SALARY: See Position Overview

 

DEPARTMENT: Planning & Community Services

 

DIVISION: Planning

 

OPENING DATE: 3-27-2025

 

CLOSING DATE: Open Until Filled

 

POSITION OVERVIEW:

 

Salary Range: $76,495.33 - $88,502.34/annually. Salary reflects Step 1 and Step 4 of a 7-step pay scale. Salary at hiring will be dependent upon the applicant's education, experience, and training.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. This is an exempt position, evening meetings may be required.

 

Job Summary:

Under supervision of the Planning Division Manager, this position involves collecting, analyzing, and summarizing statistical and demographic data, as well as establishing and maintaining a comprehensive database to support neighborhood planning initiatives. The role requires leading, facilitating, and participating in neighborhood organizing efforts and consensus-building processes to address community-specific concerns effectively.

 

Scope of Responsibility:

The Neighborhood Planner will collaborate closely with neighborhood groups to develop, prepare, and implement comprehensive neighborhood plans while identifying and evaluating opportunities for community development and revitalization. A key responsibility of this role includes designing, administering, and analyzing neighborhood surveys to gather valuable insights, followed by preparing and presenting detailed summary reports to stakeholders. This position calls for a proactive leader who can engage diverse community members, foster partnerships, and contribute to the sustainable growth and development of neighborhoods.

 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Department Operations

• Writes and implements neighborhood and comprehensive plans
• Conducts research techniques, statistical analysis, and data visualization, utilizing tools such as GIS, Microsoft Office Suite, and Adobe InDesign.
• Communicates and engages with diverse stakeholders, including the public, boards, City Council, and County Commissioners. Adepts at group facilitation for in-person and virtual community workshops and participation activities.
• Reviews, interprets, and applies plans, codes, and ordinances to ensure regulatory compliance.
• Organizes and facilitates neighborhood outreach efforts, including surveys, task force meetings, public workshops, and notices for plans and updates.
• Manages multiple projects and grants, including detailed tracking and reporting responsibilities.
• Establishes and maintains effective team relationships, fostering collaboration to achieve shared goals.
• Stays current on literature, research techniques, and best practices in urban and neighborhood planning.
• Assists with counter duties and other administrative tasks as assigned.

• Collects, records, and analyzes statistical and demographic data to inform planning decisions and maintain comprehensive databases.
• Leads and facilitates neighborhood organizing, consensus-building processes, and engagement activities with community groups.
• Provides coordination and staff support for neighborhood task forces as far as distributing information and connecting task forces with City Departments and other agencies for information.
• Manages the quarterly meetings of the Combined Task Force Leadership group made up of the leaders of the City neighborhood task forces.
• Prepares, implements, and updates neighborhood plans, ensuring alignment with municipal or regional objectives.
• Conducts evaluations to identify community development opportunities, including housing, economic development, and infrastructure projects. This includes coordination with the Community Development Division that administers CDBG and other HUD programs.
• Designs, administers, and analyzes neighborhood surveys, presents findings through clear and actionable reports.
• Attends and participates in public meetings, workshops, neighborhood task force meetings, and outreach activities, both in-person and virtually, to foster community participation.
• Administers and facilitates the public art policy.
• Reviews and applies plans, codes, and ordinances to ensure regulatory compliance.
• Prepares grant applications and manages awarded grants to support planning and development projects.

 

Performs other duties as assigned.

 

Required Qualifications and Skills:

• Four (4) year degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in geography, urban or regional planning, or a related field
• Four (4) years’ experience

 

OR

• Master’s degree in urban/rural planning or a related field
• Three (3) years’ experience

 

AND

• Extensive knowledge of urban planning principles, practices, and development processes, including comprehensive and sub-area neighborhood planning
• Must have strong interpersonal and written communication skills
• Must be proficient in GIS, Microsoft Office Suites, and Adobe InDesign
• Knowledgeable about current literature, research techniques, and best practices in urban and neighborhood planning.

 

Preferred Qualifications and Skills:

• American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) membership

 

Physical Demands & Working Conditions:

Working conditions require moderate physical effort, moving between 5 and 25 pounds, where effort is intermittent, less than 15% of the time.   Working conditions require high attention to detail and ability to meet multiple deadlines occasionally (more than 50% of the time).   A typical workday involves exposure to multiple disagreeable elements, none of which are of greater than moderate intensity, on an intermittent basis (less than 15% of the time).

 

Some requirements in this job description may exclude individuals who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health and safety of themselves or other employees.  All requirements are subject to modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities.

 

Requirements are representative of minimum levels of knowledge, skills, and experience required.  To perform this job successfully, the worker must possess the abilities and aptitudes to perform each duty proficiently.

 

This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise.  The City retains the discretion to add duties or change the duties of this position at any time.

 

APPLICATIONS MAY BE FILED ONLINE AT:

https://billingsmt.gov

 

316 North 26^th Street

Billings, MT 59101

4062376210

 

[email protected]

 

Position #202500073

NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNER II