Sr Planner, City LOOKING FOR Sr Planner, City JOB AT Fort Collins, CO

POSITION TITLE: Sr Planner, City (Full-Time Regular) (Classified)
REQUISITION #: req5637

DEPARTMENT: Comm Dev & Neighborhood Svcs

LOCATION: 281 OFFICE BLDG

BENEFIT CATEGORY: Classified (Non-CBU) View Classifications & Benefits
EMPLOYMENT TYPE: Full-Time Regular

ANNUAL SALARY RANGE: $62,272.00 – 103,787.00 (Salaries are paid biweekly)

ANTICIPATED ANNUAL HIRING SALARY RANGE: $85,000.00 – $95,000.00 (Salaries are paid biweekly)
SELECTION PROCESS: Application deadline is 3:00 p.m. MT on 8/29/2022.

The City of Fort Collins is a bias-conscious employer. We ask that you please avoid the use of photos when submitting a resume and/or an application for employment. You will receive an email acknowledgment when you have successfully submitted an application. Your completed application will be forwarded to the hiring manager. You will be notified if you are selected for further testing or interviews. Please keep your contact information up-to-date. The status of your application will be updated in your applicant profile. Post-offer background check required.

The Community: The City of Fort Collins sits nestled against the foothills of the Rocky Mountains alongside the banks of the Cache La Poudre River. At 5,000 feet in elevation, residents enjoy a moderate, four-season climate, with an average of 300 days of sunshine per year. With 174,800 residents, Fort Collins is Colorado’s fourth-largest city and spans 57 square miles. With the 20 year growth projection, the City of Fort Collins is expected to reach 255,000 residents.

The first people who hunted in this region arrived approximately 11,000 years ago, and Northern Colorado remains an integral part of the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Ute Nations. European-American trappers and traders arrived by the early 1800s but rarely established permanent settlements. Gold and silver discoveries in the Colorado mountains in the mid-1800s and the prospect of land for farming and ranching attracted people from eastern cities and across the globe to the Colorado Territory, including what would become the town of Fort Collins; an agricultural colony that emerged from its founding days as a military fort. The expansion included the sugar beet industry’s growth, which brought new residents whose descendants still live here today, including Mexican-American families from southern Colorado, New Mexico, and northern Mexico, as well as Germans from Russia. Since 1879, Fort Collins has been the home of the state’s land grant institution, Colorado State University, which currently enrolls 34,000 students. Along with the university, the city’s major high-tech and manufacturing companies and breweries attract new residents from all over the country and world. The community’s overall social diversity continues to grow.

There are abundant outdoor recreation opportunities available to the many residents who enjoy healthy lifestyles. The nearby Horsetooth Reservoir is a key attraction, as is the Cache La Poudre-North Park Scenic Byway. The Downtown district provides many venues for live music, shopping, dining, and nightlife within the city. Fort Collins is widely considered the Craft Beer Capital of Colorado. The City has a strong appreciation for arts, culture, and entertainment. Various national organizations and magazines recognize Fort Collins as one of the best places to live in the nation.

The City’s long list of acknowledgements includes:

• No. 2 Best Tasting Drinking Water in North America: American Water Works – June 2021
• No. 5 Best Remote-Ready Cities: Livability.com Jan 2021
• Top 30 Creative Small Cities: CVSuite – May 2020
• No. 18 Safest Cities in America: SafeWise – April 2020
• No. 1 Best Place to Live: Livability.com March 2020
• No. 9 Most Fitness Friendly Places: SmartAsset – Dec 2019
• No. 7 Safest Driving Cities: Allstate – June 2019
• No. 4 Best U.S. Cities to Raise a Family: MarketWatch – April 2019
• No. 9 Best Performing Cities: Milken Institute – Jan 2019
• No. 3 U.S. Cities with Highest Economic Confidence: Yahoo – Nov 2018
• No. 2 Brain Concentration Index: Bloomberg – Nov 2018
• No. 1 City in America for Cycling: PeopleForBikes-May 2018
• Outstanding Achievement in Local Government Innovation Award: Alliance for Innovation-April 2018
• The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award-Nov 2017
• 18th Best City for Career Opportunities: SmartAsset – Sep 2017
• 3rd Best College Town to Live in Forever: College Ranker – July 2017
• 25 Best Towns Ever: Where to Live Now: Outside Magazine – June 2017
• No. 1 Stable and Growing Housing Market: Realtor.com-June 2017
• 11th Happiest City in America: Yahoo! Finance – March 2017
• No. 9 Top 150 Cities for Millennials Report: Millennial Personal Finance – Feb 2017
• No. 2 Best Cities for Small Business Owners: ValuePenguin – Feb 2017

Why Work For the City of Fort Collins?

