Job Title: Senior Planner Salary: $33.78 - $46.03 Hourly $5,856.00 - $7,978.83 Monthly $70,272.00 - $95,746.00 Annually Job Type: Full-time Location: Port of San Diego, California The Port of San Diego is currently seeking a Senior Planner to join its Development Services team in the Real Estate Development Department. The ideal candidate will have a minimum of five years of progressively responsible professional experience in planning and a four-year degree with a major in urban planning, environmental planning or a closely related field. Experience with managing Current Planning projects of moderate complexity and overseeing the preparation of Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs) and Mitigated Negative Declarations (MNDs) pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) is desired. Other desirable traits include being a good communicator; working well with internal and external stakeholders, customers and the public; experience presenting to governance boards and the public; strong political acumen; and being adaptive and versatile in a dynamic work environment. GENERAL PURPOSE Under direction, serves as a team leader or project manager over specialized planning functions; conducts research and performs a variety of specialized and complex planning studies, projects and assignments; develops and updates comprehensive and long-range plans and associated policies and programs; plans, organizes, oversees and evaluates the work of professional and technical staff; provides policy advice and represents the department and the Port with federal, state and local agencies; and performs related work as DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS Senior Planners serve as team leaders or project managers for work groups or teams. Incumbents serve as the advanced professional level class in the Planner class series. Incumbents lead, manage or provide high level expertise to complex and politically sensitive planning studies, projects and assignments. Incumbents have a strong working knowledge of planning, as it relates to areas including but not limited to urban and waterfront development, commercial real estate, maritime industry, public access, and recreation. Senior Planners may represent the department in inter-agency, local and state meetings and planning efforts. Incumbents are expected to exercise expert independent judgment, initiative and decision-making authority to develop timely solutions to complex problems. Projects and assignments require a high degree of knowledge and ability in identifying and solving problems, interpreting and analyzing federal, state and local codes and policies; and maintaining effective contacts and relationships with government officials and agency staff, business representatives, community organizations, and the public. Assignments are given in terms of broad objectives and evaluated based on overall results. Senior Planner is distinguished from Associate Planner in that an incumbent in the former class develops, executes and monitors the most complex or sensitive planning projects, serves as a team leader for a group
of planners and technical specialists or similar work groups, and may supervise subordinate staff as Essential Duties and Responsibilities: The following statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified. 1. Serves as a project manager, team leader, and/or primary reviewer/analyst of tenant development projects and District initiated projects to ensure compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), California Coastal Act (Coastal Act), and other relevant federal, state, and local laws, regulations, codes, and District policies and procedures; oversees issuance of coastal development permits and other entitlements consistent with CEQA, Coastal Act, San Diego Unified Port District Act, Port Master Plan, and the Public Trust Doctrine. 2. Assigns, directs, reviews, oversees, and monitors the work of professional and technical staff and consultants; acts as team leader for staff coordinating department and inter-departmental planning activities; regularly monitors performance of team members and consultants; trains and mentors professional and technical staff, facilitates acquisition of resources and training for team members and ensures staff training needs are met; coaches staff for better performance; edits written work of staff for accuracy and readability of content; coordinates and balances workloads among team members; monitors turn-around time for completion of assignments; evaluates and modifies procedures to improve service delivery; mediates conflict between team members; keeps statistics of team's work. 3. Develops, designs, administers, coordinates and manages Port, tenant and inter-departmental planning programs to meet Port needs; administers complex District policies and regulations; interprets and implements federal, state and regional laws and regulations; interprets and integrates planning requirements into policy direction, plans and management of department programs; determines the application of code and regulations in complex situations; writes and edits Port policy documents and regulations related to planning issues; researches, writes and edits management plans; prepares amendments to the Port's Master Plan; analyzes amendment requests from the general public and other divisions; reviews and edits proposed amendments to Port policy documents to ensure clarity and consistency; develops strategies, policy document amendments and other measures to carry out policies. 4. Coordinates with Port staff, division management and elected officials; makes recommendations and presents reports to the Board of Port Commissioners; keeps department management and Port Commissioners apprised of the status of department programs and the department's ability to meet regulatory requirements. 5. Researches policy issues and conditions; establishes methodologies and standards for research and studies; manages the collection of information regarding study needs from other divisions and agencies; plans and manages processes to prepare detailed study designs that reflect outlined needs; prepares scopes of work; designs, conducts and analyzes surveys, inventories and evaluations, including data collection and interpretation, analysis and evaluation of consequences of different courses of action; conducts special studies on sensitive planning issues. 6. Briefs department staff on policy document changes and land-use recommendations; notifies Port
