Land Use Planner

About the role

We are seeking a Senior Land Use Planner to join our Planning team in our Richland, Washington office. This position offers opportunities to work on challenging projects, collaborate with a multidisciplinary team, and contribute to impactful solutions.

Responsibilities

• Perform timely and accurate property, zoning, and utility research to ensure compliance with municipal land use regulations.
• Prepare, organize, and submit required materials for land use applications, including subdivisions, zone changes, conditional use permits, and site plan reviews.
• Analyze and break down complex issues affecting property, transportation networks, utility infrastructure, etc., to respond to client inquiries and assess the feasibility of property development.
• Collaborate with in-house engineering, surveying, and landscape architectural co-workers, permitting agency staff, and other project team members.
• Develop clearly written and detailed scopes of work for proposals.
• Coordinate with clients on project data and scheduling.
• Set up, organize, and attend neighborhood meetings.
• Create, organize, and maintain project schedules, define critical paths, and track milestone dates.
• Develop and maintain effective positive working relationships with co-workers, clients, permitting agency staff, and other project team members.
• Able to travel out of town as necessary, occasionally overnight.

Requirements

• Extensive experience performing land use planning/land development-related activities.
• A bachelor’s degree in planning, landscape architecture, geography, or related field or equivalent work experience.
• Experience interpreting and applying City and County Comprehensive Plans and Development Codes.
• Knowledge of Oregon’s Statewide Planning System.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Proficient with word processing, presentation, spreadsheet, and scheduling software (Microsoft Office Suite, Microsoft Project, Adobe, etc.).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently while providing support to Senior Land Use Planners or Project Managers with minimal supervision.
• Ability to manage multiple and conflicting deadlines and prioritize workload.
• Able to think critically and provide creative and realistic solutions.

Qualifications

• "Do what needs to be done" mindset, taking ownership beyond assigned tasks and stepping in wherever needed to keep projects, teams, and customers supported and running smoothly.

Skills

• Proficiency in the use of AutoCAD/Civil 3D, Photoshop, and geographic information systems (GIS).

Benefits

At AKS, we offer:

• Meaningful Growth: Hands-on training, mentorship, and clear paths for professional development.
• Real Collaboration: Diverse perspectives working together to solve complex challenges.
• Respect for Your Time: Generous PTO and a supportive environment for managing personal and professional responsibilities.
• Benefits That Care: Health coverage supporting your total well-being, 401(k) match, and more.
• Weekly Team Lunches: Recharge with your teammates.
• Culture That Connects: Experiences building strong teams and strong communities.
• A Place People Love to Work: Recognized as one of the Top Workplaces year after year.