Recreation Services Principal Planner

Buncombe County is a caring community in harmony with its environment where citizens succeed, thrive, and realize their potential. Our mission is to promote a healthy, safe, well-educated, and thriving community with a sustainable quality of life; to provide effective and efficient government our citizens can trust; and to deliver needed service through a responsive work force committed to excellence, integrity, and teamwork.

Job Title:  Recreation Services Principal Planner

This position provides division leadership and direction in Recreation Services and is responsible for professional work coordinating various medium-to-large or complex capital improvement engineering and architectural projects, and trains and serves as team leader/supervisor of various projects. Serves as liaison with contractors, consultants, and departments developing and administering programs, activities, and systems to support and promote high performance strategies and to meet departmental priorities, goals, and objectives.

Purpose of the position:

This position provides division leadership and direction and is responsible for developing and administering programs, activities, and systems to support and promote high performance strategies and to meet departmental priorities, goals, and objectives.

Minimum Education, Training and/or Experience:

Bachelor’s degree (Master’s degree preferred) with major course work in planning or a related field and five (5) years of experience in rural and or urban planning at the local governmental level; or any equivalent combination of education, training and experience which provides the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Additional Training and Experience:

American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), Certified Facility Manager (CFM), Landscape Architect (LA) or other planning related certifications is preferred.

Essential Functions of the position:

• Assist the Department Director in the overall management, execution, and administration of services for assigned division; provide administrative oversight for operational and administration activities and functions.
• Establish, implement, and evaluate internal systems and organization to effectively meet operating goals and objectives; develop and evaluate internal policies, procedures, and staff organization to effectively carry out divisional operations.
• Initiate and implement the division’s master plan and actively manage other long range planning initiatives including specific departmental commitments related to other County plans such as the Strategic Plan, Racial Equity Plan, etc.
• Ensure effective employee relations, diversity, and staff development/training; oversight and completion of employee evaluations; ensure County personnel policies and procedures are appropriately administered within the division.
• Assist in department budget development and monitoring to ensure cost effectiveness and to ensure that purchasing and financial transactions are properly conducted in accordance with County administrative policies and procedures.
• Analyze needs, programs, services, and requests for assistance; recommend project priorities and enforce related regulations and contract specifications (as required).
• Serve as a technical advisor to the Board of County Commissioners and County officials, Board of Adjustment, Planning Board, other boards, and agencies (as necessary) on matters relating to planning and development activities.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• Knowledge of the principles and practices of rural, urban, and regional planning.
• Knowledge of the environmental and socioeconomic implications of the planning process.
• Knowledge of the current literature, trends, and developments in the field of planning specialization.
• Knowledge of government programs, laws, grants, and services pertinent to the planning process.
• Knowledge of the principles of supervision, organization, and administration as well as management techniques as applied to local government administration.
• Skill in the collection, analysis and presentation of technical data and planning recommendations.
• Ability to organize and conduct complex planning and research studies and formulate substantive recommendations based on such studies.
  Ability to plan, assign and direct the work of others including contractors, consultants, and departments.
• Ability to exercise tact when necessary and handle tense situations.  This position will play a critical role in the de-escalation of upset or distraught customers especially those that involve other staff members.
• Ability to effective use MS Office Work suite, GIS, Cobblestone and Accela permitting software is necessary

In order to uphold internal pay parity and equity, salaries are non-negotiable for new and current Buncombe County employees. All new employees are paid according to their years of relevant education and experience above minimum requirements for the position and employees have the opportunity to obtain pay increases via cost of living increases and promotions.

Department:Recreation Services

Location: Asheville, NC

Job Posting End Date: September 14, 2022

Salary Range: $74,190.83 – $91,192.92

Buncombe County Government realizes the importance of a diverse professional workforce and the need to foster a responsive and innovative organizational culture, one that fully engages all of our employees, honoring and building on each employee’s unique experiences, opinions, and perspective.

It is the policy of Buncombe County to provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all persons regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, physical or mental disability, age, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other legally protected class under federal or NC State law. In addition the Agency expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment or discrimination.

Applicants for employment are invited to participate in the affirmative action program by reporting their status as a protected veteran or other minority. In extending this invitation, we advise you that: (a) workers (applicants) are under no obligation to respond but may do so in the future if they choose; (b) responses will remain confidential within the human resource department; and (c) responses will be used only for the necessary information to include in our affirmative action program. We are a company that values diversity. We actively encourage women, minorities, veterans and disabled employees to apply. Refusal to provide this information will have no bearing on your application and will not subject you to any adverse treatment.