, controlling County-wide environmental pollutants, attending meetings, and site visits.
  • Compiles data, inventory, and tracking of the county’s natural resource base.
  • Performs the duties listed, as well as those assigned, with professionalism and a sense of urgency.
  • Reviews and comments on site plans and development proposals for compliance with County policy and sound planning principles. These reviews may include Comprehensive Plan
  • Amendment analysis, Zoning Application Process System analysis, and site plan/development plan/subdivision plat analysis.
  • Makes presentations to other members of the Department, Administration, and to elected and appointed officials and citizens dealing with factual information and predetermined policy recommendations.
  • Conducts field investigations and interviews.
  • Hires and supervises, as required, the work of intern positions.
  • Coordinates and conducts extensive background research, surveys, and interviews and prepares reports on such areas as economics, the environment, land use, public facilities and infrastructure systems, planning law, urban design, social issues, and other planning concerns.
  • Supervises, as required, departmental research teams of lower level professional and/or technical employees.
  • Exudes a positive customer service focus.
  • Prepares grant applications for local program funding.
  • Researches applicable federal, state, and local planning/regulatory literature to be used in the formulation of the Comprehensive Plan policy and Unified Land Development Code.
  • Upon declaration of a disaster and/or emergency, employees in this classification may be required to report to work.
  • This classification exists in multiple County Departments. The duties listed above apply to all SR Planner positions and the specific duties listed below are shown for each department/division.
  • Performs on-site analysis of environmental or transportation impacts, responds to citizens inquiries and complaints regarding natural resources.

Requirements:

  • Knowledge of the use of planning/development related computing devices and software;
  • knowledge of and ability to use computer techniques in public planning and management applications.
  • Knowledge of economics, government finance, political science, geography, sociology and environmental science as applied to public sector planning.
  • Thorough knowledge of principles, practices and methods of comprehensive planning and plan implementation. This may include contemporary principles, practices, and methods in the following disciplines: land use planning, site design, public policy analysis, economic and demographic analysis, conservation ecology/biology, ecosystem dynamics, wildlife ecology/biology, population dynamics, botany, geography, geology, soil science, hydrology, water chemistry, and transportation modeling/engineering.
  • Knowledge of advanced technical skills in botany, ecology and land management, as well as familiarity with sound planning principles.
  • Knowledge of zoning, subdivision regulation and other development regulations and techniques to include historic preservation.
  • Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with supervisors, other employees, outside agencies, and the general public.
  • Knowledge of the laws and regulations relating to the practice of public sector planning.
    Ability to analyze information and to formulate substantive policy recommendations based upon such studies.
  • Knowledge of planning research procedures in both written and graphic form.
  • Ability to effectively supervise and coordinate the activities of subordinate employees.
  • Ability to carry out complex planning studies and to take a significant role in the preparation and maintenance of comprehensive plans and functional plans.
  • Skill in the operation of motor vehicles.
  • Ability to express ideas and findings clearly and concisely, utilizing oral, written, and graphic techniques.
  • Knowledge of the traditional organization and operations of local and state government agencies.