Planner III (14915, Grade 28)

Description The Prince George’s County Planning Department of The Maryland National-Capital Park and Planning Commission is seeking a Planner III to join our planning team. The Department provides land use planning for the physical development of Prince George’s County, Maryland. As the second most populous county in Maryland, Prince George’s has a population of approximately 900,000 residents and is home to The University of Maryland at College Park, WMATA Headquarters, UMD Capital Region Medical Center, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and Joint Base Andrews. Prince George’s County is also home to attractions such as Northwest Stadium (formerly FedEx Field) and National Harbor. If you are interested in working for the Prince George’s County Planning Department, we invite qualified candidates to apply for our Planner III position. Examples of Important Duties Under direction, the selected candidate will perform a wide variety of advanced and complex professional planning work requiring a high level of responsibility and technical expertise to review proposed land use, development, redevelopment, and transit-oriented development. Work assignments include the coordination and review of multi-faceted projects that typically involve coordination with other department staff, county agencies, and citizens. Incumbents in this class are regularly assigned project leadership and coordination responsibilities as well as independent work assignments and contribute their expertise as part of other project or work teams. Performs administrative work directly related to case assignments. Performs other related duties as assigned. Must be able to take direction in a high paced department, and meet and track critical deadlines. Must have excellent writing skills with the ability to explain complex issues in a concise and direct manner to individuals and to the County Planning Board, District Council and Zoning Hearing Examiner at a public hearing. What You Should Bring The ideal candidate for the Planner III position will be highly organized, have strong analytical skills, possess outstanding communication and leadership skills, and provide a directly related innovative approach to planning. In addition, they must be independently engaged in the work program, and highly dependable. Minimum Qualifications Bachelor’s Degree in Planning, Geography, Architecture, Parks and Recreation, Transportation, Urban Design, Engineering, Environmental Science, Public Policy, Economics or any related field. Four (4) years of progressively responsible professional level planning experience related to specific area of assignment such as transportation planning, environmental planning or urban planning. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted, which together total eight (8) years. Valid driver’s license (depending on area of assignment) in accordance with both State and Commission rules and regulations. Driver’s license must be unencumbered by restrictions, revocations, suspensions, or points that could limit the employee’s ability to drive Commission vehicles or perform driving duties required by the position of assignment. Supplemental Information Classification Specification Planner III The individual in this position should be a planner, landscape architect, or urban designer with zoning and/or land use experience capable of reviewing and analyzing development proposals, as well as managing on-going processes related to the assigned cases including variances. Primary duty will be the review of applications for conformance to the County Code including Zoning and Subdivision Regulations. This includes coordinating a Departmental recommendation on each application and various inquiries. The workload will include all types of applications, such as rezoning cases, site plans, special exceptions, departures, certified nonconforming uses, subdivisions, as well as providing zoning expertise to planning teams. The candidate must have very good plan review skills including engineered site plans. In addition, the candidate should have an understanding of basic land use law. Other duties may include participation in master plans or sector plans, working as part of an interdisciplinary project team. Requires negotiating solutions and making effective presentations on complex and controversial topics before public groups and in public hearings. Must possess strong oral, written, and visual communication skills; critical thinking skills; innovative problem-solving skills; and the ability to work well with people. Ability to express planning and design principles verbally, graphically and in writing is essential. Combined public/private experience is preferred. Why Prince George’s Planning? Telework opportunities Flexible schedules Onsite fitness center Complimentary access to M-NCPPC gymnasiums throughout Prince George’s County Free parking is available for employees Tuition Reimbursement/Assistance Program, subject to annual budget allocations and program funding availability Positions may qualify for federal student loan forgiveness assistance The M-NCPPC offers a competitive salary range of $75,336 to $135,882 (salary is commensurate with education and experience) at the Planner III level with excellent