Assistant Planning Director

Position Overview

The Assistant Director is expected to apply professional planning knowledge and experience to the essential public service duties of the City Planning Department. Supervision is exercised over subordinate employees and serves as the assistant to the Planning Director.

Various duties include, but are not limited to, comprehensive plan updates, subdivision administration, development plan review, historic preservation, capital budgeting, drafting ordinances, zoning board recommendations, grant writing and office administration. The Assistant Director is tasked with researching issues, formulating findings and recommendations, presenting oral and written reports to the public, the Planning Director, City Plan Commission, City Council, Zoning Board of Review, and various other city bodies as needed.

General Duties & Responsibilities

• Apply professional planning knowledge, skills and experience as they pertain to various city planning issues;
• Conduct studies relating to a full range of professional planning work including, but not limited to, zoning administration, comprehensive planning, subdivisions, site plan review, capital budgeting, ordinance drafting, demographic analysis, neighborhood studies, grant writing and grant administration;
• Draft reports and recommendations in connection with the above referenced activities and provides findings to the Planning Director, City Plan Commission, City Council, Zoning Board of Review, and various other city bodies as necessary;
• Assist with the essential administrative public service aspects of working within a City Planning Department;
• Supervise subordinate staff and balance the monthly workload of the various boards and commissions;
• Perform all other related work at the discretion of the Planning Director.

Qualifications

• Organize, undertake, and synthesize complex planning research, draw logical inferences, and summarize results;
• Understand and administer complex intergovernmental relationships;
• Present findings before the public and decision-making bodies in a concise oral and written format;
• Build and maintain professional relationships with all city departments;
• Accurately interpret city regulations and be able to communicate required actions to private property owners and the public;
• Work as a key team member on various special projects throughout the city and the State;
• Critically review proposed development projects for the merits of their design and function and provide detailed staff presentations and recommendations.
• Microsoft Windows / Microsoft Office Suite / GIS competence

Education and Experience Requirements

• Master’s degree in planning (Community, Town, City/Urban, Regional) from an accredited planning program with a minimum of three (3) years of professional planning experience. AICP is preferred. OR
• Master’s degree from an accredited college or university in one of the following disciplines with a combination of four (4) years of professional / academic / internship experience in planning: Sustainability, Public Administration,      Public Policy, Urban Affairs, Geography, Environmental Science/Management Graduate Certificate of Planning is desirable.  AICP is preferred. OR
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in one of the following disciplines with a combination of 5 years of professional / academic / internship experience in Planning (Community, Town, City/Urban, Regional): Planning, Urban Studies, Community Development Sustainability, Public Administration, Political Science, Public Policy, Urban Affairs , Geography, Environmental Science/Management, Architecture Graduate Certificate of Planning is desirable.

AICP is required by the end of the probationary period.

Remember to submit the "Municipal Employment Application" available on https://www.cranstonri.gov/cranston-open-positions.aspx