Prince William County, Department of Development Services, Land Development Division is seeking qualified applicants for a Planner III position. Do you want to work in a progressive Department which promotes staff and customers working in partnership through effective and efficient development processes to ensure compliance with all regulations? We are looking for a customer service minded individual with a strong technical knowledge and skill to provide the highest quality of service and respect to our customers.

The primary duties of the position include: Oversight and administration of the Zoning Permits Branch of the Land Development Division of Development Services. Direct supervision of an existing Planner II and Zoning Counter Supervisor position and indirect supervision of four additional positions (Planner I and Development Services Technicians). Acts as Assistant Zoning Administrator. Coordinates with the Division Chief, Bonds Administrator and Zoning Administrator as needed to render determinations.
 
Manages the Zoning Permits Branch work plan and performs highly-skilled duties consisting of zoning permit issuance, EnerGov database entry compliance, land use research, review of proffers/conditions for enforceability, proffer/condition satisfaction, review and approval of sign permits, review and approval of Temporary Activity Permits, review and approval of Live Entertainment Certificates and preparation of zoning and proffer interpretations regarding zoning requirements of applications. Facilitates high-profile meetings with senior level County staff and coordinates efforts across Departmental boundaries. Facilitates and participates on departmental and interdepartmental Process Action Teams. 
 
Other duties include: review of architectural renderings to ensure conformance with proffers, acts as "planner-of-day" to provide quality customer service and responding to frequent inquiries, in writing or in person, regarding various planning and zoning issues, serving on the Department Services Management Team, and other duties as assigned.
 
Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Hiring Salary Range: $61,405.50 - $82,836.00



 

The statements in this class specification are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by incumbent(s) assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified.

GENERAL DEFINITION OF WORK:

Performs difficult professional and technical work involving professional planner assignments of broad scope and substantial complexity.  Work entails serving as an expert in a planning specialty area or program – independently conducting complex specialty work; independently handling special projects coordination; or coordinating and reviewing the work of a small group of planners.

Specialist – Independently conducts the most complex studies and projects; conducts research projects of a difficult and varied nature; or

Special Projects Coordinator – Independently handles broad-based projects that are diverse, politically sensitive and highly visible, requiring extensive coordination and management; or

Team/Program Leader – Leads, assigns, coordinates and reviews the work of a small group of professional planners and technicians within a specific focus or program area.

Planner III level differs from Planner II level in that Planner III positions serve as experts in planning specialty areas or programs, and have broad latitude for determining methods, scheduling and standards, and are expected, on a routine basis, to develop, present and defend findings and recommendations to stakeholder groups and County decision-makers.  Planner III level differs from Planner IV level in that Planner IV serves as branch chief or as leader of a major and unique development program, and has managerial and comprehensive programmatic responsibilities.

Work is performed under general supervision of the department director or designee.  Supervision may be exercised over subordinate professional, technical and administrative support personnel; may act in absence of Branch Chief, as assigned.

TYPICAL TASKS:

Reviews and analyzes rezoning and special use proposals and identifies critical issues;

Reviews and analyzes legal documents, including proffer and condition statements;

Manages cases and is responsible for overall coordination of the review processes;

Coordinates with applicants, citizens, commissions, boards, attorneys, other department divisions, and other reviewing agencies, in compliance with ordinances, policies, comprehensive plans and vision statements;

Acts as liaison and facilitates consensus-building discussions and processes; leads pre-application and post-submission meetings;

Functions as point of contact for all aspects of assigned cases or projects;

Determines whether protected resources exist on proposed development property;

Identifies most appropriate method of preserving protected resources;

Manages comprehensive plan amendment requests;

Researches databases, ordinances, regulations, policies, and maps;

Performs comprehensive long-range demographic analysis and forecasting;

Recommends policy on specific issues for specific areas based on analysis of demographics;

Tracks and analyzes current and pending legislation of other jurisdictions and communities;

Visits development sites and investigates their physical features;

Researches, prepares and coordinates planning studies;

Prepares feasibility studies; provides expertise related to planning and design studies and developmental proposals;

Identifies problems and works to develop workable, well-balanced solutions for site development issues;

Negotiates conditions and proffers with applicants, consistent with desired outcomes of the County's Comprehensive Plan and Vision Statement;

Responsible for quality of negotiations with clients, quality of staff reports, and quality of presentations;

Processes proposals and staff reports for public hearings; prepares written, oral and visual arguments that result in desired outcomes;

Presents reports, analyses and recommendations to the Planning Commission and to the Board of County Supervisors;

Informs and educates the community concerning rezoning and special use permit processes, and concerning individual cases;

Provides quality customer service, responding to frequent inquiries in writing or in person regarding various planning and zoning issues, developmental activities, telecommunication facilities, historic/cultural resource preservation, and County projects;

Manages consultant contracts relative to assigned special projects - negotiates consultant contracts, approves payments under said contracts and determines final compliance;

Participates in the development of revitalization plans;

Participates in updating the process of the County Comprehensive Plan;

Maintains and updates development models;

Ensures that elements of the County's Comprehensive Plan, as they relate to area of specialty, are addressed in the development review process;

Serves on task forces involved in developing plans and strategies for both County-owned and non-County properties;

Supervises, reviews and evaluates the work of assigned technicians and planners;

Submits and manages grant applications for projects;

Conducts follow-up actions with grant applicants, grantors, and project progress;

Coordinates grant-funded activities with other departments and agencies to ensure grant funding is allocated properly;

May be appointed as assistant zoning administrator.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

Thorough knowledge of the principles and practices of planning and design, transportation planning, zoning and community revitalization, including and understanding of the fundamentals of economics, municipal finance, sociology and research procedures, engineering and construction as they pertain to the design and development of urban and regional areas; thorough knowledge of various ordinances, codes

and regulations pertaining to planning, zoning and urban renewal; thorough knowledge of the principles, practices and related federal and state laws and regulations related to grant preparation and administration; ability to plan, organize, supervise and carry out complex

research projects; skill in presenting results effectively in oral, written and graphic form; ability to speak effectively before large public gatherings; ability to supervise, coach and mentor professional, technical and clerical personnel engaged in planning, zoning and renewal work; ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with County staff, government officials and agency staff, community stakeholder groups, private property owners, development professionals and consultants; private architects, engineers and contractors.

Any combination of education and experience equivalent to a Bachelor's Degree in Planning or related field, 3-5 years of progressively responsible professional planning experience in a field appropriate to the assignment of the position, and 1 year supervisory experience of staff.  
 

PREFERENCES:

AICP certification preferred.

Master's Degree preferred.

SKILL SETS AND DEMONSTRATED COMPETENCIES REQUIRED FOR ASSIGNMENT TO A PLANNER III POSITION IN

THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT: 

SKILL SETS AND DEMONSTRATED COMPETENCIES REQUIRED FOR ADVANCEMENT TO A PLANNER IV POSITION IN THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT: