Planner I (15240, Multiple Positions Grade 20) presso The Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission, MD

About the Department

All applicants to this job posting will be considered for this and future Planner I job openings for 90 days or until qualified candidates have been exhausted from this job posting, whichever comes first. At that time, a new job posting may be available for application to future openings. 

The Prince George’s County Planning Department of The Maryland National-Capital Park and Planning Commission is seeking qualified candidates for Planner I positions to join our team. The Department provides land use planning, both current and long-range, for the physical development of Prince George’s County, Maryland. As the second most populous county in Maryland, Prince George’s has a population of approximately 900,000 residents with 15 Metro Rail Stations and is home to the University of Maryland at College Park, WMATA Headquarters, UMD Capital Region Medical Center, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Joint Base Andrews, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and a world class parks and recreation system. Prince George’s County is also home to attractions such as Northwest Stadium and National Harbor.

A Planner I performs entry-level professional planning work for the Planning Department. They plan and carry out the work in conformance with established policies and procedures and accepted programmatic practices; resolve commonly encountered problems by selecting and applying the appropriate guidelines. They keep the supervisor informed of assignment status, seeking assistance with non-routine problems and issues. Work is evaluated in terms of compliance with guidelines, quality, quantity, timeliness, teamwork, customer service and other factors.

If you are interested in working for the Prince George’s County Planning Department, we invite qualified candidates to apply for our Planner I position. Salary is commensurate with education and experience.

Candidates may be considered for openings in the following service lines:

Community Planning Division

The primary role for a Planner I assigned to Community Planning includes participation in an interdisciplinary project team working on various projects; area master plans, sector plans, plan amendments, sectional map amendments, specialized studies, short-term focused plans, and/or developing scopes of work. Primary focus on long-term land use and zoning issues for small areas throughout the County. Opportunity to explore additional planning topics within the scope of each plan or study, including housing, the natural environment, transportation and mobility, public health, healthy food access, public facilities, parks and recreation, urban design, community and cultural heritage, equity, community resilience, and economic development.

Development Review Division

Administers the zoning and subdivision ordinance by reviewing development proposals for compliance.   Planners work in these sections:

Urban Design Section - reviews applications for the area between and around site development to better organize physical space and community environments. 

Subdivision Section – reviews applications for subdivisions in the County to ensure they meet the County’s Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations.

Zoning Section – reviews applications for zoning map amendments, special uses, exceptions, permits and uses for adherence to the Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations.

Countywide Planning Division

Maintains, develops, updates, and administers several plans which comprehensively cover specific topics for the entire County, including transportation, historic resources, green infrastructure planning and preservations, parks and recreation, trails, schools, public safety, and water resources. Planners work in these sections:

Environmental Planning - evaluates the impacts of land use plans and development proposals on woodlands, wildlife habitats, green infrastructure, streams, floodplains, wetlands, unsafe soils, and rare, threatened, and endangered species habitats.

Historic Preservation - works with the Prince George’s County Planning Board and the Historic Preservation Commission to maintain a collection of historical resources; identify, designate, and regulate historic sites; and provide expert guidance to encourage preservation awareness.

Transportation Planning - conducts/reviews transportation studies to ensure adequate transportation facilities have been planned for development and develops transportation elements of master plans. Also provides technical support to the County on transportation planning issues and trails planning.

Special Projects - responsible for providing technical advice on the need for public facilities, mandatory referral cases, and agricultural issues, as well as a wide variety of unique projects and reports, including implementing new planning tools.

Position Duties

A Planner I should possess urban design, land use, zoning and/or subdivision experience capable of reviewing and analyzing development proposals and managing ongoing processes related to the assigned cases and projects.  The individual in this position will primarily focus on the current planning aspects of the particular Division for which they are hired. Work program may involve regulatory review of simple amendments to preliminary and site plans; assistance in the development of new sector or master plans; providing technical assistance and support for presentations to the Planning Board or other regulatory bodies; research to analyze routine planning problems; and preparation of routine correspondence in response to general inquiries from citizens, developers, engineers, architects and attorneys.

