Senior Planner

Salary: $61,222.00 - $78,058.00 Annually
Location : 433 Hay Street, Fayetteville, NC 28301, NC
Job Type: Regular Full-Time
Job Number: 04546
Department: Development Services
Opening Date: 08/30/2026
Closing Date: 10/9/2026 11:59 PM Eastern


Description
Click here to meet some of the City's "CAN DO" employees.
Hiring Range: $61,222 - $78,058/Year D.O.Q.

INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE PROCESSED.


A RESUME WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED IN DETERMINING YOUR QUALIFICATIONS FOR THIS POSITION.

The City of Fayetteville is currently recruiting for a Senior Planner to provide a lead role in planning, managing, supervising, and coordinating short-term and long-range activities and operations of the Planning and Zoning Division as assigned by the Division Manager. To coordinate assigned activities with other City departments, divisions, outside agencies, public officials, regulatory officials and the general public; work with staff, boards and citizen groups to develop recommendations to the Administration and City Council; carry out assigned coordination of responsibilities and tasks as directed by the Planning & Zoning Division Manager; and, to provide responsible and complex administrative support to the Planning & Zoning Division Manager and staff.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Collaborate with management on planning and zoning tasks, functions and activities, serving as a lead on assigned programs, communications, services and use of resources for the division.
2. Collaborate with management to develop and implement division goals, objectives, policies, and priorities for assigned service area; recommend appropriate service and staffing levels, monitor and evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery methods and procedures; and allocate resources accordingly.
3. Ensure programs, processes and activities are in compliance with all city, state and federal laws and regulations applicable to land use planning and development, zoning, and environmental principles and practices.
4. Within programmatic areas of responsibility and through staff, lead, implement and coordinate the division's work plans and projects, review and evaluate work methods and procedures, meet with staff to provide guidance as well as identify and resolve problems.
5. Provide responsible staff support for division efforts related to annexations, long-range planning, census surveys and/or other applicable initiatives.
6. Prepare a variety of maps, graphs and/or other applicable items utilizing GIS for the division and other City departments.
7. Participate in the development and administration of the division budget.
8. Facilitate various internal and public meetings and hearings related to the programs and activities of the division and various commissions.
9. Coordinate the development of comprehensive and specific area development plans in consultation with other City divisions and departments, as well as developers, contractors, consultants, public officials and the general public.
10. Represent the division to other City departments, elected officials and outside agencies; coordinate activities with other departments and outside agencies and organizations.
11. May attend and participate in professional meetings (NCAPA, APA, NC Zoning Officials, etc.) to stay abreast of industry best practices as well as new planning and community development trends and innovations.
12. Respond to and resolve difficult and sensitive citizen inquiries and complaints with tact and professionalism.
13. Serve as a resource to management, City Administration and applicable boards and commissions.

For a complete job description,

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS


Any combination of experience and training that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:

Experience:
Four years of increasingly responsible experience in planning, landscape architecture, public policy or a related field.

Training:
Equivalent to a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.

LICENSING & CERTIFICATIONS

Required:
None.

Preferred:
American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), Certified Zoning Official (CZO), or similar.

From the time of closing, the selection process is anticipated to last approximately 4 - 6 weeks. The process will consist of a panel interview with the selected candidate being subject to a pre-employment drug screen, background check and driving check.
An Equal Opportunity Employer
Health and Dental Insurance:
The City of Fayetteville Employee Healthcare Benefit Plan provides comprehensive and affordable health and dental coverage while maintaining reasonable costs to employees. Coverage is available for all regular status employees scheduled to work 30 hours or more per week. Employees may also choose to cover eligible dependents. The premium is deducted on a pre-tax basis, with the City paying a portion of the premium. Qualifying employees are eligible for benefits on the 1st day of the month following 30 days of service.

Employer Paid Leave
Vacation Leave:
Regular employees begin accruing vacation leave the first day of employment. Accruals are based on years of service
and the number of hours an employee is scheduled to work.

Sick Leave:
Regular employees begin accruing sick leave the first day of employment. Accruals are based on the number of hours
scheduled to work; regular full-time employees accrue eight (8) hours per month. Sick leave hours accumulate without
limits and may be used toward creditable service upon retirement from the NC Local Governmental Retirement System.

Holidays:
The City of Fayetteville observes 12 paid holidays per calendar year. When Christmas day is on a Wednesday, an
additional holiday is provided making for 13 paid holidays.

Bereavement:
Regular employees are eligible for bereavement leave. The City will authorize 24 hours per calendar year to mourn or
attend a funeral or memorial service of a family member.

Retirement:
The City of Fayetteville assists employees in securing their financial future during retirement by participating in the NC
Local Governmental Employees' Retirement System, administered by the State of North Carolina. Regular employees
scheduled to work 20 hours or more per week become members in the retirement system upon employment. As a member
of this system, employees are required to contribute 6% of their gross salary on a tax-deferred basis.

