Planner - Supervising

Placer County is comprised of over 1,400 square miles of beautiful and diverse geography, ranging from the residential and commercial areas of South Placer, through the historic foothill areas of Auburn, Foresthill, and Colfax, and to the County's jewel of the North Lake Tahoe basin. Placer is a great place to live, work, play, and learn! For more information about Placer County, please visit www.placer.ca.gov.

Placer County offers a comprehensive benefits package to employees, including:

• Holidays: 14 paid holidays per year, 2 of which are floating holidays*
• Vacation leave: 10 days/year with ability to accrue 25 days/year
• Sick leave: 12 days/year*
• Cafeteria plan: 6% of employee’s salary will be contributed towards employee to use towards 401(k), dependent care, medical co-insurance, or cash
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance available for employees and dependents
• $50,000 life insurance policy at no cost to employee
• CalPERS retirement plans
• Retiree medical insurance
• Deferred compensation
• Education allowance: up to $1,200 per year
• Bilingual incentive: incumbents may be eligible for bilingual incentive pay depending upon operational needs and certification of proficiency.

*Amounts will be prorated for part-time employees and employees hired after the first of the year.

The information above represents benefits currently available to permanent Placer County employees and may be subject to change. Applicants should inquire about the most current benefit package during hiring interviews or by contacting the Human Resources Department. For a detailed listing of benefits, please click here to view Professional benefits.

For more information regarding the benefits Placer County has to offer please visit Placer County's Human Resources website.

To plan, organize, direct and supervise planning activities and operations of an assigned unit or division; to perform the difficult and more complex professional planning duties involving planning, organization, and administration of the County’s land use plan, environmental review laws, applicable County zoning and subdivision regulations, applicable local ordinances, and state and federal statutes; and to coordinate the work on assigned planning projects or programs with County departments, local, state and federal commissions, agencies and boards.

The Supervisor level recognizes positions that perform full, first-line supervisory responsibilities including planning, assigning, and evaluating the work of subordinates and is responsible for a program area within a work unit of a department.

Receives general direction from department management staff.

Exercises direct supervision over assigned professional, clerical, and technical personnel.

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Supervise staff involved with land development activities within a defined geographic region of the County. 
• Recommend and assist in the implementation of unit goals and objectives; establish timeframes and monitor progress of various projects assigned to professional and technical planning staff; implement policies and procedures.
• Plan, prioritize, assign, supervise, and review the work of professional staff involved in the production of various planning documents relating to land use regulations involving development, amendment, and implementation of the County General Plan, approved County Specific Plans, conservation and environmental protection regulations, and applicable zoning and subdivision regulations.
• Prepare advanced planning studies, appropriate reports, and recommendations concerning project and/or program needs. 
• Prepare and administer contracts with independent contractors or consultants who provide planning or environmental services to the County. 
• Confer with the management staff on assigned projects, programs, work schedules, and planning policies/procedures. 
• Confer with and advise property owners, developers, subdividers, and/or their representatives regarding planning ordinances, General, and Specific plans relating to property development. 
• Review, analyze, develop, prioritize, and schedule projects; confer with assigned staff regarding problems and progress of assigned projects.  
• Coordinate planning projects and related activities with other department divisions/sections, other County departments, local, and state agencies and boards. 
• Make oral and written presentations as necessary to Board of Supervisors, Planning Commission, and other community groups/committees. 
• Evaluate operations and activities of assigned responsibilities; recommend improvements and modifications; prepare various reports on operations and activities. 
• Participate in the selection of staff; provide or coordinate staff training; conduct performance evaluations; recommend discipline; implement discipline procedures as directed. 
• Answer questions and provide information to the public; investigate complaints and recommend corrective action as necessary to resolve complaints. 
• Build and maintain positive working relationships with co-workers, other County employees and the public using principles of good customer service. 
• Perform related duties as assigned.

It is the responsibility of applicants to identify in their application materials how they meet the minimum qualifications listed below.

Experience and Training
Any combination of experience and training that would provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying.  A typical way to obtain the required knowledge and abilities would be:

Experience: Four (4) years of increasingly responsible journey level experience in planning work performing duties similar to an associate or senior level planner in Placer County including two years in a lead or supervisory capacity.

Training: Equivalent to a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in urban, regional, or environmental planning or a related field.

Required License or Certificate:
May need to possess a valid driver's license as required by the position.  Proof of adequate vehicle insurance and medical clearance may also be required.