• Medical, dental, vision (for self, spouse, children) – eligible on the 1st of the month following date of hire
• Paid vacation, paid holidays, and sick
• Retirement + company contributions – after 6 month probation period and immediate vesting
• Flexible spending: Medical expenses FSA, dependent FSA or both
• Employee Assistance Program: counseling, legal, financial assistance
• Life insurance, short-term and long-term disability
• Wellness program, workout facilities
• Employee/family onsite health clinic
• Personal & professional learning opportunities including supervisory and leadership development; plus career mobility
• Collaborative work environment

Job Summary

The City of Fort Collins is looking for a Senior City Planner with passion and expertise in development review and/or code and regulation. Our team of four Senior Planners provide leadership and expertise in current planning, long-range planning, environmental planning, policy and code, and plan implementation for the Community Development & Neighborhood Services Department. This position is assigned the most complex and high-profile development review projects, leads major planning/policy initiatives, and serves as a subject matter expert on interdisciplinary teams. The position may also supervise and provide strategic guidance to other planners.

This position offers an opportunity to work independently on a large variety of projects while mentoring and collaborating with other team members as we work to implement the recently updated City Plan, Housing Strategic Plan, and Our Climate Future Plan.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The following duties and responsibilities are illustrative of the primary functions of this position and are not intended to be all inclusive.

• Recommends governmental measures affecting land use, environmental resources, public utilities, community facilities, historic preservation, housing and transportation to control and guide community development and renewal.
• Manages projects by reviewing development applications for compliance with City regulations and coordinates additional review by other departments and/or agencies which includes logistical and technical support.
• Delivers presentations and reports to members of the public, developers, City boards and commissions, committees, and the City Council.
• Schedules and facilitates meetings with applicants, consultants, community members and others as necessary.
• Leads a team of planning staff. Provides overview and guidance of the work done by other staff and oversees special programs within the department.
• Leads projects and is responsible for final product timelines.
• Prepares staff reports, plans, policies and summaries for management, boards and commission, and City Council consideration.
• Assists in policy formation and code changes.
• Provides public information regarding development proposals, policies, regulations and City projects.
• Collaborates with other City departments to create and implement plans, policies and regulations with a variety of focus areas.
• Partners with community members, federal, state and local authorities, civic leaders, social scientists, land planning and development specialists and community partners to devise and recommend arrangements and strategies that meet code requirements and policy objects and reflect current community values and priorities.
• Prepares plans, strategies, and policies for adoption by the City Council.
• Responsible for researching existing conditions and industry best practices. May compile and analyze data on historical, economic, environmental, social, and physical factors affecting resources and prepare or requisitions graphic and narrative reports on data.

Management Responsibilities

Yes

City Competencies

• Demonstrated cultural competence to effectively interact, work, and develop meaningful relationships with people of diverse identities, perspectives, and cultural backgrounds.
• Strong learning orientation. Leverages all resources and is creative in ways of learning for self to continue adapting to changing issues and trends.
• A desire and ability to understand the diverse needs of internal and external customers, and to create experiences and deliver services that exceed their expectations.
• A desire and ability to utilize digital tools for organizational information, individual, and teamwork.

Required Knowledge Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of Federal and State laws and policies.
• Working knowledge of development review, long range planning, historic preservation, environmental planning and other processes may be required.
• Extensive presentation, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Ability to perform complex statistical analysis.
• Ability to operate word processing, graphics, and other software packages.
• Ability to prepare bid specifications and negotiate contracts.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with co-workers, City Council, City Boards and Commissions, developers, and the public.
• Ability to manage a heavy workload, organize files, and update management tracking system.
• Ability to attend meetings and perform other duties on evenings and weekends.
• Strong interpersonal, negotiation, mediation, conflict resolution and problem solving skills.
• Ability to problem solve and exercise independent judgement with little supervision.
• Working knowledge of City policies and regulations as the relate to projects.
• Knowledge of Planning Law and recent court cases related to planning issues.
• Ability to read and understand site plans and related drawings and documents.
• Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing and ability to convey technical information in a clear, concise manner to various audiences.

Required Education

Experience Requirements

• 5 or more years related experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they can perform every job description task. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may come from a less traditional background. The City may consider an equivalent combination of knowledge, skills, education, and experience to meet minimum qualifications. If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to think broadly about your background and skill set for the role.

Certifications/Licenses/Specialized Training

• Valid driver’s license. AICP or other related credentials may be required. May be required to meet federal requirements for Historian, Architectural Historian or Architect for some positions.

The content in this posting was created for recruitment purposes. To view the full job description click the link below.

Sr Planner, City

The City of Fort Collins will make reasonable accommodations for access to City services, programs and activities and will make special communication arrangements for persons with disabilities. Please call (970) 221-6535 for assistance.

Notice Regarding Medical and/or Recreational Marijuana Use:
Because the possession and use of marijuana, whether for medical use or otherwise, constitutes a federal offense and because the City is a drug free workplace, the City will not accommodate the medical use of marijuana and enforces written policy prohibiting working for the City while marijuana is in the body. The fact that state law recognizes medical marijuana as a prescribed, or otherwise permitted, medication does not alter or otherwise change this policy.

The City of Fort Collins is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants are considered for positions for which they have applied without regard to gender (regardless of gender identity or gender expression), race, color, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, age 40 years or older, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, pregnancy or other characteristics protected by law. For the purpose of this City policy “sexual orientation” means a person’s actual or perceived orientation toward heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality.

BACKGROUND CHECK REQUIRED.

Note: Some information in your application may be public information under the Colorado Open Records Act.