Career Opportunity

Airport Planner III - SFO (5291)

Recruitment: RTF0127773-01102413

Published: March 30, 2023

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About:

• Application Opening: 12/5/22
• Application Deadline: 4/3/22 at 5:00 PM (PST)
• Compensation: $115,128 - $139,906 annually
• Recruitment ID: TPV-5291-127774

San Francisco International Airport (SFO), an enterprise department of the City & County of San Francisco, has a workforce of approximately 1,700 City employees and strives to be a diverse, equitable, and inclusive employer. 
 
SFO’s mission is to provide an exceptional airport in service to our communities and our core values are Safety and Security, Teamwork, Excellence, Care and Equity. Learn more about careers at SFO. 

For more information about SFO, visit www.flysfo.com. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook. 

Role description

Appointment Type (multiple positions):  Provisional.  A provisional appointee must participate and be successful in a Civil Service Examination process for this classification and be selected through an open competitive process in order to be considered for a permanent appointment.  Provisional appointments may not exceed three (3) years.

The Bureau of Planning and Environmental Affairs (BPEA) supports airport divisions and advances the Airport’s strategic goals and objectives both on- and off-Airport. Under direction from the Director of Planning and Environmental Affairs and Senior Planners, the 5291 Planner III Airport Planner, will perform core airport planning functions to support short- and long-range planning on and off-Airport; support senior planners with projects and program development surrounding complex planning and environmental issues; assist in preparation of and review of environmental documents; prepare natural resource permits in support of airport capital and maintenance projects; and collaborate with internal and external stakeholders. This position will be part of a multi-functional team and will perform other additional related duties as assigned.

The essential functions and responsibilities of this position include:

1)     Assists with BPEA’s overall programs and functions, including development of project and contract budget, scopes, and schedules, and implementation of the division’s strategic plan goals and objectives. Supports professional services procurement processes and associated contract scopes, schedules, and project/task budgets. Maintains and reports on associated project/task contract scopes and budgets, and status.

2)     Assists with complex planning and programming studies to advance Airport goals and objectives, and assists with tasks and assignments performed by other staff Planners and technical consultants. Evaluates techniques to optimize Airport facilities to make more efficient use of Airport airside and landside resources and better program facility development to meet aviation activity forecast demand. Such airport planning and programming studies includes passenger terminal planning, airfield and airspace capacity planning (including technology-related enhancements and demand management techniques), facility development and programming, aviation activity forecasting, and ground transportation. Airport planning studies must be prepared according to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) orders and advisory circulars, and aviation industry trends.

3)     Assists with addressing community, business, and other stakeholder concerns and explains importance of maintaining airport land use compatibility in the airport environs, according to federal and state laws; promotes positive public relations to advance airport strategic goals and objectives; helps identify feasible solutions to issues; and represents and serves as liaison to outside agencies and communities, including, but not limited to, the FAA, local municipalities, and airlines/pilots.

4)     Assists with and prepares airport operational data to assess feasibility of the Airport’s capital improvements, development programs/projects, and best use of Airport property, as assessed according to FAA rules and regulations.

5)     Assists with the preparation of airport development plans / master plans, the Airport Layout Plan sets, aviation activity forecasts, simulation models, and other planning documents according to FAA orders and advisory circulars. Prepares briefings on airport planning and programming projects for Airport leadership, internal staff, and external stakeholders.

6)     Assists with preparation of necessary federal and state environmental review documents under FAA orders and advisory circulars implementing National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), respectively, to ensure that environmental approvals and natural resource permits are secured in a timely manner prior to project financing and implementation.

7)     Assists with preparation of natural resource permits for approval by various federal, state, and local resource agencies, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, and/or the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Assists with consultations with appropriate resource agencies and prepares federal and/or state resource permit applications for airport development and maintenance projects. Prepares pre and post construction reports and other compliance reporting.

8)     Interprets and explains legal, technical, and procedural aspects of airport planning and associated FAA rules and regulations to stakeholders; prepares technical reports, correspondence, and presentations.

9)     Performs other duties as assigned.

How to qualify

1.       Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university AND four (4) years (8,000 hours) of verifiable full-time-equivalent experience in an urban, city, regional and/or other related planning environment (such as transportation planning, environmental planning, architecture or urban design);

OR

2.       Possession of a master's degree from an accredited college or university in City, Regional or Urban Planning, or a closely related field such as Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Geography, Urban Studies or Environmental Studies AND two (2) years (4,000 hours) of verifiable full-time-equivalent experience in an urban, city, regional and/or other related planning environment (such as transportation planning, environmental planning, architecture or urban design).

Special Requirement: 
This position requires two (2) years of recent and verifiable experience in airport/aviation planning, including airport facilities planning, airport master planning, airfield/airspace planning, aviation demand forecasting, and environmental planning/permitting (i.e. CEQA/NEPA, BCDC, COE, USFWS, and/or CDFW). 

The above minimum qualifications reflect special condition associated with the position to be filled. They may differ from the standard minimum qualifications associated with this classification. 
 

Desirable Qualifications

The stated desirable qualifications may be used to identify job finalists at the end of the selection process when candidates are referred to hiring.

• Four (4) years of experience in airport/aviation planning.
• Possession of Bachelor’s or Master’s degree from an accredited college or university in Aviation Management.
• Knowledge of the principles and practices of Federal and State environmental laws, Federal Aviation Administration rules and regulations, orders, advisory circulars, and implementation requirements.
• Ability to collect, analyze and interpret data pertaining to strategic and operational airport facility impacts of proposed projects and programs.
• Ability to lead specialized planning studies and to manage internal staff and consultant work.
• Ability to speak effectively and deal tactfully with the public, governmental officials, professional and technical persons and employees.
• Ability to write clear and concise technical documents.
• Ability to facilitate Airport policy discussions relating to airport planning and capacity issues and to represent the Airport’s interests at industry conferences.
• Ability to develop administrative procedures and budgets and supervise the work of other employees and contracted consultants.

Applicants must meet the minimum qualification and special condition requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.

One year full-time employment is equivalent to 2,000 hours (2,000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40 hour work week). Any overtime hours that you work above 40 hours per week are not included in the calculation to determine full-time employment.

Nature of Work

Requires extensive computer work requiring keyboarding and prolonged sitting and working off a flat screen monitor to perform strategic and planning affairs analysis; analyzes, manipulates, and generates reports; ability to work effectively with managers, co-workers, contractors and other personnel; and ability to identify issues and problem solve.

VERIFICATION

Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education verification is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at https://sfdhr.org/how-verify-education-requirements .

Note: Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.

All work experience, education, training and other information substantiating how you meet the minimum qualifications must be included on your application by the filing deadline. Information submitted after the filing deadline will not be considered in determining whether you meet the minimum qualifications.

Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application. Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility, disqualification or may lead to lower scores.

SELECTION PROCEDURES

After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following:

Selection Procedure:  The selection process will include evaluation of applications in relation to minimum requirements.  Applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement to interview.  Depending on the number of applicants, the Department may establish and implement additional screening mechanisms to comparatively evaluate the qualifications of candidates.  If this becomes necessary, only those applicants whose qualifications most closely meet the needs of the Department will be invited for an interview.

Notes:  Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications and special condition are not guaranteed advancement through all of the steps in the selection procedure.

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Security Clearance: Candidates for employment with the San Francisco Airport Commission are required to undergo a criminal history record check, including FBI fingerprints, and Security Threat Assessment in order to determine eligibility for security clearance and may be required to undergo drug/alcohol screening. Per Civil Service Commission Rule Section 110.9.1, every applicant for an examination must possess and maintain the qualifications required by law and by the examination announcement for the examination. Failure to obtain and maintain security clearance may be basis for termination from employment with the Airport Commission.

What else should I know?

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

• Information About The Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview  
• Equal Employment Opportunity 
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

HOW TO APPLY

Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Visit https://careers.smartrecruiters.com/CityAndCountyOfSanFrancisco1/ and begin the application process.

• Select the “I’m Interested” button and follow instructions on the screen

Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment and, therefore, it is their responsibility to ensure that their registered email address is accurate and kept up-to-date. Also, applicants must ensure that email from CCSF is not blocked on their computer by a spam filter. To prevent blocking, applicants should set up their email to accept CCSF mail from the following addresses (@sfgov.org, @sfdpw.org, @sfport.com, @flysfo.com, @sfwater.org, @sfdph.org, @asianart.org, @sfmta.com, @sfpl.org, @dcyf.org, @first5sf.org, @famsf.org, @ccsf.edu, @smartalerts.info, and @smartrecruiters.com).

Applicants will receive a confirmation email that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.

Recruiter Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the Recruiter Vicky Lei at vicky.lei@flysfo.com.

CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT:  All City and County of San Francisco employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. Someone is fully vaccinated when 14 days have passed since they received the final dose of a two-shot vaccine or a dose of a one-shot vaccine. Any new hire must present proof of full vaccination status to be appointed. Any new hire who will be routinely assigned or occasionally enter High-Risk Settings, must provide proof of having received a COVID-19 booster vaccine by March 1, 2022, or once eligible.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.