Senior Urban Planner

Nature of Work

Plans, organizes, participates and supervises staff engaged in a planning area, and manages and conducts comprehensive planning projects affecting land use, regulations, and transportation issues.

Environmental Factors

Work is performed in an office setting.

Physical Factors

Light physical demands; mostly desk work. Frequent use of a personal computer.

Work Situation Factors

Position involves competing demands, performing multiple tasks, working to deadlines, occasional work beyond normal business hours, and responding to customer issues. Regular attendance is an essential function of this job to ensure continuity of services. Position is subject to drug testing in accordance with applicable State and Federal regulations and City of Las Cruces policy.

Meeting or exceeding the minimum qualifications does not guarantee an invitation to participate in the process.

FIRSTCONSIDERATIONMAYBEGIVENTOCURRENT EMPLOYEES WHO MEET THE MINIMUMQUALIFICATIONS.

Full-time, regular, exempt position

This position is graded at an RX20.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Provides technical and professional planning services to achieve structured and organized growth and development in the City in compliance with all regulatory requirements; assures project plans, policies and procedures are in conformance to City goals, and in compliance with local, state and Federal codes and regulations.

• Supervises the staff of an assigned planning work area; screens and assigns workload; plans, prioritizes and assigns tasks and projects; trains staff, monitors work and evaluates performance.

• Oversees technical programs including the City Comprehensive Plan, Long Range Plan and the Transportation Plan; serves as team leader for project work groups; reviews progress and recommends revisions to priorities and schedules to assure projects are completed in a timely and efficient manner; reviews plans and technical documents for compliance with City regulations and ordinances; provides professional evaluations and reports as appropriate; produces professional quality staff reports, presentations and recommendations on complex technical issues; develops multi-modal solutions to complex issues, and resolves conflicts; prepares detailed technical and policy reports, and comprehensive plans; develops new and revised ordinances and regulations as appropriate.

• Reviews and evaluates development proposals, development designs, applications, planning and zoning changes, variance requests, technical documents and special permits for compliance with City standards and regulatory requirements; answers inquiries and assists the public and other agencies in matters relating to planning, zoning and permit review, and other City standards and regulations;

• Provides information and recommendations within scope of authority; reviews and processes a variety of applications, permits and plans; creates correspondence and reports, and coordinates with customers as needed; reviews development plans with residents, developers and builders; develops recommendations, summarizes issues and makes presentations to the City Council and Planning & Zoning Commission.

• May review and evaluate short/long range transportation planning including traffic modeling, travel demand modeling, travel forecasting, database development, system analysis and plan development; conducts corridor and sub-area studies.

• Manages special projects as assigned; conducts research and analysis on permits, plans, rules and regulations; conducts field surveys to evaluate sites and determine suitability of proposed land use changes; researches planning issues and regulations, and provides data on land use issues and related subjects as requested.

• May serve as liaison to MPO Policy Committee in setting up public meeting agendas, providing program support development, budget and financial management, program reporting, public information assistances.

• May serve as member of Design Review committee to review and recommend subdivisions to Commission.

• Participates in meetings with government officials and community groups; provides information to the Planning & Zoning Commission, the City Manager, City Council and other City departments as needed; coordinates with various regional government organizations, community groups, and state and Federal agencies; attends public meetings and presents information on regional planning and zoning issues.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's Degree in Planning, Engineering, Earth Sciences or a related field AND three (3) years of municipal, urban or regional planning experience. A combination of education, experience, and training may be applied in accordance with City of Las Cruces policy. Certification by American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) is preferred.

LICENSES/CERTIFICATIONS

Valid Class D driver's license required or preferred. If applicable, position requires an acceptable driving record in accordance with City of Las Cruces policies.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Knowledge of: City land use and development regulations, planning concepts and principles; principles of land use planning; City Comprehensive Plan and zoning codes; City, county, state and Federal laws, codes and regulations pertaining to community planning; research techniques for land use trends and regulations; nomenclature, symbols, methods, practices, techniques, and computer software used in planning, drafting, mapping, and statistical analysis as applied to land use; project planning and management principles; principles and practices of effective employee supervision principles of record keeping and records management; business and personal computers, and spreadsheet software applications; City policies and procedures.

Ability to: Assess and prioritize multiple tasks, projects and demands; supervise staff, communicate effectively in verbal and written forms; establish and maintain effective working relations with co-workers,consultants, contractors, other agencies and the public.

Skills in: Using initiative and independent judgment within established procedural guidelines; assessing City planning needs, and developing and promoting effective solutions; presenting and defending planning information in public meetings; the application of planning theory to operational activities; researching and analyzing the factors affecting community planning projects; effectively transferring technical knowledge to new and unique situations; organizing, evaluating, analyzing and presenting data and information; problem solving and conflict resolution; understanding and interpreting land use regulations, zoning enforcement and state and Federal laws; preparing reports and checking designs, details, estimates, plans, and specifications of planning projects; analyzing planning and development issues, evaluating alternatives, and making logical recommendations based on findings; maintaining accurate and interrelated technical records.