Associate Land Use Planner

Bellevue is building the city of the future. Our welcoming, multicultural, innovation-focused community attracts technology pioneers, outdoor enthusiasts, and family-focused professionals from around the world. At Bellevue, you'll be part of a team committed to providing exceptional customer service, upholding the public interest and being a part of the community vision. Our people bring unique skills and qualities to the table, embrace the values of honesty, accountability, and commitment to service, and take pride in the work they do.

You'll work in an environment where being innovative, collaborative, and future focused are the status quo. The City invests in its employees and encourages and rewards employee growth and development by building on our commonalities and our differences. Bellevue welcomes the world. Our diversity is our strength and it's what makes Bellevue an exciting place to work, live, and explore.

Development Services is a department that unifies cross-departmental review functions including Building, Planning, Utilities, Transportation, and Fire disciplines into one line of business. This allows for one-stop shopping for information and permits needed for all development activity in Bellevue. We are code compliance officers, engineers, finance analysts, inspectors, planners, plans examiners, permit technicians, and support staff from the Land Use, Building, Fire, Transportation, and Utilities divisions.

The 25-person Land Use Division consists of four work groups:
Environmental Team, Neighborhood Development Team, Urban Design Team and Housing and Special Projects Team.

We are currently looking for an Associate Planner to join the Land Use Division on the Housing and Special Projects Team. Development review is the main focus of the Associate Planner level, and the scope of potential assignments is diverse, varied, and grows with experience. In addition to development review, the work includes consulting with potential applicants regarding possible future development and providing exceptional public service and information on polices, codes, review processes, and project proposals.

Project types will include both residential and commercial and involve simple to complex project management of the review process. Projects may be subject to special design and environmental requirements that impact the complexity of the project and the review process. The associate planner position requires strong analytical ability and excellent customer service skills to engage and collaborate with a very diverse client base and interested public.

Some of the many benefits of working in Bellevue include:

* Hybrid work environment

* Exceptional benefits

* Commitment to Employees

* Focus on Equity and Inclusion

* Office location Downtown - close to transit, shopping, restaurants and entertainment.

If you are a collaborative problem solver, are customer focused and have an interest and experience, apply today and join our team!

A successful candidate will have prior experience in land use planning and interest in issues pertaining to design, affordable housing and the environment. Those with experience in the following, including but not limited to: platting, conditional use permits, design review, critical areas, shorelines, sustainability, tree preservation, habitat restoration, mitigation, and landscape design are encouraged to apply. Field work is occasional in this role and most activities involve the review and evaluation of plans, technical materials, and consultant documents and reports.

Public information meetings and/or presentations to the Hearing Examiner are also occasional and will require work after business hours. Candidates with strong analytical and writing skills and experience presenting technical information to nontechnical audiences are desired. Successful candidates should have experience with the following:

* Ability to review and project manage a myriad of development review projects predominantly focusing on medium range land use applications that have varying complexities, processes, and interest from the public.

* Substantive analysis of discretionary reviews of all types with modest direction from supervisors.

* Monitoring project review according to pre-agreed timelines. This may include project management of Affordable Housing projects eligible for expedited review.

* Coordinating and managing information received from technical reviewers into consolidated documents for transmittal to applicants.

* Using technical expertise to advise junior staff on complex and politically sensitive projects.

* Training and coaching junior staff in areas of expertise.

* Organizing and performing original research and preparation of written findings and recommendations for land use code or policy development.

* Working closely with senior management on policy development issues.

* Providing official responses to inquiries from local, state, federal, and tribal entities.

* Acting as a consultant to other…