Senior Planner

The Planning & Building Department is seeking applicants to join the Long Range Planning team who have skills, experience, and passion surrounding community outreach and engagement, making cities more equitable, fair, and inclusive, and working on a variety of projects across multiple planning topics. The new Senior Planner will be involved with upcoming Neighborhood Plan updates and the 2044 Comprehensive Plan Update - an exciting opportunity to help the community identify a vision and plan for the future. Applicants with GIS, graphic design skills, and experience creating innovative, visually-interesting public outreach and communications materials are encouraged to apply.

The Senior Planner serves as a senior level professional planner and implements the mission of the Department in order to assure the orderly growth of the City. Undertakes and coordinates professional planning services for a broad range of current and long-range planning activities involving comprehensive and neighborhood planning including drafting of original policy language and development regulations, processing of discretionary and ministerial development applications, collection and analysis of geographic/socioeconomic data, and providing public information about City planning policies, regulations, and activities.

Principal Accountabilities

Most advanced non-supervisory professional planner. Reports to Development Review Manager or Deputy Director. Expected to work independently. Coordinates work with other staff when appropriate. Manages the largest and most complex projects, involving oversight of consultants and coordination of staff teams and task forces. Applies professional judgment to prepare recommendations on policy and regulatory issues to the Director and hearing bodies. The Planning & Building Department is seeking applicants to join the Long Range Planning team who have skills, experience, and passion surrounding community outreach and engagement, making cities more equitable, fair, and inclusive, and working on a variety of projects across multiple planning topics. The new Senior Planner will be involved with upcoming Neighborhood Plan updates and the 2044 Comprehensive Plan Update - an exciting opportunity to help the community identify a vision and plan for the future. Applicants with GIS, graphic design skills, and experience creating innovative, visually-interesting public outreach and communications materials are encouraged to apply.

Essential Responsibilities

• Manages large projects involving extensive writing in the preparation of policies, regulations, and implementing programs influencing the growth and development of the City. Conducts research, prepares options, makes recommendations, and drafts amendments to policy and regulatory documents such as: the Comprehensive Plan, Zoning Code, Shoreline Master Program, Subdivision Ordinance, and Kirkland Municipal Code. Oversees the project work program and budget. Leads a team of planners on major projects. Coordinates the work of other staff and citizen task forces or advisory committees. Develops and implements public involvement programs.
• Processes complex and controversial development proposals requiring discretionary City approval, for example: land use permits, Planned Unit Developments and subdivisions. Reviews proposals for compliance with zoning and related regulations and comprehensive plan policies, coordinates with other departments, prepares written staff reports, and prepares and delivers recommendations to appointed boards and commissions and decision makers.
• Prepares requests for proposals for professional services and participates in interviews and selection of consultants. Manages the work, contract, and budget of consultants.
• Reviews design review applications and makes recommendations to the Design Review Board. Issues formal decisions on Administrative Design Review applications.
• Represents the Department at public meetings hosted by the City, developers, and civic groups.
• Prepares and delivers public presentations of staff reports at public meetings and hearings before councils and commissions. Prepares and delivers public presentations of advisory body recommendations to the City Council.
• Reviews development proposals and planning projects for compliance with the State Environmental Policy Act.
• Works with individuals and interest groups to resolve disputes and facilitate consensus on issues pertaining to development permits and planning projects.
• Provides information to the general public, permit applicants, and public officials - over the telephone, at the counter, through e-mail, and at meetings - regarding the City's land use regulations and policies.
• Represents the department and City by presenting at national and regional professional conferences or participation in other regional or interagency study committees or task forces. Informs Director and makes recommendations on policy positions.
• Serves as project manager and prepares staff recommendations for annexations.
• Serves as specialist for the department in areas of expertise (i.e., housing, land use, transportation, natural resources, building design, historic issues, etc.)
• Identifies need for funding to implement Comprehensive Plan policies or other tasks, and drafts budget requests for consideration by the City Council.
• Leads inter-departmental teams for special projects or to address requirements for other departments through changes to the Zoning Code or Comprehensive Plan policies.
• Ensures all notice requirements to state agencies in advance of proposed changes to codes and policies are met.

Peripheral Responsibilities

• Performs technical review of building and other ministerial development permits to ensure compliance with zoning and related development regulations, comprehensive plan policies, and conditions of approval for prior discretionary development permits.
• Prepares legal documents associated with development permits. Monitors maintenance and performance securities, including wetland mitigation and landscaping.
• Performs research tasks as assigned.
• Creates and/or revises administrative procedures to implement changes to policies and codes.
• Works with other members of the Department in collaborative problem solving and completion of tasks.
• Supports the Code Enforcement Officer, including code analysis and site visits.
• Represents the department on interdepartmental service teams and technical groups.
• Collects and analyzes demographic, land use, and related data. May manage automated mapping, database, and geographic information systems.
• May assist the Director in preparation of Departmental budget, including the preparation of budget requests for planning projects.
• May serve the City in a support role in the event of an emergency.
• Supervise Planning Interns or volunteers.

• Ability to analyze and balance multiple highly complex issues and objectives in order to independently develop options and solutions to address them.
• Ability to manage the work program for large and complex, often controversial, long term projects of major scope and importance with minimal supervision.
• Ability to lead a group of planners for large and complex projects.
• Thorough knowledge of planning practices and land use codes.
• Ability to analyze code provisions.
• Advanced knowledge of one or more planning issues such: urban design, transportation, housing, natural systems, economic development, computerized information systems, comprehensive planning, and land use regulation.
• Ability to communicate clearly both in writing and orally, including the ability to make public presentations before hearing bodies and diverse groups.
• Ability to manage consultants, including hiring, developing contracts, and tracking contracts for complex long-range planning projects.
• Ability to organize and prioritize workload.
• Ability to negotiate solutions and facilitate consensus on planning issues.
• Ability to operate personal computer programs, including those involving word processing, spreadsheets, presentation graphics, and permit tracking.

Minimum Qualifications
Undergraduate degree in planning or related field. Four (4) years of professional planning related experience, with two years of project management preferred. AICP and/or master's degree in planning or a closely related field preferred. Ability to perform site visits desired. A valid Washington State Driver's license is required.

Working Conditions
Job involves desk work, which may be interrupted with phone and counter calls. Involves attendance at meetings in City Hall or off site and before or after normal working hours. Reports and correspondence are typically prepared at the computer terminal. Frequent site visits to building sites or vacant properties can involve rugged and dirty conditions.

Selection Process
Position requires a resume and cover letter (letter of interest) for consideration of application. Please note how you meet minimum qualifications within the cover letter. Applicants who are selected for next steps in the hiring process will be invited by phone or email. Job open until filled with a first review date on 15th day after initial posting.

The City of Kirkland is a welcoming community where every person can thrive and grow. We value diversity, inclusion, belonging, and work together to support our community. We do this by solving problems, focusing on the customer, and respecting all people who come into the City whether to visit, live, or work. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we are committed to creating a workforce that does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, age, color, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, marital status, genetic information, veteran status, disability, or any other basis prohibited by federal, state or local law. We encourage qualified applicants of all backgrounds and identities to apply to our job postings. Persons with a disability who need reasonable accommodations in the application or testing process, or those needing this announcement in an alternative format, may call 425-587-3210 or Telecommunications Device for the Deaf 425-587-3111.