What are the responsibilities and job description for the Urban Planner II position at City of Alexandria?
City of Alexandria, Virginia
Urban Planner II (Park Planning) Park Planning and Capital Development
The City of Alexandria is in Northern Virginia bordered by the District of Columbia (Potomac River), Arlington, and Fairfax counties. Once within the original boundary stones that demarked the area of the Nation’s Capital, Alexandria is a part of the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. With a population of approximately 157,600 Alexandria is the sixth largest city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Unique and historic, Alexandria is a place that is experiencing substantial redevelopment appeal and business growth opportunities because of a high market demand for urban living in a quality environment. About one-quarter of the City’s 15.47 square miles has been designated as a national or local historic district.
The City of Alexandria is an independent city with no county affiliation and derives its governing authority from a Charter granted by the Virginia General Assembly. Virginia is a Dillon Rule state, allowing local governments only the authority expressly granted to them by the Virginia Constitution or by the Virginia General Assembly in the City Charter or in general law. City Council is the governing body, which formulates policies for the administration of the City. The mayor is chosen on a separate ballot and presides over sessions of the Council.
If you are interested in working for the vibrant City of Alexandria, we invite qualified candidates to apply for our Urban Planner II (Park Planning) for Park Planning and Capital Development for Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Activities (RPCA).
- The mission of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities is to enrich the City of Alexandria by creating meaningful experiences through public spaces, cultural activities,
and programming.
- The Department’s vision is to improve the well-being of every person in our community by connecting them to each other and their environment.
Overview
The Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Activities Department (RPCA) supports the well-being of Alexandria’s residents by ensuring access to a variety of quality recreation, park, and cultural experiences. There are over 900 acres of publicly accessible open space (this includes both public and private land that is open for public use), 566 acres of it is publicly owned park land, and approximately 30,000 street trees. The Department is comprised of four operating Divisions: Park Services, Recreation Services, Cultural Activities and Leadership & Management. The Divisions work to offer the full range of programs, facilities, and parks.
Under the Park Services Division, the Park Planning and Capital Development section manages planning, design, and the Capital improvement program for the department. The major areas of responsibility of the Park Planning Section include:
- Park and Recreation Planning
- Open Space Acquisition and Management Inter-departmental and Inter-jurisdictional Coordination regarding Parks and Open Space
- Development Review
- Division Process Improvements and Standardization
The Urban Planner II works with Park Planning team members to plan and execute a variety of park and recreational initiatives identified in the City’s Long Range Plan. The position also is responsible for coordinating review of land use cases impacting parks, recreation and cultural facilities, and public trees.
The Urban Planner II primary work projects for FY2025- 2026 include:
1. Conducting and coordinating departmental reviews of development and land use cases that impact parks and open space, recreation and cultural facilities, and public trees.
2 .Planning and studies for high-level and site-specific initiatives related to parks and open spaces.
3. Collaboration with team members on standardization initiatives, information management, and process improvements. i
4. Development and tracking of Master Plan, Small Area Plan, and Park Framework recommendations
5. Assistance on the update to the Park and Recreation Master Plan.
6 .Document and information creation, including graphics using Adobe software and data analysis using ArcGIS.
RPCA Strategic Plan – Each member of the department is expected to implement the mission, vision, values, and focus areas as determined through business plans and the budget process. It is expected that all decisions will be made with consideration for the values and focus areas.
Statement of Workplace Excellence – Every RPCA staff member has the right to a safe, healthy, efficient, and pleasant working environment where all organization members adhere to the highest standards of behavior, personal integrity, and truthfulness. Each staff member demonstrates full support and acts on deploying workplace excellence.
Shared Leadership Approach – All staff members are collectively responsible for our organizational community and hold leadership roles. Everyone is a decision-maker within his or her job. We invite participation in solving organizational issues and constantly improving our operations. We share a leader-to-leader model.
Customer Service Guarantee – We are committed to delivering a consistently superior customer experience to all participants in our programs and visitors to our parks and facilities. The service will be:
• Responsive – respond on time to all residents and customers, both external and internal. We own the request we receive and do not shift the responsibility.
• Professional – represent the department in appropriate appearance, decorum, and communication.
• Courteous – Treat everyone with respect. Treat everyone fairly. Treat everyone with dignity.
• Accountable – Demonstrate a bias toward action. Ensure follow-up and follow-through with appropriate results.
High Performance Organization – RPCA commits to building and sustaining a high-performance organization. This ensures a clear and consistent strategic direction. We continually focus on improving all aspects on internal and external operation. We also strive through workplace excellence and shared leadership to inspire staff to outstanding outcomes. Every job in the organization has elements of team leadership, management, and task accomplishment. HPO is team based.
What You Should Bring
Each member of our team is accountable for the outstanding delivery of services. You will contribute towards achieving our mission and vision by bringing your design, planning, construction, and project management talent to successfully deliver park and recreation improvements. The position also supports various department programs, and works with Park Services team members to provide planning and project management expertise on initiatives as needed. Your knowledge, skills, and abilities should encompass the following:
• good knowledge of the principles and practices of City planning and park and recreation design;
• good knowledge of project management practices;
• good knowledge of current literature and recent developments in the field of public sector planning, urban design, landscape architecture, engineering/stormwater
management, horticulture, arboriculture, recreation, architecture, and environmental planning;
• some knowledge of the principles of public administration;
• some knowledge of the principles and practices of engineering and physical design as applied to city planning and design of park and recreational facilities;
• ability to analyze and systematically compile technical and statistical information;
• ability to prepare technical reports, plan drawings, graphics (using Adobe Suite and/or Google Sketchup), and spatial analysis (using ArcGIS);
• ability to develop creative approaches for the solution of planning and design problems related to the use and management of park and recreational facilities;
• ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with employees, officials, other agencies, other jurisdictions and the general public;
• ability to evaluate planning, design, and technical proposals from consultants.
Salary : $62,719 - $110,374
