Career Opportunity

DIRECTOR OF CITYWIDE PLANNING

Recruitment: RTF0136047-01112661

Published: July 21, 2023

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About:

The San Francisco Planning Department is recruiting for one (1) Permanent Exempt (PEX) Director of Citywide Planning position in our Citywide Planning Division.

Specific information regarding this recruitment process are listed below:

• Application Opening:  June 13, 2023
• Application Deadline:  August 6, 2023, 11:59 PM PST
• Recruitment ID:  RTF0136047-01112661
• Analyst:  Michael Eng

Appointment Type
This Permanent Exempt (PEX) position is excluded by the Charter from the competitive Civil Service Examination process and shall serve at the discretion of the Appointing Officer.

Compensation and Benefits
The normal annual salary Range A is $175,864 to $224,484. Appointment above the maximum of the normal range may be considered based on documented and substantiated recruitment and retention issues or exceptional skills. A special approval process is necessary for appointment above the normal salary range.

In addition, the City and County of San Francisco (City) offers comprehensive benefit programs that include:

• Medical, Vision, Dental, and Life insurance
• Long-term disability plan; Flexible Spending Accounts
• Pension Plan; Retiree Healthcare; Deferred Compensation Program
• Paid Management Training Program; Wellness Program
• Paid Vacation, Holidays, Sick Leave; Management Leave

• Additional information about the City’s Management Benefits.

The Department
The San Francisco Planning Department (CPC) plays a central role in guiding the growth and development in our City. The Department works with other City agencies and the community to help achieve great planning for a great city.   

Our Mission
The mission of the San Francisco Planning Department, under the direction of the Planning Commission, shapes the future of San Francisco and the region by: generating an extraordinary vision for the General Plan and in neighborhood plans; fostering exemplary design through planning controls; improving our surroundings through environmental analysis; preserving our unique heritage; encouraging a broad range of housing and a diverse job base; and enforcing the Planning Code. 

Our Racial and Social Equity Vision 
The Department’s racial and social equity vision is:  

The SF Planning Department envisions inclusive neighborhoods that provide all with the opportunity to lead fulfilling, meaningful, and healthy lives. We envision a city where public life and public spaces reflect the past, present, and future of San Franciscans. We envision a city where a person’s race does not determine their lives’ prospects and success. 

We envision an inclusive Planning Department and Commissions that represent and engage the communities we serve. We envision a department that proactively infuses racial and social equity in both internal operations and external Planning work. Together, we are reimagining what the Planning field is and can be – inclusive, diverse and one that centers racial and social equity both as a practice and as an indicator of success. 

To achieve this broader city vision, we must do our part and address racial and social equity within the Planning Department’s policies and practices.

Role description

Role Description
The San Francisco Planning Department currently has an opening for the Director of Citywide Policy Planning. The Citywide Policy Planning Division (“Citywide”) is the Department’s long-range planning division guiding land use policy for the City.  Citywide develops plans for the City’s existing and evolving neighborhoods to meet the needs of current and future residents, workers, and visitors. Our work centers on inclusivity, sustainability, and economic vitality.

Citywide maintains the City's General Plan, which provides guidance to all City agencies and departments regarding land use, transportation, housing, urban design, open space, resilience, and other issues. Citywide also develops policies and regulations through community-based planning efforts and city-wide initiatives that implement the General Plan. 

This position oversees a current staff of approximately 25 and a budget of $3 million. The position serves as one of seven senior managers in the Planning Department.  The other six senior managers include the Director of Administration, the Director of Current Planning, the Environmental Review Officer, the Director of Community Equity, the Director of Commission Affairs, and the Chief of Staff all report directly to the Director of Planning. The position also contributes to the overall management of the Department through overseeing various interdivisional project teams.

The position is principally responsible for advising the Planning Director on key land use, transportation, design and resiliency issues, amending and interpreting the General Plan, developing implementation programs, developing community plans, and conducting studies and reports as necessary to consistently implement the goals, objectives, policies and principles of the General Plan.  This responsibility includes the development of ordinances and policies through adoption by the Planning Commission, Historic Preservation Commission, and the Board of Supervisors.  To implement policy into action, the position must be skilled at interagency convening, coordination, and change management.

The position develops and oversees the organizational structure, the annual work program, and the budget and staffing of the Citywide Division and assists in and coordinates with the Chief Administrative Officer in the preparation of the Department’s work program and budget.

As a principal deputy, the Director of Citywide Planning represents the Department and the Director at all times and officiates on the Director’s behalf as needed.  The Director of Citywide Planning represents the Department and the Director at meetings with the public, elected officials, other agencies and departments of the City, and other Planning Department stakeholders.

The ideal candidate for the Director of Citywide Policy Planning will be an excellent planner, collaborator, and manager, with a commitment to advance inclusivity, sustainability, and economic vitality.

The position requires strong leadership, excellent personnel management skills, and the ability to effectively develop and provide for implementation of significant planning policy for the City.  The position requires the ability to effectively manage the functional areas described, as well as to provide policy guidance and counsel on professionalism to staff.  The position will work to repair harm for historically disadvantaged communities and will effectively work across all of San Francisco’s diverse communities.  Knowledge of state-of-the-art planning practice is important, as is knowledge of the current trends, impacts and issues facing growth and development in dense cities. Experience in the creation, administration, and monitoring of budgets is important.  The ability to effectively mentor staff and manage functional performance is essential.    Clear and compelling communication is paramount.

How to qualify

Minimum Qualifications

1. Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, with a specialty in urban planning, architecture, public policy or administration or a related field AND
    
2. Six (6) years of verifiable full-time management experience in the area of urban planning, architecture, public policy or administration, land use law, or a related field, of which all experience must include supervising professional planning staff.

Education Substitution:  Additional verifiable experience as described above may be substituted for the required education on a year-for-year basis up to a maximum of two (2) years.  One (1) year equal thirty (30) semester or forty-five (45) quarter units.

Note: One (1) year of full-time employment is equivalent to 2,000 hours of qualifying work experience (one year if performed full-time at 40 hours per week).  Any overtime hours that were worked above 40 hours per week are not included in the calculation to determine qualifying hours worked.

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

• Track record of successful planning and use of creative concepts that have led to successful implementation.
• Extensive experience mentoring staff and coaching for continual improvement.
• A strong team player and team builder with a collaborative leadership style, who both has demonstrated successes partnering with colleagues and also understands the importance of empowering communities within planning processes while improving outcomes for historically disadvantaged groups.
• Considerable experience in coordinating with other agencies, elected officials, and public stakeholders and navigating a political landscape to be able to effectively implement policies, plans and projects.
• Sound and demonstrated technical background pertaining to comprehensive planning, and especially land use considerations in San Francisco or in similar large cities.
• Two (2) years of experience developing and/or overseeing long-range plans or policies; interpreting a General Plan or overseeing General Plan updates; preparing neighborhood plans and drafting related amendments to municipal codes; developing implementation programs, procedures and instruments, including legislation, codes, rules and regulations, and studies and reports necessary to consistently implement the goals, objectives, policies and principles of a General Plan; preparing functional plans and area plans for various topics and geographic areas; or similar long-range planning activities.

Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.

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 http://sfdhr.org/index.aspx?page=456

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.

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
• Veterans Preference
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

How to Apply:

To be considered, please submit a SmartRecruiters application and attach to your application:

• An updated resume
• A cover letter

Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process.

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.

Questions:  If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the analyst, Michael Eng, by telephone at 628-652-7522, or by email at Michael.Eng@sfgov.org

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.