Planning Technician I/II

The County of Ventura is seeking job application for Planning Technician I/II position.  Details as follows:

VENTURA COUNTY
The County’s 1,873 square miles include 1,846 square miles of land with 42 miles of coastline which is home to the fol­lowing cities and points of interest: Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Ojai, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Santa Paula, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, and Ventura as well as national protected areas such as parts of the Angeles National Forest, Channel Islands National Park, and the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

THE AGENCY
The primary goal of the Resource Management Agency (RMA) is to protect the health, safety and welfare of the general public through administration and enforcement of County ordinances, Board policy, and state and federal laws regarding land use, and commercial and environmental regulation. RMA includes five divisions: Environmental Health, Planning, Building & Safety, Code Compliance, and Operations/GIS.

THE DIVISION
The chief responsibility of the Planning Division is to regulate the use of land and structures within unincorporated areas of the county. Using these regulations and others, the Planning Division issues permits for uses and structures and enforces both permit conditions and maintains consistency with the County’s Zoning Ordinances and General Plan. A GIS Story map with more information about the Planning Division for potential job candidates can be found here: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/37db0d2d1cce4b65bcd09b88443b5d43

THE POSITION
Under immediate supervision (I) or general supervision (II), the Planning Technician performs various tasks requiring some (I) or working (II) knowledge of applicable ordinances, rules, laws, regulations, instruments, principles, practices, procedures and programs in the Planning Division of the Resource Management Agency; and performs related duties as required.

The ideal candidate will possess a Bachelor’s degree in Urban Planning or a related field and will be a reliable and detail-oriented individual who can identify and solve problems. Strong written and oral communication skills, and excellent customer service skills are required.

Approximate Salaries
Resource Management Agency Tech I-Planning:     $24.24- $33.84 per hour
Resource Management Agency Tech II-Planning:    $25.97 – $36.27 per hour

The Resource Management Agency Technician I/II-Planning are represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and are eligible for overtime compensation.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
OPENING DATE: July 30, 2024
CLOSING DATE:   August 30. 2024 at 5:00 p.m.

Examples Of Duties
Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Provides general information to the public in response to questions about projects, planning programs, applicable ordinances, policies and procedures.
• Conducts research for special projects in order to assist the professional staff to meet project objectives.
• Prepares written reports, both statistical and narrative, with recommendations for achieving goals.
• Assists with the preparation for and delivery of public presentations to explain and clarify planning decisions.
• Prepares written reports and makes recommendations.
• Performs other related duties as required.

Typical Qualifications
These are entrance requirements to the examination process and assure neither continuance in the process nor placement on an eligible list.

EDUCATION, TRAINING, and EXPERIENCE
Resource Management Agency Tech I-Planning: Some experience in land use planning which has led to the acquisition of the required knowledge, skills and abilities to perform entry level tasks in the Planning Division with immediate supervision.

The required knowledge, skills and abilities also can be obtained by completion of six (6) months or more experience in land use planning.

Resource Management Agency Tech II-Planning: Experience in land use planning which has led to the acquisition of the required knowledge, skills and abilities to perform journey level tasks in the Planning Division with general supervision.

The required knowledge, skills and abilities also can be obtained by completion of twelve (12) months or more of experience at the RMA Technician I-Planning level or equivalent.

Substitution:
A bachelor’s degree in urban planning or a related field may be substituted for up to twelve (12) months of experience applicable to level I and II.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
Possession and maintenance of a valid California driver license.
Demonstrated ability to:

• Utilize effective time management and organizational skills
• Collect, interpret and evaluate data
• Prepare clear and concise written reports
• Establish and maintain effective relationships with the public providing customer service

Effective writing skills must be demonstrated in the completion of the employment application and supplemental questionnaire. Some proficiency in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook or another email application.

DESIRED

• Bachelor’s degree in Urban Planning or a related field
• Knowledge of federal, state, and local laws and regulations relative to planning and land use.
• Demonstrated public speaking skills.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS and ABILITIES 
Some (I), to working (II) knowledge of: principles, practices and techniques to accomplish the work related to urban and regional planning in a public sector environment; federal, state and local laws and regulations and the implementation of them, relative to planning and land use; and map and plan reading including ArcGIS.

Skilled in public speaking.

Some (I) to working (II) ability to: collect, interpret and evaluate data; understand local ordinances; prepare reasonably clear and concise written reports; communicate effectively orally and in writing; and establish and maintain effective relationships with the public and other employees by providing excellent customer service; take initiative in a work environment to identify process improvement; utilize organizational skills within a fast-paced work environment; utilize time management skills and escalate issues as needed to ensure deadlines are met on time; and make oral presentations to groups.

Supplemental Information:
Work is performed primarily in an indoor environment with occasional travel to work/job sites required; frequent public contact, sometimes requiring prolonged standing and walking while researching official documents.  Also, requires occasional driving, climbing, crouching, kneeling, balancing and keyboard entry on common work processing and data base programs.

Recruitment Process
FINAL FILING DATE
Your application must be received by County of Ventura Human Resources in Ventura, California, no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, August 30, 2024.

To apply on-line, please refer to our web site at www.ventura.org/jobs .  If you prefer to fill out a paper application form, please call (805) 654-5129 for application materials and submit them to County of Ventura Human Resources, 800 South Victoria Avenue, L-1970, Ventura, CA 93009.

NOTE: If presently permanently employed in another “merit” or “civil service” public agency/entity in the same or substantively similar position as is advertised, and if appointed to that position by successful performance in a “merit” or “civil service” style examination, then appointment by “Lateral Transfer” may be possible.  If interested, please click here (Download PDF reader) for additional information.

Note to Applicants:  It is essential that you complete all sections of your application and supplemental questionnaire thoroughly and accurately to demonstrate your qualifications.  A resume and/or other related documents may be attached to supplement the information in your application and supplemental questionnaire; however, it/they may not be submitted in lieu of the application.

SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE: All applicants are required to complete and submit the questionnaire for this examination at the time of filing. The supplemental questionnaire may be used throughout the examination process to assist in determining each applicant’s qualifications and acceptability for the position. Failure to complete and submit the questionnaire will result in the application being removed from consideration.

APPLICATION EVALUATION: All applications will be reviewed to determine whether or not the stated requirements are met. Those individuals meeting the stated requirements will be invited to continue to the next step in the screening and selection process.

TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE EVALUATION: A Training and Experience Evaluation (T&E) is a structured evaluation of the job application materials submitted by a candidate, including the written responses to the supplemental questionnaire. The T&E is NOT a determination of whether the candidate meets the stated requirements; rather, the T&E is one method for determining who are the better qualified among those who have shown that they meet the stated requirements. In a T&E, applications are either scored or rank ordered according to criteria that most closely meet the business needs of the department. Candidates are typically scored/ranked in relation to one another; consequently, when the pool of candidates is exceptionally strong, many qualified candidates may receive a score or rank which is moderate or even low resulting in them not being advanced in the process.

ELIGIBLE LIST
Candidates successfully completing the examination process may be placed on an eligible list for a period of on (1) year.

The eligible list established from this recruitment may be used to fill current and future Regular (including Temporary and Fixed-Term), Intermittent, and Extra-Help for this and similar positions only within the Planning Division of the Resource Management Agency.    There are currently two (2) Regular vacancies.

BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION
A thorough pre-employment, post offer background investigation which may include inquiry into past employment, education, criminal background information, and driving record may be required for this position.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
The County of Ventura is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

For further information about this recruitment, please contact Magali Rodriguez by e-mail at magali.rodriguez@ventura.org or by telephone at (805) 654-3805.