Housing Planner (Part-Time) City of Highland Park, IL

Housing Planner (Part-Time 20hrs.)
City of Highland Park, IL

Department: Community Development
Primary Purpose: Performs program administration of the City’s affordable housing program and provides staff support to the Housing Commission.
Supervision Received: Works under the direct supervision of a Senior Planner and general guidance of Senior Management.
Supervision Exercised: No direct supervision of staff, but may serve as a working project manager for assignments conducted by Planner I, Planning Intern, or administrative personnel.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Percent
of Total Time
Function 

30% Provides staff support to the Housing Commission and program administration for the City’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund (HTF).

30% Manages the corporate affairs of the Housing Commission’s four independently incorporated housing associations. Monitors two property management companies hired to manage the Housing Commission supported affordable properties (total of 167 units). 

10% Develops and maintains relationships with public and private sector housing partners, including Community Partners for Affordable Housing and housing developers. Conducts public education and outreach related to the City’s affordable housing initiatives, and assists the public with affordable housing needs and information dissemination. 

10% Identifies qualifying purchasers and monitor covenants regarding resales at the Sunset Woods property, and implementation of the City’s Employer Assisted Housing program and other programmatic initiatives. 

10% Assists in the development of programmatic and zoning policies and procedures, including periodic reviews and updates as appropriate, to address changes in the housing market, affordable housing needs, and eligibility guidelines. Actively participates in ad-hoc Housing Task Force. Undertakes activities as necessary to ensure the effectiveness of the City’s affordable housing initiatives, including preparation of reports and updates on housing trends and issues in Highland Park.

Marginal Functions:
Percent of Total Time
Function

10% Performs other related job duties or responsibilities as requested or required, whether or not specifically mentioned in this job description.

Safety Functions:

• 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.
• Obeys and adheres to all safety rules and established work procedures.
• Work Environment: The work environment is a busy general office setting with a high level of public, and inter- and intra-department staff interaction, either in person, email, or telephone. The office frequently has a moderate noise level due to an open space configuration with office equipment running and numerous telephone calls. Some fieldwork around the city may be required occasionally, most often in residential and commercial environments.
• Bloodborne Pathogens: None.
• Tools and Equipment Used: The position requires the ability to operate the following standard office productivity software and equipment: (Windows 7, Microsoft Office Suite 2013, GIS, Database systems, Quicken and Adobe Acrobat and In-Design preferred); photocopying machines; fax machine; calculators; telephones; miscellaneous office equipment; and a motor vehicle.
• Physical Demands: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is most often required to sit, talk, see and hear. The employee is also frequently required to stand and walk; use hands and fingers; handle maps, drawings, reports and other written documents; use equipment; and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move objects weighing up to 40 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, depth perception, peripheral vision and the ability to adjust focus.

Required Minimum Qualifications:
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: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor’s Degree in urban planning, public policy, public administration, or related field and at least 5 years of professional housing / planning experience, preferably implementation of programs that address affordable housing needs; or a Master’s Degree and at least 3 years of professional planning experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Certification or License: Driver’s License, AICP (preferred), LEED AP (a plus).

Required Knowledge, Skills and Proficiencies:

• Creative problem solving skills and ability to gather relevant information to help solve less well defined practical problems.
• Strong interpersonal and customer service skills
• Knowledge of a wide range of housing issues, including affordability and fair housing, as well as tools and best practices to address them.
• Ability to prepare business letters, memoranda, abstracts, financial reports / proformas and other documents.
• Familiarity with basic financial audits, banking transactions, and account management.
• Knowledge of city code and other zoning, subdivision and development regulations.
• Ability to plan, organize, supervise and carry-out research projects effectively and ability to present the findings effectively in oral, written and graphic form.
• Strong public speaking capability and technical report writing skills.
• Effectively establish and maintain productive working relationships with city officials, other professionals, public agencies and the general public.
• Willingness and ability to learn, work hard and contribute within a deadline driven team environment.
• Ability to address details while keeping perspective on overarching goals in mind.
• Capacity to manage a variety of projects simultaneously.

Disclaimer: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the person assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties and skills required. This job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and the employee and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and the job requirements change.

Salary Grade: 06550
Hiring Range: $25.84 to $32.30 per hr.
Range Max: $38.76 per hr.
Exempt Status: Non-Exempt
Revised: 5/31/16