Conveniently situated in Montgomery County, just 15 miles northwest of Washington, D.C., Rockville, Maryland is hailed as one of the nation’s leading small cities and one of the top 10 most diverse communities in the nation. Rockville offers a mix of urban and suburban lifestyles with a variety of engaged residential communities. Rockville also has two Metro stations that provide convenient access to the DC Metropolitan Area and opportunities for new transit-oriented development.
The Principal Planner leads exciting planning projects to implement our recently adopted Comprehensive Plan. In addition, this professional facilitates missing middle house, transit-oriented development, and works with diverse communities to promote equity and inclusion. Our value-driven department seeks someone who has proven skills in project management, community engagement, research, and producing written reports and studies.
Please join our Community Planning and Development Services Department where our employees thrive due to a culture of empowerment, professional growth, collaboration, creativity, diversity, and innovation. We offer a flexible, family-oriented work schedule and opportunity for regular teleworking several days a week. This position is vacant due to an outside promotion.
Essential Job Functions
Job functions will be focused on long range planning, historic preservation, plan implementation, and/or development review and zoning.
General
Identifies and analyzes problems, develops goals and objectives, and designs programs to meet departmental and citywide objectives.
Represents the City and Department and actively participates in meetings with elected officials, boards and commissions, government agencies, property owners, developers, neighborhoods, and community groups to discuss long-range planning, transportation and urban design issues.
Coordinates work with other planners and employees in other departments and divisions, including Public Works, Transportation, Recreation and Parks, Environmental Management, and Economic Development.
Performs other duties as required.
Comprehensive Planning
- Plans, organizes and develops major multi-disciplinary long range planning programs, consistent with department objectives.
- Performs specialized studies in such areas as land use, transportation, population, housing, historic preservation, economic development, and urban design of the City, and of adjacent areas in support of assigned program responsibilities and under the direction of the Comprehensive Planning Manager.
- Directs field studies and surveys intended to collect original research data for City planning projects, and determines the statistical techniques to be used in compiling such studies.
- Consults with local officials, as under guidance of the Comprehensive Planning Manager, concerning the compilation and interpretation of research data of assigned projects.
- Undertakes, analyzes, and makes proposals for revisions to existing City planning projects/programs, including the City's Comprehensive Plan, neighborhood plans and functional plans.
- Manages the master planning process, including public participation and technical recommendations for new master plans or revisions to existing plans, as directed.
- Conducts periodic review and essential research for the maintenance of various City plans and programs.
- Tracks and pursues implementation of adopted plan.
- Prepares reports and makes recommendations on planning programs; makes presentations to government officials and agencies as required. (Sometimes after hours)
- Attends meetings of civic associations and business groups to discuss long range planning and urban design issues. (Sometimes in non-standard work hours)
- Provides support to the Mayor and Council and other boards and commissions on long range planning or urban design issues as assigned.
- Participates in development review activities of the department, as assigned.
- Designs and implements planning programs and studies intended to promote the orderly growth and development of the City and of sub-areas within its boundaries
Historic Preservation
- Evaluates sites for potential historic significance for inclusion in a City historic district
- Reviews Certificate of Approval applications for compliance with relevant guidelines, and makes recommendations to the Historic District Commission
- Provides advice on historic preservation matters for development review and long range planning matters, and to other departments as required.
- Act as staff liaison to Historic District Commission
Education and Experience:
Bachelor's degree (Master's degree preferred) with major coursework in planning, public policy, architecture, civil engineering, geography, or closely related field from an accredited university or college; plus six (6) years of progressively responsible work in planning.
Special Qualifications:
Membership in the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) encouraged.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Knowledge of the principles, practices and techniques of urban planning, urban design, zoning, historic preservation and development.
- Knowledge of the principles, practices and techniques of transportation planning.
- Knowledge of the literature and sources of information available concerning planning matters, and of the techniques and procedures useful to analyze and report on such subjects.
- Knowledge of zoning and land subdivision ordinances and regulations, and the methods and procedures by which they are enforced.
- Knowledge of the general principles and practices of civil engineering and architecture as applied to urban planning and development.
- Knowledge of computer applications to planning (word processing, spreadsheets and data bases, geographic information systems, transportation modeling).
- Skill in participating in or developing recommended plans, studies or reports dealing with and fostering the planned economic growth and orderly physical development of the City.
- Skill in analyzing and preparing planning studies, including recommendations, relative to such areas of planning concern as: land use; zoning; urban design; historic preservation; public facilities; community services, open space; transportation; land development control ordinances and procedures; and fiscal, social and environmental impact statements.
- Skill in presenting both oral and written reports to the Mayor and Council and Planning Commission and other groups.
- Ability to draft, sketch and letter and illustrate in map and graphic forms.
- Ability to analyze and evaluate pertinent planning data, to develop unbiased, just and concise recommendations, and to execute plans once approved.
- Ability to analyze plans for the development of private and municipal properties.
- Ability to analyze and systematically compile technical and statistical information and to prepare technical reports.
- Ability to utilize personal computers and related software applications.
- Ability to provide information to boards and commissions and other interested parties, and to convey concise and accurate explanations concerning various planning ordinances and procedures.
- Ability to make recommendations recognizing established precedents and practices, and to use resourcefulness and tact in meeting new problems.
- Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with other employees and to deal tactfully with developers, engineers and the public in the resolution of difficult and contentious matters.