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Senior Planner, City of Highland Park. IL - Highland Park, IL

Senior Planner
City of Highland Park. IL - Highland Park, IL
The City of Highland Park is seeking a full-time Senior Planning professional to provide advanced current planning services and programmatic support for the Historical Commission, Housing Commission, Plan and Design Commission and other City Commissions or task forces as needed. This position provides and supervises staff in the provision of customer service, processing and review of land use and regulatory applications, and in the development of technical studies and policy recommendations related to land use and community development planning. The position also manages multiple complex planning studies or projects and provides policy advice and recommendations to senior management.

Supervision Received: Reports to and works under the general guidance and direction of the Deputy Director for Community Development and the Director of Community Development

Supervision Exercised: Employee provides direct supervision of Planner II, Planner I, and interns depending on staffing and general supervision of support staff as needed.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Percent of Total Time 

Function 

40%

Reviews and analyzes complex plans and specialized technical reports for the development and subdivision of land to determine compliance with local, s t ate and f e deral laws and conformance with the City’s master plan, best urban planning practices; C oor d inate developme n t review activities with City departm e nts, outside agenci e s and within the Planning Division.

Prepares and presents, or supervise the pr e paration a n d presenta t ion of analysis regarding Board & Commission co n s iderations; Provides oversight, quality control and management of the work performed by staff supervised. Supervise clerical and customer support staff for land use b o ards.

20%

Advises City staff, Commission members, development commun i ty and gene r al public re g arding the C ity’s developme n t polici e s a n d standards; Uses independent judgment and initiative in communicating with and providing staff assistance to one or more Commissions including Historic Preservation Commission, Housing Commission, Plan and Design Commission, Ravinia Festival Community Relations Commission, Natural Resources Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, and other permanent or ad-hoc commission or task force. Serve as staff liaison and supervise others as staff liaison to Commissions.

Participates in a substantial number of Commission night meetings and occasional weekend or other meetings as needed. Present reports and other findings to staff, Commissions, and City Council as needed.

Schedules and conducts meetings with the development community and city staff.

15%

Performs program administration and evaluation related to the City’s Affordable Housing Program.

10%

Performs advanced professional work related to variety of special planning assignments. Research, evaluate, and develop land use p olicy for co n s ideration b y senior management . Design, manage, and participate in projects i n cluding neig h borhood and master planning, program e v aluation and developm e nt, surveys, statistic a l analysis and secon d ary data analysis related to the City’s community d evelopment services and programs.

5%

Performs field inspections and site visits to gather data relevant to the development review process and/or to verify that development projects comply with approved plans.

5%

Develops project budgets, administers bidding process, and verifies contract expenditures and compliance related to contracts.

Marginal Functions 

Percent of Total Time 

Function 

5%

Performs other related job duties or responsibilities as requested or required, this may include duties not specifically mentioned in this job description.

Safety Functions 

Function 

Becomes familiar with and observes all applicable safety policies and procedures.

Immediately reports all unsafe conditions.

Keeps work area clean, orderly, and free of hazards.

Maintains appropriate physical fitness to perform essential job functions

Obeys and adheres to all safety rules and established work procedures. (E.g. use of safety belt at all times in use of city vehicle)

Education and Experience:

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

Education / Experience: 
Bachelor’s degree in city or regional planning, public administration, geography, environmental studies, architecture or other discipline applicable to land use planning, and 8 years of professional experience in planning or related field; or a Master’s degree in city or regional planning or related field and 5 years of professional experience; strong computer skills and knowledge of standard productivity software (Mircosoft Office Suite); experience with geographic information systems and enterprise databases systems desirable.

Certification or License: 
Valid Driver License, AICP preferred.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Proficiencies: 
  • Excellent organizational, interpersonal, written, oral communication, critical thinking, problem solving skills, public speaking ability and computer skills;
  • Knowledge of the principles, practices and objectives of urban planning, community development, historic preservation, affordable housing and zoning.
  • Ability to obtain thorough knowledge of local zoning, subdivision and development regulations and evaluate existing policies and regulations and recommend amendments as needed;
  • Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationship with city officials, other professionals, public agencies, and the general public.
  • Experience writing and presenting complex, yet accessible, technical reports and memoranda;
  • Understanding of the short-term and long-term socioeconomic, environmental, fiscal and political implications of planning decisions.
  • Knowledge of data management, analysis and process improvement;
  • Knowledge of statistical techniques and research methodology, including economic and demographic analysis techniques using U.S. Census and other data sources;
  • Supervisory experience and knowledge of Illinois land use law desirable.