Planning Director
For more than a quarter-century, Envision Utah has brought Utahns together to solve the state’s toughest growth-related challenges and create a bright future for everyone. Our work spans issues from land-use and transportation to education, water, early learning, and more, and we have long been recognized as a national leader in regional planning.
Envision Utah is seeking to hire a new Planning Director to lead our regional planning work. We are looking for a mission-focused, strategic, process-minded leader with skills and experience managing people, building stakeholder relationships, facilitating processes, generating consensus, tapping into Utah values, and dealing with difficult regional planning and policy issues.
Responsibilities
The Planning Director is responsible for developing and managing planning projects that are consistent with the organizational mission, ranging from regional and community visioning to toolboxes and consensus policy recommendations. The planning team reports to the Planning Director, who ensures that each project is completed in a timely and high-quality manner. The underlying goal of the planning team is to engage the community; collect, analyze, and present information in understandable and engaging ways; and seek to follow community values to ensure a high quality of life for current and future generations. Topics of exploration range from housing and transportation to water and disaster resilience. The planning team is supported by a communications team, a development director, and organizational management.
Job functions vary based on specific project needs but are likely to include
• managing the planning team;
• working in coordination with organizational management to prioritize and develop new mission-focused projects;
• overseeing research and data collection/analysis, material preparation and presentations at meetings and community events, and document and report production;
• conveying complex planning information in ways that resonate with the Utah public;
• managing project budgets and tasks;
• taking leadership roles in meetings and community events;
• understanding and respecting Utah values and building relationships with key stakeholders;and
• helping build a collaborative, supportive team culture that generates results.
Preferred Qualifications
As a prerequisite, the successful candidate must be driven by the mission of Envision Utah and believe in the value of fostering collaboration to solve complex problems. Beyond that, we are seeking a candidate who has proven experience in tackling complex planning issues, managing a team, and building relationships with stakeholders.
A Planning Director should typically possess a bachelor’s or master’s degree in a planning-related field and have at least five years of planning experience.
Specific planning skills that would be valuable include
• comprehension of regional planning, markets, mixed use centers, demographics, parking dynamics, and land use densities;
• understanding of regional transportation modeling and the connections between land use and transportation;
• knowledge of the connectivity between land use and water consumption;
• experience facilitating public and stakeholder engagement;
• ability to collect, synthesize, analyze, and present complex data;
• familiarity with urban planning, general plans, and land use ordinances;
• fluency with ArcGIS and Adobe software.
Ideal candidates will
• be able to think strategically,
• be able to write professionally and persuasively,
• be comfortable giving presentations,
• be professional,
• have a proven track record of working well with people and honoring and respecting diverse perspectives.
Working Environment
Envision Utah is currently utilizing a hybrid work model in which employees are asked to come to the office in Salt Lake City on certain days for collaboration, while other days allow for remote work. While the hours for this role are fairly flexible, the nature of this role sometimes requires work in early mornings or after typical business hours. Travel to various meetings around the state is sometimes required, necessitating access to a personal vehicle.
Compensation
Envision Utah is prepared to offer an attractive compensation package that includes a base salary of $100,000–$140,000 as well as a competitive benefits package.
About Envision Utah
In 1997, a group of concerned community, government, and business leaders came together to form Envision Utah, a nonprofit that engages Utahns to create and sustain communities that are beautiful, prosperous, healthy, and neighborly for current and future residents. We do this by applying a proven process to different growth-related challenges and geographies. We seek common ground for the common good, cultivate partnerships, bring stakeholders together across sectors, provide practical tools, and respect market forces. For more information, visit envisionutah.org.
To Apply
Send a cover letter and resume to HR@envisionutah.org.