State of Maryland

A Planner Supervisor is the supervisory level of work in local, regional, and State urban, environmental or transportation planning.  Employees in this classification serve as chief of a major planning project with responsibility for developing the objectives of the project, determining the scope of the study, the research and statistical methods to be employed, and the direction of the field work of the project and for reviewing the progress of the work, evaluating it and preparing fiscal recommendations as a part of a master plan.  Employees in this classification supervise lower-level Planners and planning consultants.

Employees in this classification receive general supervision from a planning program director or other designated administrator.

Positions in this classification are evaluated by using the classification job evaluation methodology. The use of this method involves comparing assigned duties and responsibilities of a position to the job criteria defined in the Nature of Work and Example of Work sections of the class specification.

The Planner Supervisor is differentiated from the Planner Lead/Advanced in that the Planner Supervisor has supervisory responsibility for lower-level Planners while the Planner Advanced performs the advanced level of work and serves as the sole Planner on a multi-discipline team or as Planner Lead assigns, reviews and approves the work of and trains lower-level Planners.  The Planner Supervisor is differentiated from Principal Planner in that the Principal Planner has supervisory responsibility for Planner Supervisors.

Directs, coordinates, and develops comprehensive planning and development programs for the maximum utilization of all resources in a given area or for the maximum utilization within the State of one particular resource;

Supervises planners and other professional staff and clerical staff engaged in the conduct of studies concerning land use, population, water, transportation, urban renewal, or zoning regulations and patterns and difficult planning projects or programs;

Conducts meetings and performs presentations to community organizations in an effort to stimulate interest in the creation or promotion of local development and planning agencies and programs;

Provides technical advice and assistance on all phases of development and planning programs and on the procedures to be followed by communities in qualifying for federal planning assistance programs;

Reviews and prepares reports on proposed legislation affecting existing or contemplated development and planning programs;

Prepares and submits comprehensive plans and recommendations for the maximum utilization of available resources;

Plans, promotes, schedules and coordinates programs designed to assist communities and subdivisions of the State in initiating and executing comprehensive planning and development programs;

Organizes and conducts seminars and conferences on problems of community development and planning and their effects upon laws and regulations relating to zoning, housing, urban renewal, environment or transportation;

Supervises the collection, creation, maintenance, distribution and plotting of GIS data and the preparation of maps and data analysis tasks including the production of graphic and tabular data;

May serve as the sole subject matter expert in a specific planning discipline (e.g., agricultural, land use, growth management, or transportation planning) at the departmental level or in an independent agency;

Performs other related duties.

Knowledge of the principles, practices, and objectives of local, regional, State or transportation planning;

Knowledge of the interrelationship of social and economic problems and comprehensive plans affecting the resources of a given area;

Knowledge of the methods and procedures involved in the preparation and submission of comprehensive reports and recommendations for the maximum effective use of the land and natural, transportation or community resources of an area;

Knowledge of federal, State, and local planning programs and procedures;

Knowledge of engineering designs and principles as applied to planning reports and studies;

Knowledge of statistical and research principles applied in the collection of various economic, planning data;

Knowledge in conducting mapping research and maintaining and updating databases using GIS computer aided drafting and other software;

Skill in drafting, engineering designs and principles concerning the preparation of comprehensive planning reports and studies;

Skill in performing complex research and planning projects;

Skill in coordinating the various phases of a project and compiling findings;

Skill in preparing and submitting detailed plans and recommendations for submission to governmental and non-governmental organizations at the local or State level;

Ability to visualize the effects of proposed plans;

Ability to supervise a group of planners and clerical employees engaged in a comprehensive planning project;

Ability to prepare and present findings and recommendations in clear, concise, and comprehensive reports.

Education:    A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university that includes 30 credit hours in Planning, Environmental Science, Environmental Studies, Architecture, Public Administration, Engineering, Geography, Landscape Architecture, Economics, Public Finance, Political Science, Sociology, Regional Science, Information Technology or Urban Affairs.

Experience:   Four years of experience in research and planning projects related to the development and use of land, water, transportation, community or natural resources by providing assistance in obtaining, analyzing and conducting research on demographic, socio-economic, political, cultural, geographical or land-use trends.

Notes:

1. Candidates may substitute the possession of a Master’s degree from an accredited college or university in one of the specified educational fields for one year of the required experience.*

2. Candidates may substitute the possession of an additional Master’s degree from an accredited college or university in one of the specified educational fields for one additional year of the required experience.*

3. Candidates may substitute the possession of a Doctorate degree from an accredited college or university in one of the specified educational fields for two years of the required experience.*

*Three years are the maximum number of years that may be substituted by education for the required experience.

4. Candidates may substitute U.S. Armed Forces military service experience as a commissioned officer in Logistics, Urban Planning, Architect, Geospatial Intelligence Analyst or Cryptologic classifications; or Logistics, Urban Planning or Architect specialty codes in the Architect field of work, on a year-for-year basis, for the required experience and education.

Class specifications are broad descriptions covering groups of positions used by various State departments and agencies. Position descriptions maintained by the using department or agency specifically address the essential job functions of each position.

This is a Skilled Service classification in the State Personnel Management System.  All positions in this classification are Skilled Service positions.  Some positions in Skilled Service classifications may be designated Special Appointment in accordance with the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 6-405, Annotated Code of Maryland.

This classification is not assigned to a bargaining unit, as indicated by the designation of S (Supervisor), M (Manager), T (Agency Head), U (Board or Commission Member), W (Student), X (Used by Agency or Excluded by Executive Order), or Z (Confidential).  As provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 3-102, special appointment, temporary, contractual, supervisory, managerial and confidential employees are excluded collective bargaining.  Additionally, certain executive branch agencies are exempt from collective bargaining and all positions in those agencies are excluded from collective bargaining.