Planning Aide/Assistant Planner

City of Huntington Beach•Huntington Beach, CA

About The Position

The City of Huntington Beach is hiring for a Planning Aide or Assistant Planner in the Community Development Department’s Permit Center Division. Permit Center Planning staff assist residents, businesses, and developers at the front counter, handle general processing and plan checks for ministerial permits, coordinate plan reviews, and resolve zoning-related issues with departments such as Building, Public Works, and Fire. The role involves public-facing customer service, responding to zoning and land-use inquiries, helping applicants understand submittal requirements, and supporting permit intake. The ideal candidate is detail-oriented and customer-focused, has a foundation in planning and zoning regulations, and may have experience reviewing residential and commercial plans for compliance with development standards. Experience with land management software and digital plan reviews is desired. The Planning Aide is the entry-level classification in the Planning series. Employees receive explicit direction and training, develop practical experience through routine and standardized duties, and apply functional knowledge of basic planning principles and theories. The Assistant Planner is the intermediate-level classification. Employees receive general direction on routine, minimally complex work and apply knowledge of accepted principles, theories, and best practices. The Planning Division handles long-range planning, including updates to the General Plan, Local Coastal Program, and Specific Plans, as well as current planning reviews for compliance with City plans, ordinances, and applicable laws. Current Planning also processes entitlements, conducts environmental reviews, provides plan-check services, and supports public boards and commissions. The Assistant Planner may additionally review development proposals, coordinate project reviews, prepare reports and presentations, conduct special studies, and interpret and apply planning laws, ordinances, plans, and policies. The posted salary ranges are $60,777.60–$85,508.80 annually for Planning Aide and $75,649.60–$106,433.60 annually for Assistant Planner. Applications are accepted on a continuous basis. The first application review is scheduled for applications received before 5:00 PM on November 17, 2026; the recruitment may close after that date once a sufficiently strong candidate pool is established. Only one application is needed for consideration for this job series.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in planning, urban planning, landscape architecture, or another closely related field from an accredited college or university.
Planning Aide: One year of experience performing professional or paraprofessional planning work, or completion of a six- to nine-month internship performing duties related to urban planning.
Assistant Planner: Two years of urban planning or directly related experience performing professional planning work.
Valid California Class C driver’s license with an acceptable driving record, required at appointment and throughout employment.
Ability to provide complete and detailed education and experience information in the application; a resume does not substitute for completing the application.
Employees regularly assigned or required to drive a City or personal vehicle in the course and scope of work must participate in the DMV Employer Pull Notice program.
All City employees are required to perform assigned disaster service worker duties in the event of an emergency or disaster.

Nice To Haves

Assistant Planner: Master’s degree in planning, urban planning, landscape architecture, or another closely related field.
Experience with land management software and digital plan reviews.
Hands-on experience conducting zoning plan checks for residential and commercial projects, including remodels, additions, custom homes, accessory dwelling units, and commercial tenant improvements.

Responsibilities

Participate in a variety of planning projects.
Research and investigate assigned aspects of the General Plan, special projects, or code amendments, and make recommendations based on findings.
Research, collect, and analyze data.
Write special-project reports or assigned portions of the General Plan.
Prepare environmental impact studies related to public projects by researching and analyzing pertinent information.
Assist the public by phone or at the counter.
Respond to incoming correspondence and assist individuals in completing applications.
Perform routine counter plan checks related to zoning and subdivision requirements.
Perform plan checks, including occasional field checks, to ensure plans meet zoning and ordinance requirements before submission to the City Council, Planning Commission, Zoning Administrator, or other boards or committees.
Coordinate site, parking, and landscape plans as required; follow up on conditions of approval; and check preliminary subdivision maps.
Process planning entitlement applications for the Zoning Administrator, Planning Commission, or City Council, including conditional use permits, variances, and zoning text amendments.
For the Assistant Planner level, research and prepare planning-related reports, documents, and agendas for City officials and other agencies and organizations.
For the Assistant Planner level, review planned development amendments, rezoning requests, land-use plan amendments, entitlements, and other proposals.
For the Assistant Planner level, convey the stages and requirements of entitlement processing, including environmental status.
For the Assistant Planner level, participate in community meetings and prepare and deliver presentations at public meetings.
For the Assistant Planner level, provide technical assistance to project participants and coordinate project reviews with other departments and agencies.
For the Assistant Planner level, interpret and apply applicable City ordinances, state planning and zoning laws, the California Environmental Quality Act, the Subdivision Map Act, the Local Coastal Program, the General Plan, Design Guidelines, specific plans, and related policies.
For the Assistant Planner level, conduct special studies to draft ordinances and General Plan updates, assist in developing policies and procedures, and perform technical work related to environmental impact reports.
For the Assistant Planner level, draft staff reports and recommendations with findings and conditions of approval, and prepare maps and graphic presentations.
Report to work as scheduled and work varying hours, including nights and weekends, as deemed necessary by a manager or supervisor to address changing priorities and deadlines.