Planner Technician/Assistant Planner

Planner Technician / Assistant Land Use Planner

Compensation: $24.00 to $30.00 per hour, depending on experience

About BRAND Land Use:

BRAND Land Use is a private land use planning and development consulting firm based in Salem, Oregon. We help property owners, developers, businesses, and project teams navigate the regulatory process from early feasibility and development strategy through land use entitlement and permitting.

Our work is not limited to one city, county, or even one state. BRAND actively manages land use and development projects throughout Oregon and Arizona and has also completed work in California, Washington, Idaho, and Utah. Each jurisdiction approaches development differently, and our role is to understand the regulations, identify a viable path forward, anticipate challenges, and help our clients move projects from an idea to an approval.

Our projects include subdivisions, partitions, site plan reviews, conditional uses, variances, adjustments, annexations, zone changes, comprehensive plan amendments, master planning, development feasibility, nonconforming uses, complex entitlement strategies, and other land use and development matters. We work on residential, commercial, industrial, institutional, mixed use, and specialty development projects ranging from relatively straightforward applications to complicated and contentious land use matters.

Because we represent private clients, our work is both technical and strategic. Understanding the code is only part of the job. We also need to understand the project, the client's objectives, the jurisdiction, the development team, and the issues that could affect whether a project moves forward.

The Position:

BRAND is seeking a Planner Technician/Assistant Land Use Planner to join our planning team.

The ideal candidate will have experience in planning, land use, development review, entitlement, permitting, or a closely related field and is ready to continue developing as a professional planner.

The position will work directly with BRAND's planners on active development projects and will be involved in research, application preparation, project coordination, jurisdictional review, and development strategy. The level of responsibility will depend on experience, with the expectation that the person in this role will progressively take ownership of applications and projects as their knowledge and judgment develop.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Researching zoning, land use designations, development standards, property history, previous approvals, entitlement requirements, and permitting processes.
• Reviewing and interpreting development codes, zoning ordinances, comprehensive plans, general plans, state statutes, administrative regulations, adopted plans, and other regulatory documents.
• Determining which land use applications and approvals are required for proposed development projects.
• Preparing land use applications, written narratives, findings, justification statements, application forms, exhibits, and other supporting materials.
• Drafting findings that clearly demonstrate how a proposal satisfies applicable approval criteria.
• Reviewing site plans, subdivision plans, surveys, deeds, title reports, tax maps, architectural plans, civil plans, landscape plans, and other project documents for consistency with applicable development standards.
• Conducting development feasibility and due diligence research.
• Researching prior land use decisions and interpreting how previous approvals, conditions, or property history may affect a proposed project.
• Identifying potential entitlement issues early and assisting with strategies to resolve them.
• Coordinating with clients, city and county staff, engineers, architects, surveyors, attorneys, environmental consultants, traffic engineers, and other members of a development team.
• Preparing for and participating in preapplication conferences, project meetings, neighborhood meetings, hearings, and other jurisdictional processes.
• Managing application submittals and monitoring projects through completeness review, public notice, staff review, hearings, decisions, and post approval requirements.
• Reviewing jurisdictional comments and coordinating responses, revised plans, and supplemental materials.
• Tracking project schedules, deadlines, hearing dates, appeal periods, expiration dates, and other critical milestones.
• Assisting senior planners with complex or contentious projects and progressively assuming responsibility for independent project management.
• Learning and working within new jurisdictions as BRAND's project portfolio continues to expand.

Professional attributes:

• Previous professional experience in land use planning, development review, entitlement, permitting, municipal planning, or a closely related field.
• Strong research and analytical skills.
• Strong professional writing skills and the ability to communicate technical information clearly.
• Experience reading and interpreting zoning codes, development regulations, comprehensive plans, or similar regulatory documents.
• The ability to review plans and supporting documents and identify potential regulatory issues.
• Strong attention to detail.
• The ability to manage multiple projects, assignments, and deadlines at the same time.
• Sound judgment and the ability to recognize when an issue requires additional research or guidance.
• Initiative and a willingness to independently seek information and solutions.
• The ability to communicate professionally with clients, agency staff, consultants, and other project team members.
• A collaborative approach to working with other planners and consultants.
• The ability to receive feedback, incorporate it into their work, and continue developing professionally.
• An interest in private sector planning, development, and helping clients find practical paths through complex regulatory systems.

Education and Experience:

• A bachelor's degree in Urban Planning, Geography, Public Administration, Environmental Studies, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Real Estate Development, or a related field is preferred.
• Relevant professional experience may be considered in place of a specific degree.
• Prior planning or development related professional experience is required.
• Experience with a city, county, private planning firm, engineering firm, architecture firm, development company, land use law firm, or another organization involved in entitlement and development review is strongly valued.
• Experience with GIS, Bluebeam, Microsoft Office, and other planning or development related software is beneficial.
• Experience with Oregon land use planning is valuable, but experience in another state or regulatory system may also translate well to this position.

Working at BRAND:

BRAND is a small and growing company, and that creates a very different experience than working inside a large organization. Our planners are exposed to the full life of a project. You may begin by researching whether a property can support a client's idea, help develop the entitlement strategy, prepare the application, coordinate with the design team, work through jurisdictional review, participate in a hearing, and ultimately see the project move into development.

BRAND moves quickly. Our clients rely on us to be responsive, organized, thoughtful, and proactive. We often have many projects moving at the same time, across different jurisdictions and at different stages of the development process. That environment is a great fit for someone who enjoys variety, likes solving problems, and wants to continue learning.

As BRAND grows, we want our team members to grow with us. Someone joining us in this position will have the opportunity to expand their technical knowledge, take on increasingly complex applications, develop client relationships, participate in project strategy, and grow into an independent Land Use Planner.

Compensation and Benefits:

The compensation range for this position is $24.00 to $30.00 per hour, depending on planning experience, education, technical knowledge, writing ability, and the level of responsibility the candidate is prepared to assume.

BRAND offers:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance premiums paid by BRAND for eligible full time employees.
• 401(k) with company match.
• Paid time off.
• Paid holidays.
• Professional development and training opportunities.
• Opportunities to attend industry events and conferences.
• Direct mentorship and exposure to a broad range of development projects.
• Opportunities for advancement as skills, experience, and responsibility increase.
• Team lunches, activities, and opportunities to celebrate our successes together.

How to Apply:

Applicants should submit a resume, cover letter, and at least one professional writing sample to Britany via email (Britany@brandlanduse.com).

The cover letter should tell us about your planning or development experience, why private sector land use planning interests you, and why you believe you would be a good fit for BRAND.

Writing samples should demonstrate the applicant's ability to research, analyze, and clearly communicate planning, regulatory, development, or other technical information.