Planner II – Urban Designer

Salary: $36.28 – $44.09/hour; $6,288.00 – $7,642.00/month; $75,452.00 – $91,702.00/year

Job Type – Temporary Exempt

Application deadline: 1/4/2016 5:00:00 PM

Appointment Type

Temporary Exempt (TEX), Full-Time appointment not to exceed three (3) years. This position is exempt from the Civil Service rules pursuant to San Francisco Charter Section 10.104-18 and serves at the discretion of the Appointing Officer.

There is a potential that this position may be approved for Permanent Civil Service (PCS) in the future. If/When approved as a PCS position, the candidate selected for this position will be required to participate, be successful, and reachable in the 5278 Planner II examination and then selected through an open competitive process in order to be considered for Permanent appointment.

Introduction

The San Francisco Planning Department has an opening for one 5278 Planner II – Urban Design position to join the City Design Group within the Citywide Planning Division. We are looking for candidates with a background in urban design, landscape architecture, architecture or related field to work on public realm design and urban design policy. While the majority of the work will be focused on urban design-related projects, there will be opportunities for the successful candidate to participate in other projects within the Citywide Division.

The Citywide Division is responsible for the long-range planning of San Francisco. The Division develops policy, maintains and oversees compliance with the City’s General Plan, prepares and implements community plans, acts as the urban design resource for the city, and gathers and analyzes data in support of land-use policy.

The City Design Group is housed within the Citywide Division and performs the urban design function for the City of San Francisco. We are a collaborative team of urban designers with backgrounds in city planning, landscape architecture, and architecture, and our primary goal is to make San Francisco a more livable place through people-oriented design. There are five core functions in CDG: 1) Place making (streets and plazas); 2) Innovation and Tactical Urbanism 3) Design Review; 4) Urban Design Policy Development; and 5) Research and Education.

The San Francisco Planning Department plays a central role in guiding the growth and development in our city. The Department works with other City agencies and the community to help achieve great planning for a great city.

Our mission, under the direction of the Planning Commission, shapes the future of San Francisco and region by: generating an extraordinary vision for the General Plan and in neighborhood plans; fostering exemplary design through planning controls; improving our surroundings through environmental analysis; preserving our unique heritage; encouraging a broad range of housing and a diverse job base; and enforcing the Planning Code.

The Department serves a broad range of constituents, including the citizens of San Francisco, community organizations, elected and appointed policymakers, builders, architects, property owners, tenants, and advocacy groups. All rely on the City’s General Plan and the Planning Code to achieve the City’s development goals.

This is an opportunity to work in a dynamic, inter-disciplinary, and innovative department and share in our vision to make San Francisco the worlds’ most livable urban place – environmentally, economically, socially and culturally. We work in a collaborative, team-oriented environment with opportunities to work on a wide variety of projects and topic areas, both individually and on project teams. In performing our planning work, we work closely with staff of other City and regional agencies, the development community, and the general public. Community outreach and engagement is a big part of our work, and we hold frequent public forums to present and get input on our work.

General Description

Under general direction, the Planner II performs journey level planning work. The Planner II is responsible for conducting investigations and performing analyses to prepare reports and recommendations pertaining to complex planning issues and problems. The Planner II may provide project management or independent work on minor planning projects. The Planner II may perform supervised work individually or as part of a project team.

The essential functions of the Planner II positions in the Citywide Planning Division include, but are not limited to:

• Assisting in the development of long-range citywide or neighborhood plans and programs;
• Assisting in the preparation, revision and updating of the General Plan and/or Planning Code;
• Assisting with community outreach and engagement processes;
• Preparing recommendations for Department, Planning Commission and other city Commissions/Boards actions;
• Providing information orally and in writing to city agencies, property owners, developers, community organizations, the Planning Commission and the general public;
• Interpreting and explaining legal, technical and procedural aspects of planning work to agencies and members of the public;
• Conducting site and field inspections and conducting surveys and interviews to obtain data;
• Preparing computer based and hard copy graphic materials;
• Designing and preparing graphic presentations to illustrate planning and development concepts;
• Conducting research studies and formulating recommendations to assist in planning policies;
• Providing zoning and permitting information to the general public, including shifts at the Planning Information Counter.
• Processing relevant planning applications and referrals, including: General Plan Referrals, Preliminary Project Assessments, and Community Plan Exemptions; and
• Specific tasks related to Urban Design include: preparing urban design existing conditions studies; developing designs for streets and public spaces; designing temporary public spaces and developing innovative public space installations; developing and drafting urban design standards and codes for development; developing urban form models or other analyses related to building and city form; and providing design review services for development proposals.
• Incumbents in this job code may be required to attend evening and weekend meetings, occasionally held in community locations.

Job Requirements

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university AND two (2) years (4,000 hours) verifiable full-time-equivalent experience in city, regional, urban or transportation planning, urban design, historic preservation, architectural or environmental review or other related field; OR

Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university in City, Regional, or Urban Planning, or a closely related field such as Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Geography, Urban Studies, Public Administration, Physical Sciences, Historic Preservation, or Environmental Studies AND one (1) year (2,000 hours) verifiable full-time-equivalent experience in city, regional, urban or transportation planning, urban design, historic preservation, architectural or environmental review or other related field; OR

Possession of a Master’s degree from an accredited college or university in City, Regional, or Urban Planning, or a closely related field such as Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Geography, Urban Studies, or Environmental Studies.

Desirable Qualifications:

The stated desirable qualifications may be used to identify job finalists at the end of the selection process when candidates are referred for hiring.

• Strong urban design experience, strong skills in city design and place making, street and public realm design, and an understanding of built form is critical.
• Ability to think and communicate spatially and excellent design abilities.
• Strong interpersonal skills, professionalism, and responsibility and the ability to work collegially on team projects
• Ability to effectively handle multiple projects and demands within deadlines.

HOW TO APPLY:

Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are being accepted through an online process. Visit: http://www.jobaps.com/SF/sup/bulpreview.asp?R1=TEX&R2=5278&R3=066454

to register an account, and view this complete job announcement for application submission requirements.

Apply Here: http://www.jobaps.com/SF/sup/bulpreview.asp?R1=TEX&R2=5278&R3=066454