employees on department programs; keeps team members updated on outcome of management decisions, interpretations and new regulations. 7. Acts as department spokesperson and liaison and provides support to other divisions and local, state and federal government agencies. 8. Takes the lead in responding to questions from Port employees, developers, agency and industrial professionals and the public on department programs, policies and regulations; explains Port positions, policies, procedures and regulations on planning matters. 9. Represents the department and participates on committees, subcommittees, advisory groups, councils and boards that deal with local issues; organizes and hosts meetings and special events; presents programs and policies to community groups as needed; conducts and facilitates public meetings, workshops and advisory committees; participates and serves on other division or agency technical advisory committees; convenes and leads team meetings and inter-department teams. 10. Recommends procedural, policy documents as appropriate to maintain function of policy documents and maps; prepares maps; analyzes and evaluates technical documents, drawings, plans, graphs and charts for accuracy, completeness and applicability to pertinent regulations. 11. Develops budgets and manages consultant contracts; identifies candidates; prepares and distributes RFPs; convenes interview panels and selects consultants; reviews work products and authorizes payments. 12. Monitors grant and funding opportunities; prepares funding proposals and applications; administers grants; prepares project status reports on grant-funded projects; writes contracts and inter-agency agreements and negotiates funding. 13. Keeps informed of new regulations, pending legislation and trends in planning that impact department programs and processes. 14. Develops, manipulates and maintains computerized databases, spreadsheets, progress monitoring systems and filing systems. 15. Conducts field work with operations staff to mitigate and take corrective action for issues and problems. 16. Prepares complex reports, memos, agenda sheets, and correspondence. 17. Analyzes projects for conformance with the Port Master Plan and California Coastal Act; issues coastal development permits. 18. Analyzes projects pursuant to the California Environmental Quality act; prepares initial studies, negative declarations, and portions of environmental impact reports. OTHER DUTIES 1. Provides backup for team and inter-departmental members as necessary. Qualifications:
Knowledge of: 1. Theories, principles, practices and techniques of public administration, public financing, financial management and redevelopment, as they apply to a Port District and the disciplines of current and longrange land use planning, marine planning, and environmental planning. 2. Federal, state and local laws, regulations and court decisions applicable to the Port's planning functions. Knowledge of the California Environmental Quality Act and California Coastal Act is desirable. 3. Principles and practices of project planning and management. 4. Principles and techniques of workload management and coordination. 5. Social, political and environmental issues influencing planning program/project development and implementation. 6. Principles, practices, tools and techniques of public administration, including purchasing, budgeting and maintenance of public records. 7. Research methods and analysis techniques. 8. Principles and practices of sound business communication. 9. Principles and practices of effective supervision. 10. Strong writing skills. Ability to: 1. Manage large, complex and politically sensitive projects and contracts including budgets, schedules and quality of work product. 2. Perform difficult and complex technical research and analysis of planning issues or problems, evaluating alternatives and recommending or adopting effective courses of action. 3. Review, prepare or direct the preparation of complex plans, applications, specifications and legal contracts. 4. Understand, interpret, explain and apply federal, state, regional and local law, regulations, policies, procedures and standards, and planning principles and practices to complex, specialized and diverse planning processes. 5. Understand, interpret and respond to internal and external customer needs and expectations. 6. Supervise and evaluate the work of professional consultants, contractors and designated staff, as 7. Motivate and direct the work of assigned team or project staff and provide for their training and professional development.
8. Present ideas and requirements clearly and persuasively, orally and in writing, to policy and decisionmaking bodies, organizations, committees, applicants and citizens, involving complex and politically sensitive issues while adhering to the intent of Port policies. 9. Collect, evaluate and interpret appropriate and applicable data, either in statistical or narrative form. 10. Coordinate project activities with multiple stakeholders to build agreement and consensus, where feasible. 11. Apply sound, creative problem-solving techniques to resolve difficult program issues and problems. 12. Ensure the maintenance of all required files, records and documentation. 13. Exercise independent judgment and initiative within established policies and guidelines. 14. Exercise tact and diplomacy in dealing with difficult and sensitive people, issues and situations. 15. Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those encountered in the course of work. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS Training and Experience: Graduation from a four-year college or university with a major in urban planning, environmental planning or a closely related field; and five years of related progressively responsible professional planning experience. Experience in California tidelands planning is preferred. A Master's Degree in urban planning, environmental planning or a closely related field can be substituted for one year of experience. Time served as a District Intern counts towards the years of experience. Licenses; Certificates; Special Requirements: A current, valid California Class C driver's license at time of appointment and maintained at all times thereafter in order to operate a vehicle on District business. Supplemental Information: PHYSICAL AND MENTAL DEMANDS Persons with disabilities may be able to perform the essential duties of this class with reasonable accommodation. Reasonable accommodation will be evaluated on an individual basis and depends, in part, on the specific requirements for the job, the limitations related to disability and the ability of the hiring department to accommodate the limitation. Resolution #: 2016 19 Dated: February 9, 2016