5293 Planner IV

Division Overview

The Capital & Planning Division is currently delivering a portfolio of over 80 Capital Improvement Projects with a value of approximately $800M. In addition to improvements to existing recreational facilities in the city, the division is also responsible for the acquisition and development of new facilities, as well as monitoring and raising funds for these improvements.

The Division, including this position, supports other departmental divisions with regulatory compliance as it relates to park improvements and maintenance.

Position Description

Under general direction of the Deputy Director of Planning and the Director of Capital and Planning, the Planner IV plans, administers and directs the activities related to regulatory compliance for the department. This includes work pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and other regional, state, or federal permitting agencies.

Essential duties include, but are not limited to

• Supporting EIR development and approval process for RPD projects including the Marina Improvement Project EIR and other future EIRs as needed.
• Leading Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP) compliance for existing projects including India Basin, Portsmouth Square and Lake Merced West.
• Leading the Department’s Environmental Review and Compliance process, procedures, and coordination around these topics, both internal and external, and serving as the authority on environmental review and compliance issues.
• Developing a holistic approach for environmental review and compliance, including capturing and implementing lessons learned from previous projects, liaising with other divisions within RPD, tracking and reporting on compliance, and right sizing the team to support these functions.
• Reviewing park improvement projects to identify environmental issues relevant to the design and construction of park projects.
• Facilitating coordination with SF Environmental Planning Division liaisons, other agencies, and consultants regarding identification and resolution of environmental issues related to capital improvement delivery and communicating departmental priorities.
• Reviewing and providing meaningful comments on environmental review documents, cultural landscape reports, historic resource evaluations, and similar reports prepared to support evaluation of environmental resources on RPD projects and other projects that could impact RPD facilities. Ensuring the department and project are accurately represented, potential impacts are clear, and mitigation or avoidance measures are feasible.
• Supervising environmental technical consultants and the preparation of technical analyses and documents for projects, including intra- and inter-agency coordination, public interaction, meetings with applicants, consultants, and other staff members.
• Reviewing planners’, interns’ and project manager’s work on various environmental compliance topics and ensuring compliance with federal, state and local laws/regulations and city approaches and procedures for CEQA analysis.
• Inter-agency coordination to establish thorough and efficient implementation of capital project avoidance and mitigation measures within the bid and construction processes.
• Interpreting and explaining legal, technical, and procedural aspects of environmental review, land use, the RPD park code, and other local, state or federal laws/regulations to colleagues within the department, the public, and boards and commissions (potentially in controversial situations or under a high-level of public interest).
• Preparing and directing the preparation of technical reports and correspondence.
• Performing selected administrative and technical functions such as development of procedures and process improvements.
• Supervising and evaluating personnel including workload management, performance evaluations, mentoring and recruitment.
• Reviewing and commenting on legal documents and agreements with other City, State, and Federal agencies and private and non-profit entities.
• Other duties as assigned.

Planner IVs may be required to attend meetings or participate in work-related activities outside of normal working hours (evenings and weekends) in various community locations. Some positions may require possession of a valid driver license or may require specialized experience in order to perform department specific planning duties.