Planner III

Senior Planner

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Job Duties and Preferred Qualifications:

The City of Virginia Beach Department of Planning & Community Development is recruiting a Senior Planner with the Department's Current Planning team responsible for facilitating the discretionary application processes requiring Planning Commission and City Council action. Suitable candidates will be required to coordinate and manage multiple complex development applications through the discretionary process. Applicant must have the ability to explain and implement the City of Virginia Beach's Ordinances, land use development requirements, and the City Council's vision contained in adopted long-range plans in a customer friendly, professional, and logical manner.

Duties of this position include, but are not limited to:

• Provide recommendations and comments to the Planning Evaluation Coordinator, Planning Administrator, other city agencies, City boards and commissions, and the public on a variety of planning related subjects as appropriate.
• Review and facilitate complex discretionary applications, including re-zonings, conditional re-zonings, conditional use permits, subdivision variances, and street closures to include drafting staff reports and presenting development projects to the Planning Commission and other City Council appointed boards, commissions, and committees as needed.
• Prepare City Council Agenda Request Forms transmitting Planning Commission recommendations for City Council consideration and action.
• Coordinate and supervise professional and technical staff responsible for the review of discretionary applications and site plans for compliance with various City ordinances, policies, and adopted plans.
• Coordinate the compilation of comments received from reviewing City agencies related to land use applications.
• Research information for Boards and Commissions and City Council agenda as required.
• Provide information and support regarding development review process to the public and other City staff as required.
• Prepare reports and studies on development review related topics as needed.
• Meet with developers, investors, attorneys, and corporate executives and advise each on how to reach their development objectives within the bounds of City ordinances and policies.
• Serve on various City committees as a representative of the Department.
• Coordinate policy development and problem solving among various City departments and agencies.
• Assist the Planning Evaluation Coordinator as requested in the coordination of all aspects of the Current Planning Division.
• Perform other job duties requiring skills, knowledge and physical requirements as demanded by those duties described or less. Individual assignments will be determined by the supervisor based on then current workloads and department needs.

Ideal Candidate:

· Experience in public and/or private municipal/government setting

· Experience working directly with appointed Boards & Commissions on development applications

· Experience interpreting and researching Codes & Ordinances

· Site development plan review and project management experience

· Experience with meeting facilitation and public presentations

· Work/Coordination experience with multidisciplinary design teams, to include developers, engineers, architects, etc

· Supervisory experience

The City offers a generous benefits package, which includes health, dental and life insurance, retirement and savings plans, maternity/paternity and parental leave, holidays and leave.

This position will be open until filled with candidates reviewed on an ongoing basis.

Minimum Requirements:

Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor's degree in Planning, Geography, Urban Studies, Architecture, Political Science or related field and four (4) years of experience utilizing the knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with such positions as Planner or Landscape Architect OR any combination of related education (above high school level) and years of experience equivalent to eight (8) years. Must have a current and valid driver's license. Special Requirements: All employees may be expected to work hours in excess of their normally scheduled hours in response to short-term department needs and/or City-wide emergencies.