Chief Planner

City of Altamonte Springs•Altamonte Springs, FL

About The Position

The Chief Planner performs senior-level professional city planning work related to general and land use planning and administration, mobility planning, urban design, and technical reviews within the City’s comprehensive planning and regulatory programs. The role directly manages Planning Services staff, including hiring and performance appraisals, oversees section operations, and sets and implements goals, policies, and procedures. The Chief Planner manages the City’s comprehensive plan, coordinating updates with other departments and evaluating land-use and development proposals for consistency. The position prepares reports and recommendations for annexations, comprehensive plan amendments, rezoning, and DRI amendments for the Planning Board and City Commission. It also oversees the Mobility Management Program and its development-application reviews, including mobility reports, trip-generation analyses, and mobility-improvement determinations. The role leads staff review of new or amended state legislation and agency rules, represents the City on assigned external boards and committees, and manages special planning projects and studies. The position requires travel between work locations, availability for emergency call-outs, and completion of required emergency-management training. In emergencies, employees may be required to perform duties outside their normal job description.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in urban planning, city planning, landscape architecture, or a directly related field, and five years of progressively responsible work experience in local-government comprehensive planning and urban-design review; an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience may be considered.
Five years of demonstrated intermediate-level proficiency using Windows and Microsoft Office software.
Thorough knowledge of urban-planning principles and practices, development regulations, comprehensive planning, and constitutional issues related to land-use regulation.
Valid driver license; must obtain a Florida driver license within 30 days of employment.
Authorize and undergo fingerprint-based state and national criminal-history screening; employees are subject to continuous criminal-history monitoring.
Driving history for the past three years must meet the stated criteria: no driving-related felony offense, DUI involving drugs or alcohol, reckless driving, hit and run involving an occupied vehicle or attended property, or an accumulation of traffic violations and driving-school attendance points exceeding the specified limit.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in urban planning, city planning, architecture, landscape architecture, or a directly related field.
Florida work experience and knowledge of Florida planning laws.
Experience supervising professional and administrative personnel.
Experience using GIS for analysis and thematic mapping.
AICP certification.
Completion of Basic IS-700 within six months of hire.
Completion of Basic ICS-100 within six months of hire.
Willingness to adopt AI and emerging technologies.

Responsibilities

Directly manage Planning Services staff, including hiring and performance appraisals.
Oversee Planning Services operations, including agency meeting attendance, development review, mobility activities, application processing, and customer service.
Set goals and objectives for Planning Services and develop, recommend, and implement policies and procedures to achieve them.
Manage the City’s comprehensive plan, proposing amendments, evaluations, and updates as required by Florida Statutes or City needs.
Coordinate comprehensive-plan updates and changes with other City departments to ensure consistency and compliance with state requirements.
Analyze land-use and development proposals for consistency with the comprehensive plan.
Prepare reports and recommendations for annexations, comprehensive plan amendments, rezonings, and DRI amendments for the Planning Board and City Commission.
Oversee the City’s Mobility Management Program for development applications, including Mobility Solutions Report reviews, trip-generation analyses, mobility-improvement determinations, and implementation of City goals.
Lead Planning staff in reviewing amended or new state legislation and agency administrative rules and creating or modifying City policies and procedures.
Represent the City on assigned external boards, committees, and task forces.
Manage assigned special planning projects or studies and conduct research, procedural analysis, and planning studies.
Drive to and from various work locations and be available for emergency call-outs.
Complete required trainings specified in the City Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan and perform duties outside the normal job description during emergencies when required.
Perform additional duties as assigned.