Senior Planner/Regional Planner
Catawba Regional Council of Governments
Salary: $68,000-$80,000 (Target – DOQ)
Closing Date: Until Filled
Summary
Catawba Regional Council of Governments (COG) is seeking an experienced planner who is looking for an opportunity to take his or her career to the next level. If you have considerable experience with municipal, county, or state governments or in the private sector serving these jurisdictions and want to leverage your technical knowledge, writing, analytical, and presentation skills, commitment to life-long learning, and desire for improving the communities that make up the Catawba region, then our agency may be your next work home. As Regional Planner or Senior Regional Planner you will have the opportunity to take the lead on planning projects that positively impact the economic, physical, and social well-being of the region. The candidate must demonstrate experience and proficiency in development and execution of planning products such as small area plans, transportation and land use analysis, comprehensive plans, policy recommendations, and federal and state grant-funded projects that garner broad stakeholder and public support. Strong GIS, data analysis, statistical and forecast analytics, communication, social media tools/use, and presentation skills are crucial for success in this role. You must be able provide professional and timely feedback to a variety of audiences. The ideal candidate will also have experience in the development of scopes of work, contracting processes, project management, public engagement, management of consultant teams, review of invoices and reports, in the implementation of planning studies consistent with federal, state, and local requirements.
Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree in Urban Planning, Regional Planning, Geographic Information Systems, or closely related field.
• Five (5) years’ experience in urban or regional planning, monitoring and reporting at the local or state level of government.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Conducts research, prepares and presents reports that clearly communicate technical analyses and make the case for policy and other recommendations, as appropriate.
• Utilizes geographic information systems (GIS), computer modeling and other technical tools and works as part of GIS team.
• Knowledge of land use and transportation planning, policies, regulations, and best management practices.
• Plans, develops and executes work programs for projects that have a high level of impact.
• Works constructively in teams.
• Ability to effectively use ArcGIS, Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook), and various social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.).
• Willingness/ability to attend evening and before or after-hours meetings of planning commissions, city and county councils, and other public groups.
• American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) certification.
Highly Desirable
• Master’s degree in Urban Planning, Regional Planning, Geographic Information Systems, Business/Information Systems, or closely related field.
• Experience in analytics, forecasting, population and employment projection development.
• Eight (8) years’ experience in urban and regional planning, monitoring and reporting at the local or state level of government.
• Experience serving as a project manager for a variety of work products including small area plans and comprehensive plans, with an emphasis on, GIS, effective public engagement and using social media.
• Ability to effectively use Sketch-Up, Adobe Creative Suite or other graphics-based programs
Please see Job Announcement for full details. Senior Planner/Regional Planner
