PLANNER LEAD/ADVANCED

The Maryland Department of Planning (MDP) is seeking talented, energetic, and motivated professionals to join its Planning Best Practices Division to advance community resilience best practices in planning throughout the state. this position will help Maryland’s communities understand vulnerabilities and risks, set priorities, leverage resources, provide transparent and clear communication, foster community partnerships, and measure results toward a more resilient future. This position will be expected to leverage the resources of all department divisions, other state agencies, institutions of higher learning, and local and regional partners to meet these ends, working most closely with the department’s Regional Planners, Director of Planning Best Practices, Geospatial Data & Analysis division, and State Data Center; Maryland Historic Trust’s Office of Planning, Education and Outreach; and Maryland’s Office of Resilience located within the Maryland Department of Emergency Management (MDEM).

 

A few upcoming statewide planning efforts offer exciting opportunities to advance stronger, regionally tailored resilience and the next generation of sustainable growth. These include updating Maryland’s planning visions and the state development plan, partnering with the Department of Commerce on the Maryland Installation Resiliency Review, and serving as the primary liaison to the Office of Resilience within MDEM on the State of Maryland Comprehensive Resilience Strategy.

 

The Community Resilience work program presents an unparalleled variety of projects for the proper candidate, including municipal and county climate change adaptation, resiliency best practices and curriculum development, regional coordination, statewide resiliency policy and legislative review, and comprehensive sustainable growth implementation. This position will also be tasked with developing evidence-based strategies to mitigate natural and human made hazard risk to housing, the environment, critical infrastructure including transportation, Maryland's workforce, Maryland's business owners including small, women- and minority-owned businesses, local governments including school systems, and our communities including those most vulnerable to natural hazards and those that have historically borne the brunt of human-caused, and natural hazards including the impacts of flooding, extreme heat, and winter storm impacts.

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120 E. Baltimore Street, Suite 2000, Baltimore MD  21202

The Community Resilience Specialist coordinates with the Department, Maryland Office of Resilience, state agencies, partner organizations, and other resilience planning initiatives and programs to advance best practices, educational resources, and interagency collaboration, including legislative priorities and policy development advancing Maryland’s resilience strategy. This position will provide key support in Maryland’s all-of-government approach to help communities adapt to changing conditions and respond to and recover from disasters, including human-caused and natural hazards; and to build, advance, and maintain state, regional, and local capacities related to quality of life, health and wellbeing, durable systems,economic vitality, human-made and nature-based infrastructure, and sustainable environmental systems. Threats and opportunities, as well as planning capacities and community vulnerabilities, vary substantially by region, so the position is required to tailor or customize strategies.

This position’s duties support the Department’s community resilience planning initiatives and programs. These duties require coordinating with Department staff, other state agencies, and providers of planning education and training in the state. This position will serve as the department subject matter expert for developing best practices and educational resources to support statewide, regional, and local resilience and disaster response and recovery integration in plans and plan implementation tools (e.g., zoning, capital improvement programs) including complex project management of interdivisional, interdepartmental, and interorganizational teams.

This includes expanding upon the Department’s existing resiliency and climate change resources; including those developed by the Maryland Historical Trust and the Research, Review, and Policy Division, coordinating with partners such as resilience related non-profits, institutions of higher learning, federal government agencies, other state agencies, regional planning organizations, and local governments; researching successful examples of community resilience planning and implementation within Maryland and throughout the country; and organizing resources, partnerships, research, and Department policy into varied and dynamic educational offerings which local governments and other stakeholders can access to advance their own resilience planning initiatives. This position will also support Department and other state agency efforts to secure and implement federal or other grant funding in support of the State of Maryland’s Comprehensive Resilience Strategy.

As directed, the Community Resilience Specialist reviews and comments on a variety of local planning documents such as comprehensive plans, water/sewerage plans, and Sustainable Communities Action plans. This position, helps ensure a coordinated response among all Department divisions and other state agencies to statewide resiliency plans and actions. It is also responsible for supporting, and as needed, updating MHT’s statewide training program to assist local governments in planning for cultural resources in areas prone to disasters or sea-level rise.

