Salary : $107,931.20 - $131,331.20 Annually
Location : Carlsbad, CA
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number: 101626
Department: Community Development
Opening Date: 10/27/2026
Closing Date: 11/17/2026 5:00 PM Pacific
The Position The Planning Division: Planning is one of the four Divisions that comprise the Community Development Department. With a staff of 20 full time positions and two part time positions, the Planning Division is organized into the following four teams: Current Planning, Development Services, Advanced Planning, and Special Projects. The Division guides the planned physical development of the city in a manner that enhances the quality of life for its residents.
The Ideal Candidate: The City of Carlsbad is currently searching for a Senior Planner with over 5 years of experience to assist with complex technical planning projects in the area of Advance Planning, which is responsible for implementing and updating the city's general plan elements, zoning ordinance, growth management plan, and Local Coastal Program, among other city plans and policies. Candidates with public sector and planning experience within the state of California, with a focus on plans/projects within the California Coastal Zone, are highly desirable. Further, the ideal candidate will have supervisory experience with the ability to manage and lead a professional staff of one to two assistant and/or associate planners.
About the Position: Under general direction, to perform difficult and highly complex technical staff work involving advance planning programs and other special projects as assigned; to assume lead responsibility for one or more planning program areas; and to do related work as assigned. Further, the position provides supervision of one to two professional planning staff. This is the advanced journey level of the professional planning services. Work of this class involves the responsibility for conceiving planning programs, developing analysis and work methods, and reviewing the work of subordinate, professional, and technical personnel. This class may be distinguished from the Associate Planner by the range and depth of experience required, and the next higher class of Principal Planner by the level of supervisory and administrative responsibilities, and degree of accountability required.
Key Responsibilities - Meet with developers, architects, engineers and others involved in privately sponsored residential, commercial and industrial projects.
- Assist in providing supervision and guidance to other professionals and technical staff in the review and evaluation of project plans for conformance to established land use regulations, codes and policies.
- Participate in the evaluation of more complex projects and the implementation of more complex planning programs.
- May work independently on one or more complex planning studies or projects.
- May serve as team leader on one or more complex planning studies or projects.
- Make authoritative interpretations of applicable regulations and policies.
- Respond to difficult citizen complaints and requests for information.
- Represent the city in the community and at professional meetings as required.
- Coordinate and participate in the preparation of ordinances, resolutions and reports to the City Council, Planning Commission and others regarding departmental planning activities.
- Evaluate and monitor outside consultants hired to prepare planning or environmental studies.
- May serve as staff to committees as assigned.
- Coordinate program activities with other city departments and divisions, and with outside agencies.
- Assist in supervising, training and evaluating assigned staff.
- Make oral presentations to the City Council, Planning Commission, professional groups, civic groups and other public agencies.
Reporting Relationships: This position reports to a Principal Planner and is responsible for helping oversee and review the work of Assistant Planners, Associate Planners, and Planning Technicians.
Qualifications Knowledge of: - Principles and practices of urban planning.
- Recent developments, current literature, and information sources in the field of planning and zoning.
- Research methods.
- Law underlying general plans, environmental matters, zoning, and land division.
- Principles of organization, administration, budget, and personnel management.
Ability to: - Plan the work of professional and technical staff in compilation of technical and statistical data, research, and the preparation of plans and technical papers.
- Establish and maintain effective working relationships with the public and other city personnel.
- Communicate clearly and concisely, orally and in writing.
- Prepare and analyze planning studies and communicate findings of these studies in an understandable manner. Oversee, train, and review the work of professional, technical and clerical subordinates.
Experience & Education Any combination equivalent to experience and education that could likely provide the required knowledge, skill, and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge, skills, and abilities would be:
Five plus years of increasingly responsible professional planning experience.
Equivalent of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major work in planning, geography, public administration, community development, urban design or related field. A master's degree in planning, public administration or a related field is desirable.
Special Requirements: Possession of, or ability to obtain, a valid California Driver's License may be required of some positions.
- Medical Insurance
- Dental Insurance
- Vision Insurance
- Flexible Spending Account
- Life Insurance
- Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance
- Retirement under the CalPERS program, 2% @ 62 formula, Classic Members (those who are enrolled in CalPERS at another local agency) have the 2% @ 60 formula
- Bilingual Pay
- Holidays - 11 scheduled
- Floating Holiday- 2
- Paid vacation
- Computer purchase loan
- Tuition reimbursement
A detailed list of our benefits can be found here:
Additional CalPERS information can be found here:
01
Please enter your initials below acknowledging that "see application" or "see resume" are not valid answers to the question below.
02
What is your level of education?
- None
- High School Diploma or GED
- Some College
- Associate's Degree
- Bachelor's Degree
- Master's Degree or higher
03
Do you have a valid California Driver's License?
04
If you answered. "No" to the question above, do you have the ability to obtain a valid California Driver's License?
05
Do you have experience working in the public sector?
06
How many years of experience do you have in Planning?
- None
- 1-4 years
- 5 or more years
07
Do you have experience in Planning in the state of California?
08
If you answered "No" to the previous question and do have experience in Planning in other state, please list in which state your experience is in.
09
How many total years do you have supervising staff?
- None
- 1-4 years
- 5 or more years
10
How many staff members have you supervised?
11
How many years of experience do you have managing Advance Planning projects and what was the range of project types? If no experience, indicate N/A.
12
Please explain how your educational and work backgrounds have set you up for success as a professional urban planner. What research, coursework, and/or applied instruction have you found most applicable in practicing urban planning in either the public or private sectors?
13
Please provide an example of a challenging project or plan update you successfully managed through the Local Coastal Program Amendment process. Please describe the scope of the project, how and when you interacted with Coastal Commission staff to apply Coastal Act/Local Coastal Program policies and standards, and how you were able to attain both local and Coastal Commission approvals. What strategy did you employ during the process to minimize risk and what were your lessons learned at the conclusion of the effort?
14
Please describe which General Plan elements, as required by state law, you are most knowledgeable of and how you came to gain this experience. In particular, please highlight any general plan amendments where you were the project manager. Please detail your approach to the amendment, how you incorporated both internal/agency and external/public input, the innovations or solutions developed as a part of the amendment process, and how you kept the effort on time and on budget.
Required Question
