SENIOR PLANNER

The City of Norcross is looking for a full-time Senior Planner. This position is responsible for providing professional planning support for the Community Development Department.

The purpose of this position is to provide support to the Planning and Zoning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, and the Architectural Review Board by processing applications, preparing staff reports and agendas, and attending their meetings. The incumbent in this position will determine the staff response to rezoning, special use permit, and variance requests as well as text amendments with input from the Community Development Director. The incumbent will also be responsible for assisting with the implementation of both the City’s Unified Development Ordinance and Comprehensive Plan along with other short-and long-range planning studies.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Assists director in supervising the Planner to include: prioritizing and assigning work; conducting performance evaluations; ensuring staff is trained; ensuring that employees follow policies and procedures; assisting in the hiring, termination, and disciplinary recommendations of planning staff member.
• Assists the Director in establishing departmental goals, timelines, and workflow to align with citywide objectives.
• Identifies operational inefficiencies and implements process improvements within department functions.
• Serves as acting department heard in the absence of the Director.
• Composes and types a variety of correspondence, forms, reports, and records.
• Responds to requests from developers, contractors, real estate personnel, attorneys, and the general public regarding city zoning, land use, and development codes.
• Receives, directs, and resolves requests, inquiries, and complaints from the public.
• Prepares staff reports for Planning and Zoning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, Architectural Review Board, and other entities as needed and assigned; processes variance and rezoning applications and code text amendments; accepts applications for and prepares agendas and minutes, public notices, letters, signs, and legal ads for said Boards and performs ARB and Zoning inspections for Certificates of Occupancy/Completion.
• Responds to questions about the City’s UDO, Comprehensive Plan, and Sign Ordinance and reviews plans.
• Prepares information for public hearings and board meetings.
• Attends public (evening) meetings of the Boards support is provided for.

Education and/or Work Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in urban planning, Architecture, Construction Management, Political Science, or a related field from an accredited college or university
• Five to ten years of experience in a planning, zoning and development related office. AICP Certification is preferred. An equivalent combination of education and experience is acceptable.
• Fluency in Spanish is preferred

Additional Duties and Responsibilities:
This position has direct supervision over the Planner, as assigned by the Community Development & Planning Director.
Any other duties as assigned by management

Scope and Impact:
Job has recurring work situations involving some degree of discretion. The need for accuracy and effective utilization of accepted programs and routines is high. Incumbent operates independently however collaboration is encouraged. The content of work priorities are determined by supervision.

Communications/Customer Contact:
Contacts are typically with co-workers, department heads, other city employees, other governmental entities, developers, engineers, architects, contractors, consultants, attorneys, real estate personnel, vendors, board members, and the general public. Contacts are typically to give or exchange information, resolve problems, provide services, and direct the public to appropriate resources.

Competencies:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• Knowledge of city and departmental policies and procedures.
• Knowledge of city codes and building codes.
• Knowledge of permit process.
• Knowledge of Land Disturbance and Development regulations for Gwinnett County, Georgia 
• Environment Protection Agency, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and other state and federal  agencies as needed.
• Knowledge of bookkeeping practices.
• Knowledge of the geographic boundaries of the city.
• Knowledge of modern office equipment, procedures, and maintenance.
• Skill in maintaining records and compiling records.
• Skill in performing basic mathematical calculations.
• Skills in written and oral communication.
• Skill  in  communicating  with  the  public.                     

Working Conditions:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• Frequently required to sit; use hands to finger, handle or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk and hear clearly.
• Occasionally required to stand; walk; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch or 
• crawl.
• Occasionally lift and/or move up to 30 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color 
• vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually low.

EOE/DFW; No phone calls please