The Riverside County Department of Waste Resources seeks an Assistant Planner.  The position will be assigned to the Planning Division located in Moreno Valley, CA.     Under general supervision, performs professional planning practices, procedures and methodologies in urban/regional and environmental planning research and evaluation, activities and projects and their impacts on the physical environment, and public land use or other policies; prepares or assists in the preparation and review of planning and environmental studies, reports, plans, and projects and permits; acquires a working knowledge of the County's planning program, policies, ordinances, and regulations as they relate to the construction and use of buildings, structures and the use of land, and explains that information to the public; presents assigned studies and recommendations to administrative and advisory bodies; performs other related duties as required.   The Assistant Planner is the entry level classification in the Planner series and reports to an appropriate supervisory or manager level position. Incumbents are given a variety of assignments to perform with increasing independence. The Assistant Planner differs from the next higher level Associate Planner in that the latter is the journey level and performs the full range of difficult planning assignments, with work reviewed upon completion.   Incumbents hired into this entry level are required to demonstrate the necessary knowledge and abilities to enter the journey level of the series within one year. Promotion after one year to the level of Associate Planner will be based upon meeting minimum qualifications and receiving a satisfactory performance evaluation.   Competitive candidates will possess the following: * Prior planning experience with a private or public agency. * Knowledge of California environmental compliance laws and regulations. * Landfill related experience in desirable. Meet the Team! The Department of Waste Resources serves the County's solid waste disposal needs by providing for efficient and effective landfilling of County non-hazardous waste, protecting the environment, and promoting recycling in order to ensure a safe and healthy community for current and future generations. * Conduct less complicated studies necessary to meet urban/regional planning objectives for social, physical, environmental, economic, and/or governmental resources, by researching, compiling, synthesizing, analyzing, and interpreting information and data, either in the course of routine work (e.g., processing development applications), or for purposes that are described in a specific assignment (e.g., assisting in the preparation of developmental policy guidelines or to support higher level planning staff assigned to prepare sections of the general plan and area plans), the results of which are submitted for review and acceptance by a project lead worker or supervisor, and may be consolidated with other research. * Contact other parties (individuals, groups, sections, divisions, departments, and regional or state agencies) to discuss/review various technical or legal aspects of projects or programs (i.e., applications for zoning changes, conditional uses, variances, plot plan approvals, and subdivision approvals), which are generally not controversial or politically sensitive, in order to define problems and alternative solutions by guiding reviews for consistency with the general plan or other policy plans, compliance with local ordinances and regional and state requirements, and extent of environmental impact; or to exchange or clarify information used in developing regional plans, including analysis of existing plans and definition of areas for policy consideration and decision, using coordination efforts and/or a negotiation process to achieve the desired outcome, as part of the direction in an ongoing planning process. * Accompany staff to property sites and surrounding areas to gather facts and conduct investigations of proposed project sites in order to have direct knowledge of the location or project under study. The incumbent will normally use a County vehicle to arrive at the site, and then may have to walk or use other means to access portions of the property as necessary to examine features requiring detailed evaluation; assignments could include direction to carry out specific tasks (i.e., record field notes or take photographs and other preparations to assist with related visual displays). * Prepare written reports on less complex matters, used to communicate information, findings and recommendations (often as part of a decision-making process), by assembling pertinent facts in a directed format (e.g., public hearing case reports), with completed work subject to review by a supervisor. * Make oral presentations as requested to governmental administrative and hearing bodies to explain and clarify planning reports and recommendations, with presentations supported by subject matter research and data consistent with the needs of the administrative/hearing body.OPTION I Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree, preferably with a major in urban/regional planning, transportation planning, public administration, architecture, environmental science, geography (with related course concentration), landscape architecture, or a closely related field. OPTION II Certification by and full membership in the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). OPTION III Experience: Two years as a Land Use Technician I/II with Riverside County, of which at least one year must have been at the Land Use Technician II level. ALL OPTIONS Knowledge of: The principles, methods and procedures applicable to land use planning activities and their application in a county planning program; the physical, social, environmental, and economic implications of land use planning to allow basic evaluation and reporting on specific proposals; local, state and federal legislation governing land use development and planning activities at a basic level necessary to understand coordination of public and private compliance, both in programs undertaken by the County and those conducted by private development interests; the organizational structure and jurisdiction of governmental agencies involved in the planning process and their interrelationship, responsibilities and functions, in order to coordinate review, comment and/or approve requirements for less complex planning proposals; the methods involved in designing research studies and identifying and utilizing data sources needed to prepare or evaluate development and policy proposals; the mandate for local government adoption and content of general plan elements, and factors that must be considered in evaluating proposals for consistency with these elements, to allow the assistance in review, preparation or updating of elements, and the processing or reporting on typical, non-controversial development proposals. Ability to: Plan and carry out work with increasing independence as necessary to complete a defined scope of professional planning assignments for the intermediate working level; organize and conduct basic research, collect and analyze data, generate and evaluate alternatives, reach logical conclusions, and formulate consistent recommendations as necessary to develop proposals for planning policy or to evaluate proposals and requests carried forward by others; compose clear and thorough study and project reports and recommendations so that they may be communicated to both public and governmental audiences; make oral presentations of study findings and recommendations to a variety of governmental bodies; work effectively with the general public and governmental boards and commissions to accomplish assigned duties which are part of the overall planning program; interpret and apply general laws and regulations pertaining to assigned planning projects and planning case review activities.Other Requirements  License/Certificate: Possession of a valid California Driver's License is required What's Next? Open to All Applicants This recruitment is open to all applicants. For questions regarding this recruitment Contact Vanessa Diaz Beaird at VDBeaird@rivco.org with any questions regarding this recruitment.   Telecommuting disclaimer At this time, the position has the opportunity to telework based on business need, however job expectations, at times may require in person interaction. Telework may change at any time and you will be expected to report to the office.