PARK PLANNER

Under general supervision, performs current and long-range professional park planning duties for the County’s park system, which consists of regional parks, trails and open space; and performs related work as required.

This is an Open Competitive/Countywide Promotional recruitment being conducted to fill a current full-time vacancy in the Community Services Department - Planning Division. The list established from this recruitment may be used to fill future vacancies as they occur. 

For more information on this position, please see the Job Specification at https://www.washoecounty.gov/humanresources/Careers/jobspecs.php

Two years of full-time experience in park and recreation planning, design, and development, AND a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in park and recreation management, natural resource management, landscape architecture, engineering, environmental design, urban and regional planning, geography or a closely related field; OR an equivalent combination of related education and experience.

License Or Certificate

A valid driver’s license is required at the time of appointment and must be maintained for continued employment in this classification.

The Ideal Candidate Will

• Have the ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing
• Maintain effective working relationships with other staff, consultants, governing bodies, neighborhood/community groups, and public agencies
• Have the ability to quickly and accurately prepare scopes of work, cost estimates, and bid documents for park projects
• Possess excellent negotiation and mediation skills
• Have a general understanding of the land use development process and writing legally defensible documents and conditions of approval
• Have the ability to make effective visual and oral presentations to a variety of groups, organizations, and public boards
• Have the ability to work independently and within a team environment to support a collaborative and unified workforce
• Have a general understanding of natural resource management and revegetation techniques
• Have the ability to prepare grant applications and manage grant awards and reporting
• Have knowledge of current trends and best practices in park and recreation planning
• Have experience with Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
• Have the ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines

The Washoe County Employees Association (WCEA) Non-Supervisory covers the Park Planner position. 

Per the Washoe County Background and Reference Checks Policy, new and rehired employees are required to submit to a fingerprint based background investigation.  Effective January 1, 2025, the $39.00 fee associated with this background investigation will be paid by the employee (if applicable) and deducted automatically from the first paycheck. Employment is contingent upon the results of the background check, although a record of conviction will not necessarily bar an applicant from employment.

Washoe County requires its employees to reside in the state of Nevada or neighboring California communities such as Truckee, South Lake Tahoe or Susanville as of their first day of work.

Washoe County hires all new employees at the minimum rate of the salary range and eligible employees may receive an annual merit increase of 5% until they reach the maximum salary for the classification.  Upon promotion, current Washoe County employees are placed at the minimum rate of the salary range for the higher classification of the new position OR a promotional calculation, whichever is greater. 

1. After your application is screened, you will be notified via the email you provided whether you have met the minimum requirements for the position. Those applicants who do not meet the qualifications have one (1) business day to file an appeal and request a review of their qualifications.

2. Applicants who meet the minimum requirements will receive an email invitation to take the Professional Level online exam administered remotely; notices will be delivered within 1 week from the closing of the recruitment. 
 
This exam link will tentatively be delivered via email the week of March 24, 2024, and qualified candidates will have a time limit to complete the exam, within 4 calendar days. **You will be notified if you are eligible to transfer an exam score within 1 week following the closing date of the recruitment.

 The exam will evaluate your expertise, knowledge, skills and abilities in the following areas:

• Reading Comprehension 
• Written Communication 
• Analytical Ability
• Business Math
• Interpersonal and Customer Service Skills

Pursuant to the Washoe County Personnel Handbook, the Department of Human Resources does not administer an exam when there are less than 20 qualified candidates.  Once the recruitment has closed, if there are less than 20 qualified candidates, the exam will be waived and all qualifying candidates will be placed on an unranked eligible list which will be referred to the hiring department. If the exam is scheduled to move forward and less than 20 candidates take the exam as determined by the Department of Human Resources, the exam will be waived.  Only those candidates who took the exam or have a transfer score will be placed on an unranked eligible list which will be referred to the hiring department.

3. After the exam is completed, you will receive an additional email notifying you of the results. If you pass the examination, you will receive your score and rank. This rank will be used to determine which candidates will be interviewed by departments trying to fill a vacancy.

4. Hiring departments schedule interviews from a list of top scoring candidates. If your name is not sent to the hiring department, it will remain on the list for future opportunities as they become available.

5. Please be advised you can log in to your NeoGov account and select:

• “Applications” to view a list of the recruitments which you have applied for, your submitted application for each recruitment, a copy of the job listing, and your applicant history for each recruitment.
• “Inbox” to view the notices which have been sent to you for each recruitment
• “Account” to update your contact information. Please note to update your phone number on previously submitted applications you must contact careers@washoecounty.gov.

If you have any questions regarding the Online Application Process, you can find additional information at the following link: https://www.washoecounty.gov/humanresources/faq/online/index.php

Questions: Jessica Gutierrez

jgutierrez@washoecounty.gov

775-328-2096

Veteran Point

Eligible veterans who were honorably discharged from the U.S. Armed Forces shall receive one (1) bonus point upon passing Open Competitive examinations only. In order to be given a bonus point, applicants must attach proof of Honorable Discharge (DD-214 with Classification of Discharge) to the Online Application at time of submission.

Washoe County is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to a diverse workforce that creates a sense of belonging for all employees and citizens, thereby encouraging persons from all backgrounds and experiences to apply for employment.

 Washoe County will recruit, hire, train and promote into all job levels without regard to race, religion or belief, gender, marital status or domestic partnership, familial status, national origin, age, mental or physical disability, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, genetic information (GINA), veteran status, political affiliation, membership in an employee association or union or any other protected class under applicable federal or state law.

Salary : $85,925 - $111,717