Senior Planner

Senior Planner

Salary

$138,091.20 - $168,958.40 Annually

Location

City Hall, 250 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto, CA

Job Type

Regular Full-Time

Job Number

202601421

Department

Planning and Development Services

Opening Date

09/24/2026

Closing Date

10/15/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

Description

Palo Alto is a community known for innovation and public service excellence. The City of Palo Alto is seeking an experienced city planner who enjoys working in a dynamic, vibrant community.

In this exciting opportunity, the Long Range Planning Group has a vacancy at the Senior Planner level. If youre looking for an opportunity to make a difference by shaping the future of land use in the Palo Alto community, we encourage you to apply and join our Long Range Planning Group.

The Long Range Planning program engages with the community to guide and develop the City's land use, community development, and housing policies and programs. This team is responsible for advancing City Council land use policy priorities and initiatives; Housing Element implementation; area plan development; Comprehensive Plan development and amendments; and managing the City's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, Below Market Rate (BMR) housing program, and Rental Registry Program. This fast-paced team offers an opportunity to work on a variety of strategic policy and projects that enhance and preserve the Palo Alto community for the future.

PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT

The Palo Alto Planning and Development Services Department provides the City Council and community with creative guidance and effective implementation of land use development, planning, housing, and environmental policies and programs in order to maintain and enhance the City's safety, vitality, and attractiveness. For more information on Planning in the City of Palo Alto, click here.

Our ideal candidate will possess the following:

• Ability to write clearly and communicate effectively; ability to prepare and write high quality staff reports, professional documents, and communications;
• Ability to handle a variety of assignments and adapt quickly to changing priorities and assignments;
• Experience in housing policy development, housing element program implementation, zoning code interpretations and amendments;
• A strong customer service focus and superior interpersonal skills with the ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with co-workers, management, elected officials, community members, and representatives of public and regulatory agencies;
• Experience working with consultants;
• Strong project management skills and experience;
• Experience with area plan, specific plan, or General Plan/Comprehensive Plan development is highly desirable.

Essential Duties

To see the complete job description of Senior Planner, click here.

What does Palo Alto offer?

• Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits
• CalPERS retirement
• Opportunities for professional growth and advancement
• Supportive team environment
• Meaningful, engaging work serving the vibrant Palo Alto community

Minimum Qualifications

Sufficient education, training and/or work experience to demonstrate possession of the following knowledge, skills, and abilities which would typically be acquired through:

• Bachelors degree in Urban Planning, Architecture, Historic Preservation or a directly related field from an accredited college or university. An advanced degree is highly desirable, and
• Five years of suitable professional experience in urban planning (or substitute for up to two years of experience a masters degree in planning or a related field).

Special Requirements: Possession of a valid California Drivers License.

Supplemental Information

This position must periodically participate in public meetings during non-business hours and evening meetings of boards, commissions, or city council. Participation in community public meetings may also be required from time to time.

This position is represented by SEIU.

The City offers generous employee benefits, which can be found here.

More than one position may be filled through this posting.

Hiring Process: Applicants will receive email recruitment status notifications. Governmentjob.com account also has notification status updates.

Depending on the number of qualified applications received, the examination process may consist of a supplemental question, online assessment, written examination, practical performance, oral examination, or any combination to determine which candidate will move forward in the hiring process.

The City of Palo Alto is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City will provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.

See our Benefits at a Glance Booklet for more details.

Learn more about our Memorandum of Agreements (MOAs) between the City and its bargaining units, by clicking HERE.

01

1. Which of the following best describes your verifiable county, city, regional planning experience? (To be considered, qualifying experience must be documented in your applications employment history)

• Less than 1 year
• 1 year but less than 2 years
• 2 years but less than 3 years
• 3 - 5 years
• More than 5 years

02

2. In 300 words or less, describe your professional experience with: • General plan/comprehensive plan amendments • Ordinance development/code amendments • Housing policy development/implementation

Required Question

Employer City of Palo Alto

Address 250 Hamilton Ave

Palo Alto, California, 94301

Phone (650) 329-2376

Website https://www.paloalto.gov/Home