Deferred Compensation Plans:
To further assist employees in saving for retirement, the City offers two supplemental retirement savings programs. These
programs enable regular full-time, and part-time employees working at least 20 hours per week, an opportunity to save a
portion of their salary on a tax-deferred basis to supplement their retirement benefits. These programs are the NC 401(k)
plan and NC 457 plan; both administered by Empower. The City currently contributes 4% of base salary to an eligible
employee's NC 401(k) account.

Cafeteria Plan / Supplemental Benefits:
Realizing that each employee may have different insurance needs, the City offers its employees the opportunity to supplement City-provided benefits by selecting from the benefits listed below. These benefits are offered at employee's expense through payroll deduction:

-> Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) - Healthcare and Dependent Care Reimbursement Accounts (pre-tax)
-> Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Insurance
-> Optional Life & Accidental Death & Dismemberment

Death Benefit:
The first year an employee contributes to the retirement system, the City provides a death benefit of $3,000 once the
employee is benefits eligible. After one year as a contributing member of the Retirement System, a death benefit is provided
by the NC Retirement System that is equal to the highest 12 months' salary in a row during the 24 months before death, no
less than $25,000 and no more than $50,000. There is no cost to the employee for this benefit.

Pay Periods / Deduction for Benefits / Direct Deposit:
City employees are paid bi-weekly (every other Friday). Benefit deductions are taken for 24 pay periods of the year. As an added convenience and safety measure, the City requires all new employees to sign up for direct deposit.

Employee Assistance Program:
The EAP is available at no cost to all employees and their household members. The EAP provides confidential guidance
on legal, financial and personal issues affecting your health, relationships and job.
01


Responses to the supplemental questions must reflect the information provided under the "Work Experience" section of the application. Your responses will be used to determine whether or not you possess the minimum qualifications required for this position at the time of application.

• I have read and complied with the above statement.

02


Are you a current City of Fayetteville employee?

• Yes
• No

03


Have you held an out-of-state driver's license (other than NC) in the past 3 years?

• Yes
• No

04


Please indicate the highest degree you currently possess.

• Master's Degree or higher
• Bachelor's Degree
• Associate's Degree
• None of the Above

05


Please indicate the major coursework of your highest degree. (If this question does not apply, please type N/A in the space provided below.)
06


Briefly describe your experience in planning, landscape architecture, public policy or a related field. (If this question does not apply, please type N/A in the space provided below.)
07


From the list below, please select all areas in which you have had experience:

• Architecture
• Landscape Architecture
• Public Policy
• Preservation
• Urban Design
• Urban Planning
• Other Related Field
• None of the Above

08


If you selected "Other Related Field" in the previous question, please list it below. (If this question does not apply, type N/A in the space provided below.)
09


Briefly describe your experience in the areas you selected in the question above. (If this question does not apply, please type N/A is the space provided below.)
10


How many people have you supervised before at any one time in the past?

• 20+
• 15 - 19
• 10 - 14
• 5 - 9
• 1 - 4
• None

11


How many years of responsible experience do you have in planning, landscape architecture, public policy or a related field?

• 8+ years
• 6 - 7 years
• 4 - 5 years
• 2 - 3 years
• One year or less
• None

12


Please select all areas in which you have experience:

• Agenda Preparation Software
• GIS
• Permitting or Case Management Software
• Other Related Technologies
• None of the Above

13


For each of the boxes you checked in the question above, describe your related experience. (If this question does not apply, please type N/A in the space provided below.)
14


From the list below, please select the areas of experience you have with GIS:

• Accessing GIS layers
• Creating GIS layers
• Editing GIS layers
• Maintaining GIS layers
• None of the Above

15


For each of the boxes you checked in the question above, describe your experience with creating, editing, accessing and maintaining GIS layers. (If this question does not apply, please type N/A in the space provided below.)
16


Do you have experience working in local government?

• Yes
• No

17


Briefly describe your experience working in local government. (If this question does not apply, please type N/A in the space provided below.)
18


Do you have experience with public outreach?

• Yes
• No

19


Briefly describe your experience with public outreach. (If this question does not apply, please type N/A in the space provided below.)
20


What are some of the most effective techniques you have used in engaging stakeholders? (If this question does not apply, please type N/A in the space provided below.)
21


From the list below, please select the certifications you currently hold:

• American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP)
• Certified Zoning Officials (CZO)
• None of the Above

22


What is your skill level using Microsoft Excel?

• Proficient
• Moderate
• Basic
• None

23


What is your skill level using Microsoft Word?

• Proficient
• Moderate
• Basic
• None

24


INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE PROCESSED!You may attach a resume; however, the application MUST include a 10-year history. Please answer all questions on the application in their entirety and your application MUST include the following:• Drivers License Number• Employer information including salary, address, phone number, supervisor name, and reason for leaving for each employer• Complete Education History (including High School)• A complete 10-year history to include gaps you have had between employment and/or school attendance.Example:Office Assistant1/2011 - presentThe Company123 Hay StreetFayetteville, NC 28301(910) 555-5555Unemployed6/2004 - 12/2010UnemployedStudent12/2000 - 6/2004My High SchoolFayetteville, NC 28301 Applications without a 10-year history and all the required information will be considered incomplete and will not be processed. Please take a moment to review your application for completeness.

• I have read and understand the above statement

Required Question