Urban Design Planner II

The City of Wilmington is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Position Description

Urban Design Planners are responsible for assisting in the implementation of the short- and long-term objectives and activities associated with placemaking and achieving the community’s long term vision. This is accomplished by completing assigned tasks and projects; developing and applying design standards, ordinances, and other policies; providing design support to planning and placemaking initiatives; preparing graphics and illustrations for inclusion in presentations and reports; developing conceptual and schematic designs for placemaking projects; and participating in community engagement efforts.

Typical Tasks

• Researches, investigates, and prepares recommendations, graphic illustrations, and oral and written reports on a wide range of urban design issues with an emphasis on the public realm.
• Develops charts, maps, renderings, diagrams, illustrations, and other materials for inclusion in presentations.
• Participates in and facilitates community engagement meetings.
• Collects and analyzes demographic, land-use, and economic statistics to update mapped information and inform policy development.
• Provides urban design support in the development of various plans, including but not limited to the City’s Comprehensive Plan, special area plans, neighborhood plans, and corridor plans.
• Conducts and manages studies in areas such as land use, housing and urban development, transit-oriented development, and downtown and neighborhood revitalization.
• Develops regulations and guidelines to implement urban design policies and strategies, including form-based codes.
• Develops conceptual and schematic designs for placemaking projects.
• Provides design guidance to City capital projects.
• Assists in the review of development projects for compliance with form-based codes and other urban design criteria.
• Managers and collaborates with other City departments and external partners on programs and initiatives focused on placemaking, neighborhood revitalization, and the public realm.
• Performs other related duties as assigned

Qualifications

Education and Related Experience.
Bachelor’s Degree in landscape architecture, architecture, historic preservation, urban design, urban planning or a closely related field with three years of experience.

OR

Master’s degree in one of the above fields and 1 year of experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

**A Certificate in Urban Design from an accredited university will be counted as 1 year of experience.**

• 
  Knowledge

• Urban design principles, practices, and their applicability to the public realm and the community
• Sustainability principles and practices.

• Local government procedures and practices.
• Principles and practices of project management
• Principles and methods of qualitative and quantitative research.
• Principles and applications of critical thinking and analysis.
• Principles and techniques of effective oral presentations

• Skills

• Ability to write about planning and urban design principles and explain those principles graphically
• Ability to produce maps, renderings, drawings, and other graphics
• Comfort with presenting and working with diverse audiences and all segments of the city’s population
• Proficiency in use of Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Creative Suite, AutoCAD, SketchUp, ArcGIS, and other drafting, 3D-modeling, and rendering software.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Strong interpersonal skills to develop good working relationships with staff, officials and stakeholders; explain policies and regulations clearly to the public; and ability to resolve conflict.
• Ability to build consensus in developing solutions to problems
• Ability to work independently or on a team
• Experience working with teams on design and/or planning projects
• Creative problem-solving skills to gather relevant information to solve practical problems and address citizen inquiries and concerns
• Ability to identify needed changes to design standards and ordinance provisions to meet goal and policy objectives.
• Ability to develop strategies and policies to achieve the community’s vision.
• Ability to work on several projects or issues simultaneously and prioritize tasks and projects based on the needs of the organization.
• Ability to attend to details while keeping big-picture goals in mind
• Ability to facilitate in-person and virtual public participation activities, including small group facilitation as part of community workshops
• Ability to manage projects effectively and meet firm deadlines.

Supplemental Information

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
Exerting up to 10 lbs. occasionally or negligible weights frequently, sitting most of the time.

WORKING CONDITIONS:
This position generally requires work indoors/office setting. Some outdoor work may be necessary for particular events.

Our Core Values:

INCLUSION | COLLABORATION | CREATIVITY | ACCOUNTABILITY

Our Mission Statement: Through forward-thinking policies and responsible stewardship, we are creating a better city every day with excellent core services and quality of life for all.

What we offer:

The City of Wilmington believes that employees are one of our most important resources. We offer an excellent salary and competitive benefits package to serve the needs of our employees and their families. Our benefits package includes:

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance many other insurance options
• Excellent retirement benefits, including a city provided 4.5% contribution each pay period into a 401(k) account and automatic enrollment into the North Carolina Local Government Employees’ Retirement System
• Employer-paid health & wellness clinic
• Paid sick and vacation leave 13 paid holidays per year
• 6-weeks paid parental leave
• Paid volunteer & blood donation leave to give back to our community
• Flex schedule and telework availability, depending on your position
• Professional development trainings & leadership initiatives
• Tuition assistance benefits

Applicant Status Updates: After the closing date for this position, applications will be screened by Human Resources. Applicants who meet the minimum and/or preferred qualifications will be referred over to the hiring department. All updates regarding an application can be viewed through your applicant portal.