Career Opportunity

Planner I (#5277) - City and County of San Francisco - Multiple Departments

Recruitment: REF11869D

Published: June 10, 2022

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About:

San Francisco is a vibrant and dynamic city, on the forefront of economic growth & innovation, urban development, arts & entertainment, as well as social issues & change. This rich tapestry of culture and ideas is sustained by our City's commitment to heighten the quality of life for San Franciscans and residents of the greater Bay Area. Our employees play an important role not only in making our City what it is today, but also in shaping the future of San Francisco.

THIS IS A CITYWIDE EXAMINATION

• Application Opening - June 10, 2022
• Deadline to Apply:  June 27, 2022, 11:45 PM PST
• Recruitment ID:  REF11869D
• Exam Analyst:  Michael Eng
• Annual Salary:  $75,842 - $92,170 / Year

Role description

Under general supervision, the Planner I performs entry level planning work in the collection, analysis, interpretation and presentation of planning data (e.g., land use, zoning, housing, transportation, environmental) in one of a variety of phases of plan development and implementation. The essential functions of this job include: reviewing project activities, goals, programs, ordinances, rules, regulations, policies and procedures; providing information orally and in writing to City agencies, property owners, developers, community organizations and the general public; conducting site and field inspections of land, economic activities, transit patterns, buildings and streets and conducting surveys and interviews to obtain data; preparing computer-based and hard copy graphic materials; conducting research studies and formulating recommendations to assist in planning policies, plans for future developments and determining the environmental impacts of proposed projects; assisting in the preparation, revision and performing updates of plans and other governmental documents and regulatory codes; and performing other duties as assigned.

Positions in the Planning Department (CPC) may include: reviewing building permits, variances, use permit and other miscellaneous permit applications; and recording appropriate data and preparing recommendations for the department, Planning Commission and other City Commissions.

Positions in the SF Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) may include: development of studies, documents and reports on transportation planning issues, including the collection, compilation and analysis of transportation-related criteria; designs and prepares visual materials including graphs, charts, and maps, brochures to illustrate streets projects and to convey key messages related to transportation safety and mode choice; and coordinate, plan and facilitate community engagement efforts for transportation/street related projects.

Nature of work: Incumbents in this job code may be required to attend evening and weekend meetings, occasionally held in community locations.

How to qualify

Minimum Qualifications

1. Possession of a baccalaureate 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, public administration, historical preservation, or environmental studies; OR
    
2. Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university; AND One (1) year of city or urban planning, transportation, urban design, historical preservation, architectural or environmental review experience.

Notes: Some positions may require possession of a valid driver's license.

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.

Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights:  Applicants must be guided solely by the provisions of this announcement, including requirements, time periods and other particulars, except when superseded by federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations.  [Note: The correction of clerical errors in an announcement may be posted on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.smartrecruiters.com/CityAndCountyOfSanFrancisco1/ .] The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 110.4.  Such appeals must be submitted in writing to the Department of Human Resources, 1 S Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103-5413 by close of business on the 5th business day following the issuance date of this examination announcement.  Information concerning other Civil Service Commission Rules involving announcements, applications and examination policies, including applicant appeal rights, can be found on the Civil Service Commission website at http://sfgov.org/civilservice/rules .

What else should I know?

Specific information regarding this recruitment process are listed below:

Selection Procedures

Minimum Qualifications Supplemental Questionnaire (Qualifying):
Applicants are required to complete a Minimum Qualifications Supplemental Questionnaire (MQSQ) as part of the online application process. The purpose of the MQSQ is to obtain specific information regarding an applicant’s education, experience and training in relation to the Minimum Qualifications for this position. It is essential that an applicant provide complete information in identifying their education, experience and training. The MQSQ will be used to evaluate if an applicant meets the minimum qualifications.

Planner Core Exam (Weight: 40%):
Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications will be invited to participate in the online Planner Core Exam. Candidates will be sent a web link via email that will allow them to take the online Planner Core Exam that is designed to measure basic knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with a Planner I position, which may include but not be limited to: knowledge of basic planning principles including land use, zoning, municipal regulation, environmental review, community development, transportation as they relate to planning programs; interpersonal relations ability; and knowledge of graphic presentation methods, systems and techniques required for preparation of maps, charts, illustrations and other complex graphics.

This computer-administered test can be taken at home or at a time and location of one’s convenience, but only within a 4-day time period specified on the test notification. Candidates must have access to a computer and reliable internet connection to participate in this exam.

Candidates must achieve a passing score on the Planner Core Exam in order to continue further in the selection process.

The Planner Core Exam will account for 40% of the total weight of the final score.

This is a standardized written multiple-choice examination. In accordance with Civil Service Rule 111.11.4, inspection privileges do not apply to the questions and answers in these examinations.

The score you achieve on the Planner Core Examination shall be valid and 'banked' for three years, starting from the date of the examination. This means that, during this three-year time period, you will not be required to take these tests again should you apply and be found eligible for a future announcement for which these particular tests are used. If the test for this future announcement is held within one year of the date of this examination, your score will be automatically applied to that announcement. However, after one year, you have the option to either (a) apply your test score to the other announcement or (b) re-take the test. Re-testing is permitted no sooner than one year from the date of the examination and only in association with your eligibility for another announcement for which this test is used. Please note that, should you re-test, your re-test score would become your official score since it is the most recent.

Qualified applicants will be notified by email of the exact time period of the examination.

Supplemental Questionnaire (Weight: 60%):
Candidates who pass the Planner Core Exam will be sent a Supplemental Questionnaire via email to complete and return. The Supplemental Questionnaire is designed to determine relative knowledge, skills and ability levels in job related areas which may include, but not be limited to:  the basic planning principles including land use, zoning, municipal regulation, environmental review and community development, transportation and public utility systems as they relate to planning programs; problem solving; project/time management ability; oral communication skills; and written communication skills.

The Supplemental Questionnaire will account for 60% of the total weight of the final score.

A passing score must be achieved on all components of the selection procedures in order to be placed/ranked on the score report. The department may administer additional position-specific selection procedures to make final hiring decisions.

Eligible List/Score Report:
A confidential eligible list of applicant names that have passed the civil service examination process will be created, and used for certification purposes only. An examination score report will be established, so applicants can view the ranks, final scores and number of eligible candidates. Applicant information, including names of applicants on the eligible list, shall not be made public unless required by law. However, an eligible list shall be made available for public inspection, upon request, once the eligible list is exhausted or expired and referrals resolved. The eligible list/score report resulting from this civil service examination process is subject to change after adoption (e.g., as a result of appeals), as directed by the Human Resources Director or the Civil Service Commission.

Certification: The certification rule for the eligible list resulting from this examination will be Rule of Seven (7). Additional selection processes may be conducted by the hiring department prior to making final hiring decisions.

The duration of the eligible list resulting from this examination process will be six (6) months, and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director.

Upon approval of the Human Resource Director (see Civil Service Rule 111A.26.5), the eligible list/score report resulting from this announcement may be used by other departments that also use this classification or a similar classification. To find other Departments which use this classification, please see:  Position-Counts-by-Job-Codes-and-Department-FY-2021-22.pdf (sfdhr.org)

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

• Information About The Hiring Process
• Position Based Testing Information
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview  
• Equal Employment Opportunity 
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Veterans Preference
• Seniority Credit in Promotional Exams
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

Questions:  If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the exam 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.