Senior Planner

The finalist must pass a pre-employment physical, drug screen, and background check.

Under general supervision, administers advanced and complex current and advance planning activities, including serving as project manager for complex development applications and special projects; administers specified activities in such areas as zoning, redevelopment, housing, advance planning, and environmental impact studies, protection, and compliance, as well as the capital improvement program (CIP); provides information and assistance to property owners, developers, contractors and the public;

provides complex professional assistance to the Development Services Director, Planning Manager, and others in areas of expertise; oversees, reviews and performs a variety of studies and prepares and presents staff reports; and performs related work as required.

Receives general supervision from the Community Development Director or his/her designee. Exercises technical and functional direction over and provides training to planning division lower-level professional, technical, and office support staff.

This is the advanced journey-level class in the professional planning series with responsibilities spanning the entire spectrum of the planning function, with a primary emphasis on current and advance planning and environmental impact, protection, and compliance issues. Successful performance of the work requires a broad professional background as well as skill in coordinating assigned work with that of other City departments and public agencies.

Performance of the work also requires the use of considerable independence, initiative, and discretion within established guidelines. This class is distinguished from Planning Manager in that the latter is the highest-level class in the professional planning series and may provide supervisory review to staff in addition to handling the most complex and sensitive planning projects.

Management reserves the right to add, modify, change or rescind the work assignments of different positions and to make reasonable accommodations so that qualified employees can perform the essential functions of the job.

• Serves as project manager for multiple complex current and/or long-range planning projects and special planning studies, including in-depth application and plan review, coordination with applicants to obtain additional information and project changes, preparing legal notices, posting notices on sites, background research, preparing staff reports, attending public hearings and making presentations monitoring implementation measures and conditions of approval, checking submittals for building plan check, and inspecting development and capital improvement sites at the beginning and upon completion of the project.
• Interprets and applies Federal, State, and local laws, rules, and regulations to ensure that public and private projects are in compliance, including the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), Subdivision Map Act, City of Coachella General Plan, specific plans, design specifications, and local guidelines and procedures.
• Interacts and communicates with a variety of individuals and groups at the public service counter, in the field, over the telephone, at public hearings, and in discussion forums, including other City departments and public agencies, elected and appointed City officials, developers, consultants, architects, engineers, attorneys, appraisers, real estate agents, property owners, and the general public for the purpose of obtaining or providing information, coordinating activities, processing projects, negotiating plan changes, and formulating recommendations.
• Conducts site and policy background research to obtain information for the preparation of staff reports, correspondence, memoranda, policy documents, procedure documents, and presentations to supervisory, inter-departmental staff, or governing bodies; reads, interprets, analyzes, and explains a wide variety of technical documents, studies, and practices that may impact the City’s planning projects.
• Participates in the development of requests for…