benefits including generous leave, extensive health coverage, deferred compensation plan, and employee pension plan. The Prince George’s County Planning Department is conveniently located in Largo, Maryland, near Metro and I-495. May be subject to medical, drug and alcohol testing. The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate a workplace culture of diversity, equity and inclusion without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, gender identity, or any other non-merit factor. Applicants with Disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you require accommodations or special arrangements due to a qualifying disability, please notify the Recruitment & Selections Services Unit at the time of application at View phone number on click.appcast.io (Maryland Relay 7-1-1). M-NCPPC will make all efforts to reasonably accommodate you. 2026 Benefit Summary For Merit System Employees Eligibility: You have 45 days from your hire date to elect your benefits. Your coverage begins on the first of the month following receipt of your enrollment forms and required documentation. Retirement Programs Defined Benefit Plan (Mandatory Participation) – Plan E excludes FOP members. Plan Employee Contribution Plan C 9.5%* of base salary (FOP members only) Plan E 4% of base salary up to maximum Social Security Wage Base (SSWB) and 8% in excess of SSWB. 457 (b) Plan (Optional) [Pre-tax and Roth] Traditional and Roth IRAs (Optional) Retiree Healthcare – Eligibility requires, at least 10 years of eligible service and continuous enrollment in M-NCPPC plans (or proof of continuous enrollment in comparable plans) during the 36 months immediately preceding your retirement date. Premium cost share based on years of service Health Insurance Plans (FOP Members Pay 23% for Medical, Prescription and Dental and same as all other employees for Vision.) All other employees pay percentage below. Medical Kaiser Permanente Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) – (15%) UnitedHealthcare Select Exclusive Provider Organization Health Plan (EPO) – (20%) UnitedHealthcare Choice Plus Point of Service (POS) – (20%) Prescription – CVS Caremark – (15%) Dental – Delta Dental PPO and DeltaCare USA HMO – (20%) Vision – EyeMed – (80% of Low Option plan paid by Commission. Any balance paid by employee.) Low, moderate, and high options are available. Frequency of covered services differs. Flexible Spending Accounts (Employee Pays 100%) Medical Account – Maximum annual contribution: $3,300 Dependent Care Account – Maximum annual contribution: $7,500 Long-Term Disability Insurance (Mandatory Participation) Employee Pays 20%: Commission Pays 80% (FOP Members Pay 100%) Benefits paid at 66 2/3% of base salary, maximum of $6,000/month Supplemental Long-Term Disability Insurance (Employee Pays 100%) Benefits paid at 66 2/3% of base salary that exceeds $108,000; capped at $216,000 Basic Life and AD&D Insurance (Employee Pays 20%: Commission Pays 80%) Two (2) times base salary; maximum benefit is $200,000 for each Automatic coverage with opt‑out provision Supplemental and Spouse/Dependent Life Insurance (Employee Pays 100%) Supplemental – 1,2,3,4, or 5 times base salary; maximum benefit is $750,000 Spouse/Dependent Combination - $10,000/$5,000, $20,000/$10,000, or $30,000/$15,000 Sick Leave Bank (Contribution and Benefit hours prorated for part-time employees) Employees have 60 days from date of hire to enroll. Employee contributes 8 leave hours each year Annually covers up to 688 hours for own serious medical condition, and 480 hours for parental responsibilities (birth, adoption or foster care), and 80-160 hours for serious medical condition of an immediate family member Leave Programs Annual: 15 days per year Personal: 3 days per year (12-month waiting period) Sick: 15 days per year Holidays: 11 days per year Other Benefits Credit Union Employee Assistance Plan Legal Services Plan Tuition Assistance Program Wellness Program Work-Life Program For a more detailed description of benefits, please contact the Commission’s Health and Benefits Office at View email address on click.appcast.io or View phone number on click.appcast.io. 01 High School Diploma or GED Some College Associate's Degree Bachelor's Degree Master's Degree Doctorate 02 Yes No 03 No Experience Less than 2 years 2 years to less than 3 years 3 years to less than 4 years 4 years to less than 5 years 5 years to less than 6 years 6 years less than 7 years 7 years less than 8 years 8 years or more 04 No experience Less then 2 years 2 years to less than 3 years 3 years to less than 4 years 4 years to less than 5 years 5 years to less than 6 years 6 years to less than 7 years 7 years to less than 8 years 8 years or more 05 Yes No 06 No skill/experience Beginner (little to no practical experience, no certifications) Intermediate (1 to 3 years practical experience, including project work and/or 1 or 2 certifications) Expert (more than 3 years practical experience and 2 or more certifications) 07 No skill/experience Beginner (little to no practical experience) Intermediate (5 to 7 years practical experience) Expert (more than 7 years practical experience) 08 Yes No 09 Yes No 10 Yes No 11 Yes No Required Question #J-18808-Ljbffr Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission