County of Santa Cruz

INVITES YOU TO APPLY FOR:

PLANNER II

Supplement Questionnaire Required
Open and Promotional
Job # 23-GA8
Salary: $8,413-10,646 / Month
Closing Date: Friday, July 28, 2023

THE JOB: Under direction, conduct planning studies and analyses; review land use development applications; may serve as a project leader or specialist, and do other work as required. Planner II is the journey level in the planner series. Incumbents independently perform professional planning assignments with limited supervision.  The ideal candidate should have a strong commitment to providing excellent customer service and be interested in working in a position that requires a significant amount of interaction with individuals at the Planning Department’s public counter.  The list established will be used to fill the current vacancy and it may also be used to fill other vacancies during the life of the eligible list.

THE REQUIREMENTS: Any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain these knowledge and abilities would be:

One year of demonstrated professional planning experience equivalent to a Planner I at Santa Cruz County.

OR

Possession of a Master of Arts Degree in planning, architecture or a closely related field from an accredited college or university certified by AICP or AIA. A degree program that includes an internship in a public planning agency is highly desirable.

Special Requirements: License: Possession of a valid California Class C Driver License or the ability to provide suitable transportation which is approved by the appointing authority.

Knowledge: Working knowledge of the principles, practices and trends of public land use planning or in the specialty area to which assigned; statistical research methods as applied to the collection and tabulation of data affecting public planning; laws, ordinances and regulations governing planning in California; purposes and policies, procedures and regulations of a County planning department and zoning administration; and the principles and techniques of gathering and analyzing data. Some knowledge of basic statistical methods and procedures used in planning studies; and techniques of public presentation.

Ability to: Collect, analyze, compile, organize and present technical statistical and related information pertaining to planning and zoning research; interpret, apply and explain laws, rules, regulations and ordinances; prepare concise written and oral reports; participate in planning presentations before official bodies; provide services to the public in a courteous and effective manner; participate cooperatively and effectively as a contributing team member; prepare rough charts, maps and other graphic illustrations; apply laws and ordinances and conducting field investigations may be required for certain positions; produce acceptable work commensurate with the level of appointment in an acceptable timeframe; learn to input, retrieve and analyze data using a computer; organize and present planning research studies; collect, analyze, compile and arrange technical, statistical and related information for planning and zoning research; develop and maintain effective working relationships with the general public, officials and personnel from other agencies; interpret maps and aerial photos; and speak effectively before groups.

THE EXAMINATION: Your application and supplemental questionnaire will be reviewed to determine if you have met the education, experience, training and/or licensing requirements as stated on the job announcement.  If you meet these criteria and are one of the best qualified, you may be required to compete in any combination of written, oral and/or performance examinations or a competitive evaluation of training and experience as described on your application and supplemental questionnaire. You must pass all components of the examination to be placed on the eligible list.  The examination may be eliminated if there are ten or fewer qualified applicants.  If the eligible list is established without the administration of the announced examination, the life of the eligible list will be six months and your overall score will be based upon an evaluation of your application and supplemental questionnaire. If during those six months it is necessary to administer another examination for this job class, you will be invited to take the examination to remain on the eligible list.

HOW TO APPLY: Apply online at www.santacruzcountyjobs.com or mail/bring an application and supplemental questionnaire to: Santa Cruz County Personnel Department, 701 Ocean Street, Room 510, Santa Cruz, CA 95060. For information, call (831) 454-2600. Hearing Impaired TDD/TTY: 711.  Applications will meet the final filing date if received:  1) in the Personnel Department by 5:00 p.m. on the final filing date, 2) submitted online before midnight of the final filing date.

Women, people of color, and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.  If you have a disability that requires test accommodation, please call (831) 454-2600.

To comply with the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act, Santa Cruz County verifies that all new employees are either U.S. citizens or persons authorized to work in the U.S.

Some positions may require fingerprinting and/or background investigation. 

PLANNER II - SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE

The supplemental questions are designed specifically for this recruitment. Applications received without the required supplemental information will be screened out of the selection process. Employment experiences referred to in your response must also be included in the Employment History section of the application.

NOTE: Please answer the question(s) below as completely and thoroughly as possible, as your answer(s) may be used to assess your qualifications for movement to the next step in the recruitment process.

1. Describe your experience interacting directly with the public explaining and interpreting land use laws, policies and ordinances.

2. Describe one of the more complex or difficult projects that required administrative or public hearing approval during which you exercised strong customer service and problem-solving skills as the lead or assigned staff. Please be specific about project issues you worked to resolve, your interaction with the public, your manager, decision makers or hearing bodies and how you demonstrated strong customer service and problem-solving skills.           

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS:
ANNUAL LEAVE - 22 days first year, increasing to 37 days after 15 years of service.  Available for vacation and/or sick leave.
HOLIDAYS - 14 paid holidays per year.
BEREAVEMENT LEAVE - 3 days paid in California, 5 days paid out-of-state.
MEDICAL PLAN - The County contracts with CalPERS for a variety of medical plans.  For most plans, County contributions pay a majority of the premiums for employees and eligible dependents.
DENTAL PLAN - County pays for employee and eligible dependent coverage.
VISION PLAN - County pays for employee coverage. Employee may purchase eligible dependent coverage.
RETIREMENT - Pension formula 2% at age 60 or 2% at age 62 as determined based on provisions of the CA Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act of 2013(PEPRA). Pension benefit determined by final average compensation of three years.  County participates in Social Security.
LIFE INSURANCE - County paid $20,000 term policy.  Employee may purchase additional life insurance.
DISABILITY INSURANCE - Employees in the General Representation Unit participate in the State Disability Insurance (SDI) program. This program is funded 100% by employee payroll deductions.
DEPENDENT-CARE PLAN - Employees who make contributions for child or dependent care may elect to have their contributions made utilizing “pre-tax dollars.”
H-CARE PLAN - Employees who pay a County medical premium may elect this pre-tax program.
HEALTH CARE FLEXIBLE SPENDING ALLOWANCE (HCFSA) - Employees may elect this pre-tax program to cover qualifying health care expenses.
DEFERRED COMPENSATION - A deferred compensation plan is available to employees.

Note: Provisions of this bulletin do not constitute an expressed or implied contract.
County of Santa Cruz
www.santacruzcountyjobs.com
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