Principal Planner

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Principal Planner

Starting Salary Range: $85,984.42 - $ annually

Job Type: Full-time, Management/Exempt, civil Service

The City of Urbana is seeking qualified applicants for an exciting opportunity to lead the municipal planning functions of the Community Development Services Department. The successful candidate will serve as the manager of all activities and staff of the Planning Division and will oversee a wide variety of projects that will have a lasting impact on Urbana’s neighborhoods and community-at-large.

The Principal Planner oversees advanced, highly complex professional planning activities and manages Planning Division activities and staff. Responsible for supervising staff, coordinating work programs and priorities, and ensuring that decision-making within the Planning Division is internally consistent and in accordance with state and municipal statutes and the City’s priorities, mission, and values.

In conjunction with the Director, the Principal Planner is responsible for comprehensive planning, historic preservation, neighborhood planning, subdivision/development review, annexation, research, and long-term planning studies. Provides staff support to the City Council, Urbana Plan Commission, Urbana Historic Preservation Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, and Design Review Board. Represents the City on a variety of intergovernmental committees and teams. Supervises and leads staff to accomplish the planning goals of the City.

May also be assigned zoning administration duties.

• Consistently adheres to schedules, timelines, and work plans, while strengthening the Planning Division’s organizational systems to improve daily task management and longterm record keeping. Demonstrates a strong aptitude for organization and process, ensuring structure, clarity, and efficiency in all work.
• Actively listens and responds with empathy, especially when dealing with sensitive or emotionally charged situations; demonstrates strong personal resilience during highly charged public hearings, maintaining composure and professionalism in challenging situations.
• Demonstrates consistency between words and actions, reinforcing the City’s Zoning Ordinance and codes.
• Maintains professionalism and focus even amid frequent interruptions or shifting demands
• Is highly organized and maintains accuracy and consistency in planning documents, maps, and reports.
• Consistently adheres to rules, policies, and ethical standards – even when no one is watching.
• Strengthens team culture by being open, respectful, and generous with knowledge.

• Actively supports and upholds the City’s mission and values.
• Contributes to supporting organizational goals and priorities.
• Administers and enforces of the City of Urbana’s Land Development Code (LDC) as it applies to subdivisions and developments within the City and the City’s extraterritorial jurisdiction, in consultation with the CD Director and the City Engineer. Serves on the Administrative Review Committee.
• Coordinates and/or oversees zoning issues and enforcement with the Building Safety Division staff and with other City departments. Facilitates joint planning projects between departments.
• Supports the development of the City’s comprehensive plan, planning programs, and policies.
• Directs the Planning Division, which includes implementation of the comprehensive plan, planning programs and policies; preparing staff recommendations regarding development, amendment, and implementation of City’s Comprehensive Plan; and other long-range planning studies.
• Provides lead direction and work assignment to professional and technical staff; assists in the selection of assigned staff; instructs staff in work procedures, reviews work performed and provides periodic performance evaluations to assigned staff.
• Prepares and directs special planning studies as needed. Such studies may include use of maps, graphs, reports, field studies, statistics, tabulations, computations, graphs and charts for illustration and analysis.
• Serves as, or delegates, project management for the Design Review Team (DRT) meetings, which convene key…