Senior Planner

Come Join the City of Bellevue!

The City of Bellevue is rapidly maturing into a tech-centric, diverse, metropolitan city within the Central Puget Sound Region. The Community Development Department is looking to fill the Senior Planner/Urban Designer position in the Strategic Planning Team with a creative, forward-thinking individual to help us shape and catalyze positive change. The department's vision is to secure Bellevue's future as a livable, inspiring, vibrant and equitable community.

The Strategic Planning Team works on a range of planning initiatives, including station area plans, urban infill development, and major placemaking features such as the development of the Civic Center and the continuing integration of the Bellevue Grand Connection. Collaboration, high level critical thinking, and organization is key to being successful in this position and organization. The Senior Planner/Urban Designer plays a primary role in orchestrating the planning and urban design aspects of the above, with the following broad set of responsibilities:

• Provide project management expertise for large, complex initiatives.
• Help strategize spatial configurations that further the city's development aspirations.
• Play a prominent role in representing design-based ideas for easy comprehension by city council, board and commissions, other departments, and stakeholders.
• Support the alignment of policy, regulation, and economic development goals with practical and suitable design documentation.
• Provide visual translations of the implications of development concepts.
• Identify existing typologies and generate new or hybrid prototypes for housing, retail and commercial structures, and configurations.
• Translate and test various economic constraints, policies and regulations with coordinated feasibility evaluations.
• Serve on various regional committees and represent Bellevue.
• Project manage and advance Comprehensive Plan Policy Amendments
• Generate reports and analysis on subjects such as TOD, placemaking, and design
• Provide inter-departmental support as a subject matter expert in design, transit oriented development, and placemaking.
• Organize and lead public engagement events related to assigned projects and support other public engagement events that are being led by different inter-department teams.
• Create, maintain, and manage various consultant contracts.

Qualifications

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Expert knowledge of all the phases of project management.
• Ability to develop, manage, and monitor work programs for complex and/or controversial projects with a focus on addressing City Council priorities.
• Skilled in conducting complex technical work involving transit-oriented development, placemaking, urban design, site planning, and spatial analysis.
• Understanding of how buildings, streets, parks and other cityscape components work individually and together (i.e. assembled).
• Ability to administer and maintain budgets, agreements and contracts with public agencies and consultants.
• Ability to communicate effectively with peers, elected and appointed officials, and other stakeholders in areas of expertise.
• Ability to build partnerships with constituencies on controversial complex planning and design issues and, ensuring a comprehensive evaluation of potential project impacts.
• Ability to prepare planning reports with supporting data and develop recommendations for various land use and urban development proposals.
• Familiarity with municipal planning and processes

Education and Experience Requirement

• Graduation from an accredited four-year university in urban planning, architecture, landscape architecture, environmental studies, urban geography, or closely related field. A master's degree is preferred.
• Five or more years of progressively responsible experience as an urban designer, planner, or design professional. This experience could be in any order and in any allied discipline.
• Alternatively, a clear equivalent combination of education, experience, and training that provides the required mix of knowledge, skills and abilities.
• Certification as a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) is preferred.

Supplemental Information

Physical Demands

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

• Work involves walking, talking, hearing, using hands to handle, feel or operate objects, tools, or controls and reach with hands and arms.
• Vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• The employee may be required to push, pull, lift, and/or carry objects up to 40 pounds.
• The noise level in the work environment is moderately quiet.

FLEXIBLE/HYBRID WORKING:

A hybrid work schedule is available for this position after an orientation period. Remote work for this position is subject to the department's operational needs and will be discussed with candidates during the selection process. Full-time remote work is not an available option. Once hired, employees must reside in the State of Washington and within reasonable commuting distance to Bellevue City Hall.

Hiring Process

The City evaluates candidates based on the information provided in the online application only. Do not submit resumes and cover letters. To evaluate all candidates fairly and equitably, the City will make all applicants anonymous when we are screening the applications. We will redact information from our application such as your name, address, and other demographics. To help us, please complete the online application form as fully as possible.

• Answer the Supplemental Questions when requested which can be found on the Questions tab of the Job posting.
• We do not accept resumes and cover letters during the anonymous application screening stage, unless otherwise stated in the job description.
• Applicants advancing to the next stage may be required to provide a cover letter, resume, writing sample, and references.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

• All candidates will be required to establish employment authorization and identity at the time of hire. The City is not able to sponsor work visas.
• All positions require the completion of references checks, including at least one prior supervisor.
• Some positions may require completion of a criminal background check prior to start employment
• Some positions may require obtaining a commercial driver's license (CDL), licensures, or additional certifications.

The City of Bellevue supports workplace diversity. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, genetic information, disability, age, veteran status, or any other protected status. Persons needing assistance with the application process may call the Human Resources Office, at View phone number on click.appcast.io or View email address on click.appcast.io . If you are invited to participate in the selection process and need ADA accommodations, please notify HR before you are scheduled for an interview or testing.

The City of Bellevue participates in the E-Verify program. Learn more about the E-Verify program.

For any technical difficulties with your application, please contact the NEOGOV support line at View phone number on click.appcast.io.

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Benefits

The City of Bellevue offers employees a comprehensive benefits package providing choice, flexibility, and value! Please Note: Seasonal, part-time, and variable employees are not eligible for the below benefits except for mandatory participation in the retirement plan assigned to the position, which will be the Municipal Employees Benefit Trust (MEBT 2) retirement plan or the Washington State Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) retirement plan and any other benefits as required by law. The following summary applies to fully benefited positions: Medical Employees are offered a choice of medical coverage through the City's self-insured Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plan or Kaiser Permanente (HMO). Dental Employees are offered a choice of two dental carriers with plans that offer regular checkups, x-rays, fillings, and crowns. Orthodontia is available through one of the carriers. Vision Employees are offered a choice of vision coverage through an annual exam-only plan or a buy-up plan which includes an annual eye exam and hardware coverage. Retirement Plans - Employees are offered three retirement plans: