Career Center
Wheaton, Maryland
Chapel Hill, NC
Posted: 15-Mar-23
Location: Wheaton, Maryland
Type: Contract
Salary: $67,515.00 - $121,955.00
Additional Information:
Internal Number: 10050
Description
The Montgomery County Planning Department, one of the nation’s premier planning agencies parts of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), seeks an experienced and motivated Urban Planner/Designer to serve as a project manager for designated urban and suburban projects, special studies, or master planning initiatives in the director’s office. This is a contract position supporting the Assistant to the Deputy Director, working on impactful projects such as updating the county’s Public Benefits Points System, creating a strategic plan to guide the department’s placemaking activities, and helping with the design review of various development projects throughout the county. The selected candidate will be exposed to a range of professional experiences, from long range policy planning to on-the ground implementation and tasked to organize and lead community engagement efforts and design workshops.
Excellent project management skills are required. The desired candidate should have a solid grasp of Smart Growth planning principles and a strong understanding of municipal planning processes. The successful candidate must apply their knowledge of planning standards, codes, and plans to develop alternatives to resolve planning challenges. In this position, you will initiate and execute the various stages of planning studies, help create urban design guidelines, author drafts for staff reports and presentations, coordinate multidisciplinary project teams, train, and mentor interns, and effectively communicate with planning colleagues, community members, development professionals, and planning board members.
Candidates must demonstrate strong verbal and written communications skills and be able to put together memos, reports, presentations, and graphics using Microsoft Office and Adobe Suite products. Experience with community engagement is desired. The selected candidate will be expected to work between 32-37 hours per week in a hybrid on-site and telework format.
We at Montgomery Planning focus our skills and talents to bring high-quality design in both form and function to all areas, from central business districts to rural villages and have pioneered programs in agricultural preservation, inclusionary housing, and transit-oriented development. To learn more, visit our website at www.montgomeryplanning.org!
We value the safety of our staff and our community. To that end, we have required all our employees to be vaccinated (with limited exemptions for religious and medical reasons) while following all COVID-19 protocols.
Examples of Important Duties
- Lead the preparation of land use and urban design studies and initiatives, particularly those that relate to incentive zoning, design excellence, and placemaking
- Conduct equitable civic engagement on significant projects with county-wide land use and urban design impacts
- Analyze development applications (such as sketch plans and site plans), and rezoning applications for excellence in design of buildings, streets, and open spaces
- Conduct special studies of complex planning problems
- Provide recommendations that will advance racial equity and social justice as well as help integrate design and placemaking considerations into the planning and development process
- Interpret and implement county planning policy, development plans, codes and regulations
- Make presentations as a team member to the Planning Board, County Council, and community groups.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree in Planning, Geography, Architecture, Parks and Recreation, Transportation, Urban Design, Engineering, Environmental Science, Public Policy, Economics or any related field.
- Four (4) years of progressively responsible professional level planning experience related to specific area of assignment such as transportation planning, environmental planning or urban planning.
- An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted, which together total eight (8) years.
- Valid driver’s license (depending on area of assignment) in accordance with both State and Commission rules and regulations. Driver’s license must be unencumbered by restrictions, revocations, suspensions, or points that could limit the employee’s ability to drive Commission vehicles or perform driving duties required by the position of assignment.
Supplemental Information
Classification Specification - Planner III Term Contract (2244)
In addition to the minimum qualifications listed above, a Master's degree in planning, urban design, architecture, parks, engineering, environmental science, or equivalent disciplines related to job function and experience with community engagement, GIS, AutoCAD, Adobe Creative Suite and SketchUp software will be helpful.
About the Montgomery County Planning Department:
M-NCPPC offers excellent benefits and competitive salaries. We are conveniently located in downtown Wheaton, MD and easily accessible to Wheaton Metro Station and several bus lines. A commuter stipend is available. Learn about our LEED Platinum-rated headquarters building here!
The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate a workplace culture of diversity, equity and inclusion without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, gender identity, or any other non-merit factor. We will do what we can to provide reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us at 301-495-4525 to request accommodation.