Under direction, a Planner I will:

• Provide planning services for assigned program to include reviewing and analyzing simple amendments to preliminary and site plans, non-controversial conditional use applications, and administrative mandatory referrals. 

• Write staff reports or prepare key sections of staff reports related to specific planning topics.

• Participate on a planning team(s) and work on planning related research studies. 

• Attend public hearings and meetings.  

• Assist with conducting site inspections. 

• Apply knowledge of the principles and concepts of planning, and knowledge of research techniques and statistical analysis, GIS applications and uses, land use laws, trails, community and economic development and planning regulations and processes. 

• Independently perform various types of research and analyses and solve conventional and non-standard problems, which include interactions of technical and non-technical variables. 

• Interact with people inside and outside the organization, including the public, to exchange information, coordinate, instruct and guide.

• Perform other duties, as assigned.

  
WHAT YOU SHOULD BRING: 
The ideal candidate will be highly organized, have strong analytical and critical thinking skills, possess outstanding communication skills, and be proactive. In addition, they must be independently engaged in the work program and highly dependable. Work assignments require an understanding of Local, State and Federal laws.

The ideal candidate will have: 

• Strong written and verbal communications skills.
• A desire to serve the public, collaborate with other agencies and departments, and work closely with other planning team members.
• Familiarity with methodologies for collecting, analyzing, and summarizing data for planning and policy-related research.
• The ability to learn quickly, apply creativity and logic to problem solving, understand complex processes and procedures, prioritize workload, set and meet deadlines, and perform well with minimal direct supervision.
• The ability to cope effectively with change, be flexible, and pivot to changing priorities comfortably.
• Experience researching, writing, and presenting information about local planning and regulations.
• Experience supporting complex planning projects.
• Experience providing policy support to committees, boards, councils, or other advisory or decision-making bodies.
• Experience with Office 365 (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, Sharepoint)
• GIS and other planning applications (CoStar, Zonda, Community Viz, etc.).
• Ability to perform other related duties as assigned.
• Multilingual verbal and writing skills (Spanish desired).

Minimum Qualifications

1. Bachelor’s Degree in Planning, Geography, Architecture, Parks and Recreation, Transportation, Urban Design, Engineering, Environmental Science, Public Policy, Economics or any related field.
2. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted, which together total four (4) years.
3. Valid driver's license (depending on area of assignment) in accordance with both State and Commission rules and regulations.  Driver’s license must be unencumbered by restrictions, revocations, suspensions, or points that could limit the employee’s ability to drive Commission vehicles or perform driving duties required by the position of assignment.

Other Qualifications

Classification Specification Planner I

Primarily works in an office setting with occasional outside exposure. Work involves frequent positioning of self to obtain maps, drawings and plans, remaining in a stationary position, moving about inside the office, communicating with the public, officials and employees. Work may require some physical requirements.  Driving to various meetings and conducting site inspections. May be subject to various job demands such as high volume of work and tight deadlines.

Amenities: 

• Telework opportunities 
• Flexible schedules
• Onsite fitness center
• Complimentary access to M-NCPPC gymnasiums throughout Prince George’s County 
• Free parking is available for employees 
• Professional development opportunities/Tuition assistance 
• Positions may qualify for federal student loan forgiveness assistance 

The M-NCPPC offers a competitive salary range of $57,062 - $101,062 (salary is commensurate with education and experience) at the Planner I level with excellent benefits including generous leave, extensive health coverage, deferred compensation plan, and employee pension plan.  

The Prince George’s County Planning Department is conveniently located in Largo, Maryland near Metro and I-495.

May be subject to medical, drug and alcohol testing.

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate a workplace culture of diversity, equity and inclusion without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, gender identity, or any other non-merit factor.

Applicants with Disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

If you require accommodations or special arrangements due to a qualifying disability, please notify the Recruitment & Selections Services Unit at the time of applications at or 301-454-1411 (Maryland Relay 7-1-1)

M-NCPPC will make all efforts to reasonably accommodate you.