What are the responsibilities and job description for the Planner position at St. Louis County, MO?
The St. Louis County Department of Planning is looking for a dedicated individual to join our passionate, talented, and creative team who wants to make a difference in their community and see their work efforts result in tangible outcomes. The Department serves a wide and varied geography and is the local planning office for the more than 315,000 residents of unincorporated St. Louis County. With the Department office located at the County Administration Building in downtown Clayton, Missouri, you are steps away from the Metrolink Blue Line and various Metrobus options, coffee shops, restaurants, Shaw Park, and the Centennial Greenway.
As a Planner, you will be responsible for a variety of zoning, development review, subdivision, annexation, and long-range planning tasks. The Department is in the middle of a new comprehensive planning process, information about which can be found at www.stlouiscounty2050.com. The successful candidate will demonstrate excellent writing and analysis skills, will be comfortable talking to a wide variety of stakeholders, and will be capable of explaining complex ideas to community members. The Planner will be expected to prepare reports and documents for the County Planning Commission, the Board of Zoning Adjustment, and the Boundary Commission, review site development plans and permit sets, conduct in depth research on pressing matter for the County, and more. No workday will ever be the exact same and the chosen candidate will have an opportunity to become a well-rounded professional with experience in multiple planning disciplines.The typical work hours are from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Monday – Friday. The position requires occasional evening and weekend hours to facilitate engagement, outreach, and public meetings.
The starting salary for this position will be between $48,048.00 to $57,657.60 annually and will be based on experience and qualifications. As an employer, St. Louis County cares about the health and well-being of our employees. In an effort to provide for the best possible work-life balance, the County offers a generous benefit package which includes affordable health insurance, dental and vision coverage, 4 weeks of Paid Time Off the first year, 11 paid holidays, deferred benefit retirement plan, paid life insurance as well as short- and long-term disability.
To learn more County benefits, please visit Competitive Benefits - St. Louis County Website.
St. Louis County Government is a qualified agency for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program managed by the Federal Government. For more information regarding this program, please visit Public Service Loan Forgiveness | Federal Student Aid.
Examples of Duties
- Research, compile and analyze data on economic, social, and physical factors affecting land use, and prepare graphic and narrative reports. This includes staff reports on petitions for a change in zoning or special procedure (i.e., conditional use permits, special business permits, etc.), technical advice reports for zoning variance requests, annexation reports, and preparation of reports for long-range planning initiatives
- Confer with civic leaders and other authorities to devise and recommend arrangements of land and physical facilities for residential, commercial, industrial, and community uses
- Review Permit Sets, Site Development Plans, and Subdivision Plats to ensure developments are in compliance with the Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Ordinance
- Educate and assist citizens to increase awareness of existing conditions, solicit their input and address their concerns
- Support Senior Planners, Supervisors, Managers, and the Director in their roles as liaisons to various County Boards and Commissions
- Attend evening meetings for various Boards and Commissions and possible weekend meetings for community engagement related to long-range planning initiatives
- Perform other duties as required or assigned
Minimum Qualifications
- Equivalent to a Bachelor’s Degree in Urban Planning or related field (Public Administration, Landscape Architecture, Geography, etc.). A Master’s Degree in Urban Planning or related field is preferred
- Proficiency in the use of the Microsoft Office suite of tools and database management is required. Ability to use ESRI ArcGIS is preferred
- AICP certification is not required, but an interest in engaging with planning professionals across the region and a desire to keep learning new skills is required
- Possession of a valid driver’s license at the time of appointment and the ability to maintain it is required
Additional Information
SELECTION AND APPOINTMENT: A selection committee will evaluate the qualifications of each applicant which will include recentness and appropriateness of the applicant's education and experience, answers to the supplemental questions, results of employment references investigated and any other appropriate information available. The selection committee will admit to the interview only those persons who possess the most job related qualifications and may establish admittance criteria beyond the minimum qualifications stated above. The interview will comprise 100% of the applicant's earned grade. A candidate must earn a qualifying grade of 70 or more on the interview to be eligible for appointment. After initial interviews with the selected candidates are conducted, an email will be sent to the address on file with instructions on how to complete and submit a Conviction Questionnaire. Candidates have 3 days to complete the required questionnaire. The five top ranking candidates, based on the final grade, will be certified to the Department Director/Appointing Authority who will make the final decision. All applicants conditionally offered a merit position will be required to submit to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Screening will be performed by a reputable clinical laboratory. The cost of screening will be covered by the County.
St. Louis County offers its employees many excellent benefits with paid medical insurance, 20 days of PTO (paid time off) the first year and increasing with seniority, and 11-12 paid holidays. Employees hired for full time employment will participate in the St. Louis County retirement plan where they contribute 4% of their salary to the defined benefit plan with vesting after 7 years. Other benefits include: paid life insurance, a credit union, 457 Deferred Compensation Plan, pre-tax premium pay plan, dependent care and medical expense reimbursement plans, and short and long term disability insurance.
In addition to these benefits, as of January 1, 2023, St. Louis County approved up to 480 hours of paid parental leave for eligible employees welcoming new children, either by birth or adoption. The employee can also take up to 80 hours of leave for prenatal care and up to 80 hours for care of the child within the first year.
Salary : $48,048 - $57,658