Knowledge of:

• Principles and practices of land use planning and development.
• Principles and practices of environmental planning and administration of environmental policies.
• Principles and practices of supervision, program development, project planning, management methods and procedures.
• Operation, policies, and procedures of a county planning department or assigned unit.
• All applicable local ordinances and state and federal statutes.
• Planning related software applications. 

Ability to:

• Organize, implement, and direct subordinate staff performing planning activities and projects.
• Manage multiple projects and meet deadlines; analyze and solve complex planning matters and determine appropriate course of action.
• On a continuous basis, know and understand all aspects of the job.  Intermittently analyze work papers, reports, and special projects; identify, interpret, and explain technical and numerical information; observe and solve planning problems. 
• Sit at desk for long periods of time; and stand at the counter to answer questions of the public. Intermittently, walk, stand, kneel, climb, and bend in the field; perform simple and power grasping, pushing, pulling, and fine manipulation; intermittently write or use a keyboard to communicate and occasionally lift weight; visually differentiate between colors on land use maps.
• Compile, analyze, and evaluate technical, statistical, and economic information of a difficult and complex nature; read and interpret maps and legal property descriptions.
• Understand, interpret, explain, and apply pertinent laws, County ordinances, and department policies and procedures.
• Develop and recommend policies and procedures related to assigned operations.
• Operate a personal computer in an on-line processing environment; utilize software application programs commonly used in a planning department or assigned unit.
• Prepare clear, comprehensive, and concise reports and correspondence.
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
• Attend public meetings before various community groups and citizens regarding planning issues of a sensitive nature.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.

Training & Experience Rating (100%)

Based upon responses to the supplemental questionnaire, the applicant’s education, training, and experience will be evaluated using a pre-determined formula. Scores from this evaluation will determine applicant ranking and placement on the eligible list.

Prior to the date of hire, applicants must undergo a fingerprint test by the Department of Justice, pass a medical examination (which may include a drug screening and possibly a psychological evaluation), sign a constitutional oath, and submit proof of U.S. citizenship or legal right to remain and work in the U.S.  For some positions, applicants may also be required to submit proof of age, undergo a background investigation (which may include a voice stress analysis and/or a polygraph), and/or be bonded. Additionally, positions in law enforcement classifications and those supporting law enforcement functions will be required to complete a conviction history questionnaire prior to or during the interview process. Applicants for positions with access to Medi-Cal billing software or who are licensed providers must clear the Federal Exclusion List, credentialing, and social security verification. Failure to clear these requirements may result in an employment offer being withdrawn.

The eligible list resulting from this recruitment may be certified as a substitute list for a substantially similar classification. For this purpose, a substantially similar classification is one at a lower level in the same classification (example: entry level vs. journey level) and/or a similar classification (similar work performed, similar training and experience qualifications required). If you are contacted for an interview by a County department, you will be informed of the classification and other relevant information. If you choose not to interview for a substantially similar classification, you will remain on the eligible list for which you originally applied.

Placer County offers an expedited process for qualifying certain applicants for interviews. Candidates currently employed, or employed within the last year, by a public agency operating under a personnel civil service or merit system may be eligible to be placed on a Public Agency Eligible List and certified as eligible for appointment to a similar job assignment without going through the examination process. For more information on the Public Agency Eligible List, to download forms, or to apply, please click here.

Thank you for your interest in employment with Placer County. Placer County is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to an active nondiscrimination program. It is the stated policy of Placer County that harassment, discrimination, and retaliation are prohibited and that all employees, applicants, agents, contractors, and interns/volunteers shall receive equal consideration and treatment. All terms and conditions of employment, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, transfer, and promotion will be based on the qualifications of the individual for the positions being filled regardless of gender (including gender identity and expression), sexual orientation, race (including traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks, and twists), color, ancestry, religion (including creed and belief), national origin, citizenship, physical disability (including HIV and AIDS), mental disability, medical condition (including cancer or genetic characteristics/information), age (40 or over),  marital status, military and/or veteran status, sex (including parental status, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), reproductive health decision making, political orientation, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law. Please contact the Human Resources Department at least 5 working days before a scheduled examination if you require accommodation in the examination process. Medical disability verification may be required prior to accommodation.

For questions regarding this recruitment, please contact Preciosa Ayala-Burkhardt, Administrative Technician, at payala@placer.ca.gov or (530) 886-4637.