What are the responsibilities and job description for the Planner II position at Summit Design and Engineering Services?
Company Description Summit Design and Engineering Services is a multidisciplinary design and engineering firm headquartered in Hillsborough, North Carolina, with additional offices across North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina, Florida, and Colorado. Since 1997, the firm has focused on partnering with clients to successfully deliver projects of many types and scales, often involving collaboration among multiple internal departments. Summit’s purpose is to build partnerships that shape communities, and its vision centers on enhancing the built environment through resilient, impactful projects. The company culture emphasizes a welcoming community, integrity, versatility, and shared success, while also valuing fun and connection through community and company events. Team members are encouraged to grow professionally, gain cross-disciplinary experience, and contribute to sustainable, community-focused outcomes.
Planner II
Summit Design and Engineering is seeking a Planner II to join our team. Our Planning Department is a small team of dedicated, flexible planning professionals who work primarily on behalf of local governments in long-range/comprehensive planning, zoning ordinance updates, and related projects.
The ideal candidate will be curious, optimistic, and passionate about planning. It is important that the Planner be principled, caring, and able to meet people where they are in small and rural localities throughout Virginia and North Carolina. We are looking for someone who wants to help grow our department and constantly strives to create better plans and planning processes. We work in the office (when not traveling) five days a week.
Responsibilities:
- Provide comprehensive community planning
- Perform geographic analysis and create maps
· Provide demographic analysis, data collection and interpretation
· Use development scenario modeling and provide interpretation
· Attend, present and facilitate public meetings
· Create and design documents in support of projects
· Compile feasibility studies, market analysis and housing assessments
· Research best planning practices and evolving planning issues
· Support other Summit departments by doing entitlement work and site assessments
Minimum Skills and Qualifications:
- Master's Degree in Urban and Regional Planning
- Strong written and verbal communications skills
- Ability to build and maintain strong relationships
- Strong collaboration and research skills
- Ability to work independently as well as on a team
- Strong work ethic and desire for continual learning
- Strong design aesthetic
- Proficient in using a computer, Microsoft Office software, and file sharing programs, with a particular emphasis on the use of Microsoft Excel
- Ability to travel, including overnight stays (25% - 40% of time currently within VA and NC)
- Ability to attend evening and weekend meetings on occasion
- Must have a valid driver's license and an acceptable motor vehicle record
Preferred Skills and Qualifications:
Some combination of the following skills and qualifications is preferred:
· Proficiency with geographic analysis and map making using ArcGIS Desktop
· Project management and progress tracking experience
· Experience using Adobe software products including InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator
· Ability to create renderings using a combination of computer and artistic methods
· Experience with demographic analysis including accessing, analyzing and presenting census data
· Understanding of local government processes, land use law, and zoning
· Understanding of and experience with community long range and comprehensive planning and small area plans