Assistant Planner

Assistant Planner

The City of Brentwood is excited to invite a motivated, collaborative, and community-minded professional to join our Community Development Department as our next Assistant Planner! This is an opportunity to play a meaningful role in shaping Brentwood's growth, supporting thoughtful development, and helping create a community where residents, businesses, and visitors can thrive. Working under the direction of the Planning Manager, the Assistant Planner will focus primarily on current planning, helping guide residential and commercial development projects from application review through approval and implementation. As an Assistant Planner, you'll work closely with developers, property owners, architects, engineers, other City departments, outside agencies, and members of the public to help move projects forward while ensuring they align with the City's General Plan, zoning regulations, design standards, and other applicable requirements. You'll review development proposals, evaluate plans and supporting documents, identify potential issues, and provide recommendations that balance regulatory requirements with the community's long-term vision. You'll also have the opportunity to see planning come to life beyond the desk. From conducting site visits and reviewing building and engineering plans to coordinating with City departments and participating in weekly Staff Review Board meetings, you'll help facilitate a collaborative development review process and work toward practical solutions that support high-quality projects. Your responsibilities will include environmental review, monitoring project conditions of approval, and preparing clear, well-supported staff reports, correspondence, resolutions, and other planning documents. Public service is at the heart of this role. You'll help residents, applicants, and businesses navigate the planning process by providing information and guidance through the Permit Center and other interactions with the community. You'll also support the Planning Commission, City Council, and other boards and commissions by coordinating meeting materials, preparing public hearing notices, presenting staff recommendations, and attending public hearings. These responsibilities offer an opportunity to strengthen your communication and presentation skills while helping decision-makers and the public understand proposed projects and their potential impacts. If you enjoy solving problems, collaborating with diverse groups, interpreting regulations, and seeing the results of your work take shape in the community, this could be an exciting next step in your planning career. You'll be part of a team that values thoughtful development, effective communication, continuous improvement, and responsive public service. What You'll Bring: The successful candidate will bring a strong foundation in planning principles and practices, along with the ability to analyze development proposals, interpret applicable regulations, and develop practical recommendations. Experience working with a local or regional planning agency is valuable, as is the ability to manage multiple assignments, communicate complex information clearly, and build productive working relationships with colleagues, applicants, and the public. We're looking for someone who takes initiative, approaches challenges with curiosity and sound judgment, and enjoys working as part of a team. Strong written and verbal communication skills, attention to detail, a commitment to public service, and an interest in continuous learning will help you succeed in this role. Join the City of Brentwood and help shape the future of our community—one project, one partnership, and one thoughtful planning decision at a time.

What We Offer: The City of Brentwood provides an engaging, collaborative, and cooperative work environment where you can team up with your peers and with the community to create Brentwood as a premier city. The City is an employer that emphasizes work-life balance, supports employee wellness, and offers a wide range of benefits and retirement alternatives, while also investing in its employees' professional and personal growth.

• Competitive salary
• Alternative work schedule (AWS) option, requires Director approval
• Telework option (up to 2 days a week), requires Director approval
• 15 paid holidays (13 City observed holidays, 2 floating holidays)
• Generous leave accruals (Vacation – 16 days per year; Sick Leave – 12 days per year; Personal Time Off – 80 hours per year)
• Selection of health care plans with City paid contributions; cash-in-lieu offered if waiving coverage
• City-paid dental and vision insurance
• CalPERS pension participation
• City paid contributions toward deferred compensation (457 plan)
• City paid contributions to Retiree Health Savings account
• Employee Engagement Program (includes recognition for service, safety, peer nominations, and more)

Qualifications

Education and Experience Guidelines - Any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be:

• Equivalent to a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in urban or regional planning, architecture, or a related field.
• One (1) year of responsible professional or paraprofessional urban or regional planning and zoning experience is highly desirable.

• Depending on assignment, possession of a valid California Driver's License and a satisfactory driving record must be maintained throughout employment.

Application Process

Applicants must submit the following:

1. A complete City of Brentwood Employment Application
2. Resume
3. Cover Letter

Late, incomplete application packets, hard copies of application materials, and faxes will not be accepted. Your application must be filled out completely online before the deadline and all required documents uploaded with the application. The examination process will consist of:

• Application Review – Submitted applications will be assessed based on job-related qualifications, including desirable qualifications and the specific needs of the hiring department. Candidates may be screened to identify those who are best qualified to proceed in the examination process.
• Written Exam – Those candidates identified as best qualified will be invited to take a written test. The exam will cover elements of the knowledge and abilities identified in the job description and is tentatively scheduled for the week of December 1, 2026.

Eligible List : All applicants that pass the examination process will be placed on the eligible list which is good for at least 6 months and may be extended up to an additional 18 months. This eligible list will be used by the City of Brentwood to fill all current and future openings in this classification as long as the list is active.

The City of Brentwood is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants requesting special accommodations during the examination process may contact the Human Resources Department at View phone number on click.appcast.io.