Senior Planner

Planning/Community Development
September 23, 2022
Full Time

Job Description

JOIN REDMOND!

The City of Redmond is a thriving, culturally diverse community and home to over 72,000 residents. Redmond is also the hub to an array of commerce and industry ranging from technology, aerospace and gaming to biomedical and innovation start-ups. These exciting industries bring smart, sustainable growth as well as cutting-edge architecture and design. This is why we think our Senior Planner position on our Real Property team is a great opportunity.

The Real Property staff in our Finance Department are responsible for buying and selling land and property rights needed to support City programs, capital projects, services, and private development. These activities can involve affordable housing, public rights-of-ways, parks, transportation facilities, utilities, and use of public property. As a Senior Planner, you will help manage and maintain records of 300 + City-owned properties and additional real property rights. Other services provided by our Real Property team and our Senior Planner include:

  • Escrow and recording of property documents
  • General land rights and title research
  • Market and strategic planning analysis
  • Valuation and valuation reviews
  • Inspection to ensure the City’s property rights are enforced

In simple terms, our Senior Planner is a public steward for the City’s real property.

This is a great opportunity for someone with a background in urban planning, housing development, capital planning, or commercial real estate development. And if you are a long-range urban planner or real estate professional looking for a position that allows you to continue to do what you love but doesn’t require the sacrifice that comes from attending evening and weekend meetings, you will love this job!

NOTE: This is a Limited Duration position with full benefitsand an anticipated contract duration until December 1, 2024, with the possibility of the duration being extended. Have questions about what this means? Don’t hesitate to ask!

ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES

More About You:
You are a growth-minded leader.
You love to seek new things to learn, whether its skills or about the people you work with in this role. You are always willing to learn new aspects of this job and to grow your skills so that you can provide the best support you are capable of for our internal and external customers.

You are motivated to solve challenges.
This position balances developing new ideas as well as analyzing and improving on old ones. You bring strong technical abilities with initiative to create carefully thought-out results.

You bring strong critical thinking skills.
This position demands skills in being able to review documents and ideas from a variety of positions and to use good research and evidence to support recommendations. You must also be willing to review evidence even if it doesn’t support your position and have an open mind for changing your position should contrary evidence be presented. In other words, it requires a pursuit for truth and diplomacy.

You are a skilled communicator.
This position requires great skill and ability to synthesize complex real estate and legal issues succinctly. You must be able to successfully communicate with audiences of varying aptitudes, backgrounds, and levels of understanding to effectively explain complicated topics and issues.

More About the Job:
If you are selected for this position, here a few of the responsibilities you will have in addition to the ones already mentioned:


  • Prepare for the acquisition, condemnation or disposal of property by conducting title and property market research; review legal documents, research property rights; review titles, property descriptions, appraisal reports, environmental surveys/studies and perform feasibility analyses.
  • Review deeds, development agreements, plats, site plans, and surveys to determine property rights needed to support construction and maintenance of City projects and private development.
  • Plan and direct work of contracted appraisers, environmental investigators, surveyors, and other real estate professionals.
  • Act as a liaison between project managers and property owners; communicate and resolve issues regarding project scope and impact.
  • Negotiate agreements, purchases, donations, and easements with property owners; draft terms and conditions for commercial leases, including telecommunications facilities leases.
  • Work with the City Attorney to complete property transactions; ensure property documentation and transfer of property ownership rights.
  • Present briefings and recommendations to the City Council for actions to take regarding the City’s real property.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education and Experience

  • Bachelor’s degree or professional certification in urban planning, real estate, law, economics, project management, housing development, architecture, or related discipline.
  • Four (4) to six (6) years of professional experience in the above fields; or
  • Any combination of education and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities.

Please review the Senior Planner classification description for more information about the knowledge, skills, abilities, working conditions, and physical requirements.

LICENSES AND REQUIREMENTS:

  • Valid Washington State Driver’s License and a driving record that meets city standards.
  • This position is currently covered by a collective bargaining agreement

BENEFITS

  • Our employees earn competitive wages and enjoy an exceptional benefits packet.
  • The City pays for all regular, full-time employee healthcare premiums.
  • Learn more about our medical, retirement, and other perks like tuition reimbursement and transportation subsidies including a free bus pass by visiting https://cityofredmond.benefithub.com/.

SELECTION PROCESS:
We expect this to be a high-volume recruitment so we will begin reviewing applications and selecting some candidates for screening video calls as they come in. All candidates will be notified of their application status.

We will be interviewing final candidates on October 18, 2022 and making a final decision before the end of October. Our goal is to have our new Senior Planner start with us on or before December 1, 2022.

Please include a resume and cover letter with your application. Please be sure to list or upload copies of all relevant training and certifications on your application.

The City may review existing application pools to fill this position or use this pool to fill future vacancies. The City is accepting applications from internal and external applicants.

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