Associate Planner - Long Range

Why Tumwater?
Tumwater is more than just a city, it’s a vibrant community rooted in history and filled with opportunity. Located at the southern gateway to the Seattle-Tacoma metro area, Tumwater offers the perfect blend of small-town charm and big-picture vision.

Surrounded by the natural beauty of Puget Sound, prairie landscapes, rivers, and evergreen forests, we’re just over an hour from ocean beaches, the Olympic Peninsula, and Mount Rainier. Whether you’re into hiking, kayaking, brewery-hopping, or live music, you’ll find easy access to it all.

Here in Tumwater, we’re building a future that’s highly livable, connected, and inclusive. With safe neighborhoods, excellent schools, and a deep sense of civic pride, it’s not just a great place to live, it’s a great place to grow your career.

The Opportunity

The City of Tumwater is seeking an experienced and motivated Associate Planner to join our Long Range Planning team and help shape the future of our growing community. In this role, you’ll support the development and implementation of long-range plans, policies, and programs that guide how Tumwater grows and evolves. You’ll conduct research and analysis, prepare staff reports and recommendations, interpret land use regulations, and manage planning projects of moderate complexity while working collaboratively with City staff, community members, and regional partners.

As an Associate Planner, you’ll have the opportunity to take ownership of meaningful projects with increasing independence and professional judgment while remaining supported by an experienced interdisciplinary team. You’ll help translate community priorities and planning goals into actionable policies, coordinate project teams, and contribute to initiatives that influence Tumwater for years to come.

For the first year, this position is likely to be split between long-range and current planning with 50% time allocated to each. This percentage will reduce to 10% current planning and 90% long range planning in the subsequent year. This is an excellent opportunity for a planner ready to broaden their experience, take on greater project responsibility, and make a lasting impact on the community.

Planning Division Assignments

• Independently manage moderately complex long-range planning projects from initiation through adoption.
• Conduct research and analysis related to land use, zoning, housing, transportation, environmental conditions, and demographic trends.
• Review and evaluate land use policies and development regulations and prepare recommendations for revisions or alternatives.
• Prepare staff reports, policy analyses, code amendments, and planning studies.
• Author or co-author substantive sections of Comprehensive Plan updates, development regulations, and related policy documents.
• Coordinate consultant task assignments and monitor work products for moderately complex planning projects.
• Coordinate public outreach efforts and support Planning Commission and City Council processes.
• Contribute to development and refinement of administrative procedures and internal planning guidance.
• Coordinate or contribute to grant research, applications, reporting, and funding coordination.
• Attend public meetings and present written, graphic, or oral reports and recommendations.

Permitting Division Assignments

• Assist departments, applicants, and the public with land use proposals and permitting processes.
• Coordinate interdepartmental review of development projects.
• Evaluate permit requests for compliance with local, state, and federal regulations.
• Conduct pre-application meetings and coordinate project review.
• Prepare staff recommendations and conditions of approval.
• Independently prepares environmental review documentation and coordinates SEPA processes for routine and moderately complex projects.
• Support legal processes for code compliance activities under supervisory direction.
• Serve on the Development Review Committee.

Shared Responsibilities

• Manage multiple assignments simultaneously and meet regulatory and policy deadlines.
• May lead small interdisciplinary project teams or coordinate work assignments for Assistant Planners, interns, or consultant tasks on assigned projects.
• Provides technical assistance and peer support to less experienced staff.
• Prepare for meetings and provide accurate project status updates.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, including other agencies and consultants.
• Pursue professional development to expand planning expertise.
• Participate in interdisciplinary teams and support departmental and citywide initiatives.
• Contribute to a respectful, inclusive, and collaborative work environment.

Perform other related duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Thorough working knowledge of contemporary land use planning principles and practices and the ability to apply them independently.
• Knowledge of land use plan implementation codes and the legal procedures and standards related to planning, development, and enforcement.
• Knowledge of environmental design principles and approaches for site planning, architectural, and landscape design.
• Knowledge of plan preparation and report writing.
• Ability to use statistical and policy analysis methods.
• Ability to independently interpret development codes and land use regulations for routine and moderately complex planning and permitting matters.
• Ability to convey technical information in common terms, to enforce provisions of ordinances, rules, and regulations.
• Ability to interpret and apply laws and regulations relating to land use planning.
• Ability to deal with the public in a courteous and tactful manner.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with department personnel, personnel in other jurisdictions, applicants, and the community.
• Ability to communicate technical information effectively orally and in writing with to a wide variety individuals and groups.
• Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing.
• Ability to provide excellent customer service skills.
• Ability to work on several projects or issues simultaneously.
• Ability to work independently and seek guidance, as needed.
• Working knowledge of geographic information system applications and their usage.
• Strong analytical and problem solving skills to gather and evaluate information to resolve moderately complex planning and permitting problems.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff and the community.

Minimum Qualifications 

1. Bachelor’s degree in urban planning, public administration, geography, environmental studies, or a closely related field; or
2. An equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience; and
3. One (1) to three (3) years of professional experience in public or private sector urban planning, land use, or housing requiring the exercise of independent professional judgment.

Special Requirements:

• Valid Washington State Driver License and acceptable driving record.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in urban planning or a related field (may substitute for one year of experience).
• Experience preparing staff reports, code interpretations, and development review analyses.
• Experience supporting or presenting at public meetings, Planning Commission, or City Council hearings.

Decision Rights & Problem Solving

• Independently manages assigned planning and permitting projects of routine to moderate complexity.
• Prepares staff reports, recommendations, and conditions of approval for review.
• Interprets and applies land use regulations and planning policies to assigned projects.
• Coordinates project review processes and stakeholder input.
• Seeks supervisory or senior-level guidance on complex, controversial, or policy-level issues.

Supervision Received / Exercised

• Received: General supervision from a Planning Manager, Permit Manager, Deputy Director, or designee.
• Exercised: None.

Key Relationships

• Internal: Planning, Permitting, Engineering, Building, Code Compliance, GIS, and other City departments.
• External: Applicants, developers, design professionals, property owners, residents, community members, boards and commissions, consultants, and staff from other jurisdictions.

Tools & Technology

• Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and mapping tools.
• Permitting and land use tracking systems.
• Standard office software (word processing, spreadsheets, presentations).
• Data visualization and analysis tools.

Working Conditions & Physical Demands

Work is performed primarily in an office or administrative environment. Duties may involve prolonged sitting, standing, walking, and repetitive hand or wrist movements associated with computer use. The position may require occasional bending, reaching, or light to moderate lifting of office materials or equipment.

Work may include attendance at meetings, site visits, or public events, which may require travel to various locations. Some assignments may involve interacting with the public in stressful or contentious situations or working under deadlines and competing priorities.

Reasonable accommodations will be provided for qualified individuals in accordance with applicable laws.

Commitment to Equity, Safety, and Ethics

Employees are expected to perform their duties in a manner that supports equity, safety, integrity, and professionalism. This includes following all safety policies and procedures, treating coworkers and the public with respect, and conducting work ethically and responsibly.

Employees are expected to uphold public trust through fair, transparent, and lawful conduct and to contribute to a safe, inclusive, and respectful work environment.

The City of Tumwater is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) and does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.
  
The City of Tumwater is committed to wellness, safety, the environment and racial equity.