ASSOCIATE PLANNER

Associate Planner

Applications will be accepted on a continuous basis. The first review of applications is scheduled to occur for applications received before 5:00 PM on August 12, 2026. This recruitment may close at any time after that date, once a sufficiently strong candidate pool has been established. In Huntington Beach, we believe passionately that the key to becoming the best beach City in the world starts and ends with finding the right people to join our team. We currently have two outstanding career opportunities available and are looking for the right individuals to serve as Associate Planners in our Community Development Department.

The Community Development Department is comprised of two primary areas: Development Services and Community Enhancement. Development Services is comprised of the following divisions: Planning, Building, and the Permit Center. Community Enhancement is comprised of the Housing, Code Enforcement and Economic Development divisions. The Planning Division is responsible for Advance (or Long Range) and Current Planning activities. Advance Planning involves updating the City's General Plan, Local Coastal Program and Specific Plans. These documents contain goals and policies to manage long-term growth of the City and Coastal Zone. Current Planning is responsible for coordinating the review of development proposals to ensure compliance with the City's General Plan and Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance as well as Federal and State regulations. This effort includes processing applications for entitlements (permits, subdivisions, variances, etc.), environmental review, and plan check services. Planning staff work directly with residents, businesses and developers. The Planning Division is responsible for staffing the Planning Commission, Zoning Administrator and Design Review Board.

The Associate Planner is the fully trained journey-level classification in the Planning Series. Incumbents are expected to perform the full range of planning work in accordance with established priorities and procedures and possess knowledge of the generally accepted principles, theories, and best practices required to perform the work.

Examples of Essential Duties:

• Participates in a variety of planning projects
• Researches and investigates designated aspects of the general plan, special projects or code amendments and makes recommendations based on findings
• Writes special project reports or assigned portions of the general plan
• Prepares environmental impact studies related to public projects including the research and analysis of pertinent information
• Assists the public over the phone or at the counter
• Responds to incoming correspondence and assists individuals in completing various applications
• Performs routine plan checks at the counter as they relate to zoning and subdivision requirements
• Performs plan checks, including occasional field checks, in order to ensure that plans meet zoning and ordinance requirements before submission to the City Council, Planning Commission, Zoning Administrator, and/or other boards or appropriate committees
• Coordinates site, parking, and landscape plans as may be required and follows up on conditions of approval; checks preliminary subdivision maps
• Processes planning entitlement applications to the Zoning Administrator, Planning Commission, or City Council such as but not limited to Conditional Use Permits, variances and zoning text amendments
• Researches and prepares planning related reports, documents and agenda for City officials and other agencies and organizations
• Reviews major and minor planned development amendments, rezoning requests, land use plan amendments, entitlements and other proposals
• Conveys all aspects of processing entitlements for development, including environmental status
• Participates in community meetings; prepares and delivers presentations at public meetings
• Provides technical assistance to project participants
• Coordinates review of projects with other departments and agencies
• Interprets and applies the provisions of the Huntington Beach Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance, state planning and zoning laws, California Environmental Quality Act, Subdivision Map Act, local coastal program, Huntington Beach General Plan, Design Guidelines and various specific plans, ordinances and policies

Minimum Qualifications:

Any combination of education, training, and experience that would likely provide the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform in the position is qualifying. A typical combination includes:

• Education: A bachelor's degree in planning, urban planning, landscape architecture or other closely related field from an accredited college or university. A master's degree in planning, urban planning, landscape architecture or other closely related field preferred.
• Experience: Four (4) years of progressively responsible urban planning or directly related experience performing professional planning work; preferably including one (1) year in a lead role.
• Licenses/Certifications: Possession of a valid California Class C driver's license and an acceptable driving record are required at the time of appointment and throughout employment. Employees regularly assigned/required to drive a city or personal vehicle in the course and scope of work shall be required to participate in the DMV Employer Pull Notice program.

Application and Selection Procedure:

• An online application must be completed in full.
• Applicants must clearly demonstrate that they meet the minimum education, experience, license and/or certification requirements to be considered.
• Applicants whose qualifications best meet the City's needs will be invited to participate in a virtual oral examination (weighted 100%), which will be scheduled once a sufficiently strong candidate pool has been established.
• Selection Interview.
• Background.
• Appointment.