Senior Planner - Hazard Mitigation

About the Company - The City of Birmingham is actively seeking to hire Senior Planners. This position focuses on reviewing submission documents such as drawings, maps, surveys, and applications related to development projects to ensure compliance with City and department requirements and ordinances. Individuals in this job class also act as liaisons for the department to various committees, commissions, and citizens to communicate activities taking place, and to provide information related to project development within the community.

Pay range and compensation package - Birmingham $59,862 - $92,872 USD Salary

Qualifications - The following are job-related qualifications that are required for employment consideration for this position:

• OPTION A:
• Driver's license.
• Experience writing, developing, or preparing hazard mitigation plans and/or long-range planning elements, such as land-use planning, environmental planning, transportation planning, economic development, and demographics.
• Experience collecting and analyzing data (e.g., demographic, land-use survey, market, census) in preparation for a planning study and presenting to a Board or Commission.
• Experience writing, developing, preparing, and interpreting current planning functions or development regulations, including zoning and subdivision regulations.
• Experience implementing long-range and short-range plans and/or hazard mitigation plans and developing appropriate regulations to specific situations.
• Experience developing and delivering presentations to the public, public bodies, and other stakeholders (e.g., civic and business organizations, neighborhood associations, public hearings).

• OPTION B:
• Driver's license.
• Bachelor's degree in Planning, Urban Planning, Transportation Planning, Urban Studies, Public Administration, Environmental Management, or a related degree.
• Experience writing, developing, or preparing hazard mitigation plans and/or long-range planning elements, such as land-use planning, environmental planning, transportation planning, economic development, and demographics.
• Experience developing and delivering presentations to the public, public bodies and other stakeholders (e.g., civic and business organizations, neighborhood associations, public hearings).

Preferred Qualifications - The following are job-related qualifications deemed desirable by Merit System agencies. These qualifications may be considered by a hiring agency when reviewing applications and inviting candidates to participate in subsequent steps in the selection processes.

• AICP Certified.
• Experience writing grants to fund public programs or projects.
• Certified Floodplain Manager.
• Experience writing hazard mitigation grants (e.g., FEMA, ADEM, EPA).
• Knowledge of how to read Hydrologic & Hydraulic reports.

Typical Job Duties:

• Reviews drawings, maps, surveys, applications to ensure compliance with departmental requirements and ordinances.
• Communicates with various individuals (e.g., contractors, realtors, engineers, developers, general public, etc.) in order to answer questions and explain ordinances relating to flood plain, zoning, signage, subdivision, etc.
• Processes cases or projects by conducting research, analysis and findings of cases.
• Acts as a staff liaison to various committees/commissions (e.g., Planning and Zoning Commission, Zoning Board of Adjustment, Subdivision Committee, Zoning Advisory Committee, Historic Preservation, Planning and Zoning, Design Review Board, etc.).
• Manages Federal and State project-based grants to include defining and managing the project scope and deliverables, troubleshooting problem areas, and overseeing project budgets, timelines and contingency plans.
• Manages hazard mitigation/disaster recovery programs and watershed/floodplain planning programs, including developing management plans, protocols, and procedures.
• Researches and analyzes (or assists in researching and analyzing) various data (e.g., demographic reports, neighborhood revitalization plans) for strategic and long-range planning or ordinance revisions.
• Researches other adopted city or county long-range plans to ensure the site development plans/projects are consistent with the stated goals of the long-range plan.
• Reviews site and development plans for adherence to development regulations required through the Zoning Ordinance and, when appropriate, approves them.
• Conducts or participates in neighborhood or public involvement meetings to inform citizens about projects in their community and to obtain feedback.
• Interprets codes and ordinances to ensure compliance with applicable federal regulations and programs.