The position contributes to MDP’s vision for sustainable growth to ensure Maryland achieves economic prosperity for all through the development of plans, policies, and places that embrace diversity, treasure all shared heritages, and uphold human well-being and ecological regeneration as paramount.

Education:   A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university that includes 30 credit hours in Planning, Environmental Science, Environmental Studies, Architecture, Public Administration, Engineering, Geography, Landscape Architecture, Economics, Public Finance, Political Science, Sociology, Regional Science, Information Technology or Urban Affairs.

Experience: Three years of experience in research and planning projects related to the development and use of land, water, transportation, community or natural resources by assisting in obtaining, analyzing and conducting research on demographic, socio-economic, political, cultural, geographic or land-use trends.

Notes:

1. Candidates may substitute the possession of a Master’s degree from an accredited college or university in one of the specified educational fields for one year of the required experience.*

2. Candidates may substitute the possession of an additional Master’s degree from an accredited college or university in one of the specified educational fields for one additional year of the required experience.*

3. Candidates may substitute the possession of a Doctorate degree from an accredited college or university in one of the specified educational fields for two years of the required experience.*

*Two years is the maximum number of years that may be substituted by education for the required experience.

4. Candidates may substitute U.S. Armed Forces military service experience as a commissioned officer in Logistics, Urban Planning, Architect, Geospatial Intelligence Analyst or Cryptologic classifications; or Logistics, Urban Planning or Architect specialty codes in the Architect field of work, on a year-for-year basis, for the required experience and education.

Education:  Degree or certificates in a related professional

Experience: Three years of experience in one or more of the following:

-Local or state government and/or providing planning and related technical assistance to government and non-government organizations. Ideally, this experience should incorporate a variety of issues, including but not limited to long range and current planning, zoning, emergency management, and community engagement.

-Planning and project management in support of community resiliency and education, climate change adaptation and mitigation, energy access, cultural and historic resource preservation, or regulatory reform.

-State of Maryland Planning initiatives and programs and how they can be applied to develop a more resilient economy and local capacity, as well as experience with Maryland land use and sustainability statutory requirements.

-Making public presentations and representing a department or organization on committees and other representative bodies.

-Managing and executing complex planning and community development projects that involve coordination of multiple stakeholders, sometimes competing interests, and the development of new communication channels.

-Experience with office productivity software, GIS, site design and visualization tools such as Sketch Up, Photoshop or similar.

NOT APPLICABLE.

Please make sure that you provide sufficient information on your application to show that you meet the qualifications for this recruitment. 

All information concerning your qualifications must be submitted by the closing date.  We will not consider information submitted after this date.

Successful candidates will be placed on the employment (eligible) list for at least one year.

The assessment may consist of a rating of your education, training and experience related to the requirements of the position.  It is important that you provide complete and accurate information on your application.  Please report all experience and education that is related to this position.

STATE OF MARYLAND BENEFITS

 

For education obtained outside the U.S., a copy of the equivalent American education as determined by a foreign credential evaluation service needs to be provided before hire. 

All information concerning your qualifications must be submitted by the closing date.  We will not consider information submitted after this date. 

The on-line application process is STRONGLY preferred.  If you are not able to apply online, you may submit a paper application and supplemental questionnaire (by the closing date) to:

Department of Budget and Management

Recruitment and Examination Division

301 W. Preston St., Suite 608

Baltimore, MD  21201

Attn:  For inquiries regarding this recruitment, please call 410 767-7950.

Resumes will NOT be accepted in lieu of completing the on-line or paper application.  As an equal opportunity employer, Maryland is committed to recruiting, retaining and promoting employees who are reflective of the State’s diversity.

Appropriate accommodations for individuals with disabilities are available upon request by calling 410-767-3623.

We thank our Veterans for their service to our country, and encourage them to apply. 

Bilingual applicants are also encouraged to apply.

TTY  Users: call via Maryland Relay