City of Santa Clara – Development Review Officer

The Department: 
The Community Development Department strives to enhance the community’s safety, welfare, quality of life, and economic opportunities by providing advanced planning, development review, permitting and inspection services, as well as administration of programs related to affordable housing. To learn more about the City of Santa Clara’s Department of Community Development/Housing click here.
 
The Position: 
The Development Review Officer is a management position in the unclassified service, which plans, organizes, manages and directs the activities of the current and advanced planning program, in accordance with legal requirements and modern standards of urban planning administration.  An incumbent in this classification performs professional planning work of considerable difficulty in the field of urban planning and may serve as the City’s Zoning Administrator.

The Department is also recruiting for a Principal Planner.  To view the job announcement and apply, please visit our website.

As a member of the City’s Unclassified Service, this is an “at will” position, and the incumbent serves at the discretion of the City Manager.  An incumbent in this classification demonstrates strong ethical, professional, and service-oriented leadership and interpersonal skills; sets a good example; and correctly applies the tenets of the City’s Code of Ethics and Values.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

This description may not include all the duties listed below, nor do the examples cover all duties that may be performed.

Under General Direction:

• Manage the Development Review Division within the Department of Planning & Inspection under the general direction of the City Planner and the Director of Planning & Inspection.
• Gather, analyze and present data in the form of written, graphic, or oral reports for use before commissions and public hearings;
• Plan, supervise, and participate in the preparation of planning projects;
• Prepare statistics and other information for general distribution;
• Provide technical and management assistance to department staff in solving difficult assignments and in reviewing objectives, techniques of execution, and resultant findings;
• Assist in the review of the City’s General Plan and preparation of new ordinances to effectuate the same;
• Assist in the coordination of redevelopment with the General Plan;
• Research, plan and provide technical analysis for complex planning projects and preparation of reports including recommendations;
• Plan and participate in meetings of various civic, business and community organizations;
• Assist the City Planner in the staffing of the Planning Commission, the Permit Center and the allocation of budget and staffing resources;
•  Act as Assistant Zoning Administrator.
• May represent the City Planner or the Director of Planning & Inspection in their absence;
• May represent the Department at the Architectural Committee, and other planning advisory committees as needed;
• Assist City Planner in the evaluation of program staff; and
• Perform other work as assigned.

Education and Experience:
• Education and experience equivalent to graduation from an accredited college or university with a Master’s degree in City Planning; and
• Four (4) years of increasingly responsible experience performing varied and complex planning work, one year of which has included managing professional staff is required.
**An equivalency would be a Bachelor’s degree in City Planning AND six (6) years of increasingly responsible experience performing varied and complex planning work, one (1) year of which has included managing professional staff.
• Experience with computer software programs commonly used by the city and by the Planning & Inspection Department, such as Microsoft Word, Excel, permitting software and Geographic Information System (GIS), is highly desirable.

License/Certifications:
Possession of an appropriate, valid California driver’s license is required at time of application and for the duration of employment.

Desirable Qualifications:
Membership in the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) is highly desirable.

Other Requirements:
Must be able to perform all of the essential functions of the job assignment.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Incumbents in this position are required to file a Conflict of Interest statement upon assuming office, annually and upon leaving office, in accordance with City Manager Directive 100.

Meeting the minimum qualifications does not guarantee admittance into the interview process.  Only the most qualified candidates who demonstrate the best combination of qualifications in relation to the requirements and duties of the position will be invited to test.  
 
Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of Santa Clara will not sponsor, represent, or sign documents related to visa applications/transfers for H1B or any other type of visa which requires an employer application. 

Knowledge of: 
• Principles, practices and trends of community and urban planning and land use management;
• Physical, social and economic implications involved in city planning, including the development of urban, environmental and aesthetic needs;
• Research methods and sources of information related to urban growth and development;
• Federal, State and local laws and regulations pertaining to general plans, environmental matters, redevelopment, zoning and land development, e.g., CEQA, NEPA, the subdivision Map Act, etc.;
• City zoning ordinances and zoning techniques;
• Supervisory personnel practices and procedures;
• Office safety practices, procedures and standards;
• Problem solving and conflict resolution practices and techniques;
• Project and workload planning;
• Electronic data processing systems, and their planning and land use applications, and
• Complex spreadsheets and database applications.

Ability to: 
• Manage, organize and conduct planning research studies and reports;
• Draw logical and perceptive conclusions from factual data;
• Develop well-supported recommendations;
• Supervise preparation of maps, charts and other graphic materials.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work including staff, developers and citizens;
• Work effectively as a member of the department’s management team and be able to deliver excellent customer service to both internal and external City clients;
• Exercise independent judgment and initiative with minimal supervision;
• Identify, research and gather relevant information from variety of sources;
• Read and interpret planning policies and apply code requirements;
• Prepare and monitor a comprehensive division budget;
• Prepare and present planning studies;
• Prepare and present highly technical and complex written and oral reports to City Council, Citizens and City staff;
• Communicate logically and clearly, both orally and in writing;
• Work effectively in time-sensitive situations and meet deadlines;
• Coordinate multiple projects and complex tasks simultaneously;
• Develop and implement long-range planning projects;
• Develop creative and practical solutions to complex and difficult problems and;
• Bend, stoop, reach, carry, crawl, climb, and lift as necessary to perform assigned duties.

Additional Information:
You must answer all job-specific questions in order to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Applications must be filled out completely (i.e. do not write “see resume or personnel file.”)  To receive consideration for the screening process, candidates must submit a 1) Cover Letter and, 2) Resume. Incomplete applications will not be accepted. Application packets may be submitted online through the “Apply Now” feature on the job announcement at www.santaclaraca.gov.  This position is continuous or open until filled: Applications will be reviewed every three (3) weeks for consideration to the position, with the first review anticipated to be on or about Friday, June 24, 2022.  If you are interested in applying you are encouraged to apply as soon as possible, before the position is closed.