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Senior City Planner 7947

City of Los Angeles
5 days ago
Full-time
On-site
Los Angeles, California, United States
$141,399 - $206,732 USD yearly
Urban Planning

DUTIES

ANNUAL SALARY

$141,399 to $206,732

NOTE:

Annual salary is at the start of the pay range. The current salary range is subject to change. Please confirm the starting salary with the hiring department before accepting a job offer.

A Senior City Planner assigns, reviews and evaluates the work of a specialized unit or planning office engaged in professional City planning activities, applies sound supervisory standards and techniques in building and maintaining an effective work group and fulfills equal employment opportunity responsibilities. Additionally, the Senior City Planner functions as a senior-level supervisor and accordingly develops Departmental work programs inclusive of project timetables and budgets, and occasionally may be called upon to develop long-range strategic plans for sections of the Department.

REQUIREMENT(S)/MINIMUM QUALIFICATION(S)

  1. Two years of full-time paid experience as a City Planner with the City of Los Angeles; or
  2. Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a major in urban planning, urban studies, urban design, architecture, landscape architecture, geography or a closely-related field and six years of full-time paid professional experience in long-range or current urban planning, with two of the six years supervising a professional planning unit.

PROCESS NOTES

  1. Applicants who lack six months or less of the required experience at the time of filing may file for this examination. However, they cannot be appointed until the full experience requirement is met.
  2. Applicants qualifying under Requirement #2 must list their school name and location, type of degree earned and major in the Education section of the on-line City application. Applicants who fail to provide this information on their application will not be considered further in this examination and their applications will not be processed.
  3. As a condition of employment, a valid Class C driver’s license issued by the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is required at the time of appointment. Applicants will be disqualified or deemed ineligible for hire if their DMV record reflects three or more moving violations and/or at-fault accidents, or a conviction of a major moving violation within the last 36 months in any state or jurisdiction. The City of Los Angeles reserves the right to issue a notice of disqualification or ineligibility at any time before a final job offer is extended.
  4. For qualifying work experience in Requirement #2, the term “professional experience” applies to positions that require possession of a degree from an accredited four-year college or university in order to obtain that position. Therefore, to be considered “professional,” qualifying experience must be gained in positions requiring a four-year degree.
  5. Please note that qualifying education must be from a college or university accredited by a City of Los Angeles recognized agency. A list of approved accrediting agencies can be found at https://personnel.lacity.gov/Accredited%20Institutions%2008-21-08.pdf.
  6. A master’s degree in urban planning is desired but not required.
  7. Membership in the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) is desired but not required.
  8. Candidates completing the examination process and qualifying under Requirement #2 will be contacted by the Personnel Department to provide required proof of qualifying degree and/or coursework. Applicants who wish to expedite this process may attach a copy of their qualifying degree and transcripts to their on-line application at the time of filing in the Attachments section.

WHERE TO APPLY & APPLICATION DEADLINE

Applications will only be accepted on-line. When you are viewing the on-line job bulletin of your choice, simply scroll to the top of the page and select the “Apply” icon. On-line job bulletins are also available at https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/lacity.

NOTE:

Applicants are urged to apply early to ensure you have time to resolve any technical issues you may encounter.

APPLICATION DEADLINE

Applications must be received by THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2026.

In accordance with Civil Service Rule 4.2, all applicants who apply may not be tested in this examination. To meet anticipated hiring needs, only a limited number of qualified applicants will be invited to participate in the selection process in the following order: 1) Los Angeles City promotional applicants who meet the minimum requirements. You must have received a regular appointment to a City position or be on a reserve list to apply for this examination as a promotional candidate; 2) Applicants currently employed by the City of Los Angeles on a part-time or exempt basis who meet the minimum requirements; 3) Remaining applicants who meet the minimum requirements in sufficient numbers to meet hiring needs based on a random sampling of those qualified candidates. Applications submitted during the filing period may be kept on file in the event that additional applicants need to be tested to meet hiring needs.

SELECTION PROCESS

Examination Weight:
Interview - 100%

The examination will consist entirely of an evaluation of professional and personal qualifications by interview. In the interview, the following competencies may be evaluated: Judgment and Decision Making; Initiative; Results Orientation; Emotional Maturity; Supervision; Oral Communication; Interpersonal Skills; Job Knowledge, including knowledge of: the environmental review process under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA); planning theories regarding urban form, land use, mobility, infrastructure, housing, urban design, and historic preservation; urban planning challenges such as air quality, reduced mobility, shortage of housing, decaying infrastructure, and open space; federal and state laws, legislative issues, and court cases affecting local planning and zoning; zoning principles and implementation tools; procedures and processes involved in the review, adoption, approval, or disapproval of proposed general plan elements, community plans, code amendments, zone changes, environmental documents, conditional uses, subdivisions, and zone variances; established planning policies and methods; State General Plan laws; and other necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Additional job analysis information can be obtained by going to https://per.lacity.org/jobs/job-analyses.cfm and clicking on Competencies under Senior City Planner.

Candidates will be notified later by e-mail of the date, time, and location of the interview, which may be held in Los Angeles or on-line. It is anticipated that interviews will begin during the period of MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2026 to FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2026.

NOTES:

  1. This examination is based on a validation study.
  2. As a covered entity under the Fair Employment and Housing Act and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and upon request, will provide reasonable accommodations to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities. To request a disability accommodation, please complete the Disability Accommodation Form within 14 calendar days of the submittal of the City application. The Disability Accommodation Form can be obtained at http://per.lacity.org/exams/verify_disability.pdf.
  3. Applications are accepted subject to review to ensure that minimum qualifications are met. Candidates may be disqualified at any time if it is determined that they do not possess the minimum qualifications stated on this bulletin.
  4. In conjunction with Civil Service Rules, applicants who have received a regular appointment to a City position or are on a reserve list will be considered Promotional candidates while all other applicants will be considered Open candidates.
  5. The promotional list will ordinarily be used ahead of the open competitive list. However, if open competitive candidates receive a higher score, without military credits, than the highest available promotional candidate, after adding seniority credit at the rate of 0.25 of a point for each year of continuous classified City service, the Civil Service Commission, upon request of the appointing authority, may approve certification of such open competitive candidates ahead of the promotional candidates.
  6. A final average score of 70% or higher is required to be placed on the eligible list.
  7. In accordance with Civil Service Rule, Sec. 4.24, review periods may be combined. Candidates in the examination process may file protests as provided in Sec. 4.20, 4.22, and 4.23 as applicable and within the required time frame; however, the Personnel Department may respond to and resolve protests prior to the establishment of the eligible list.

Notice:

If you receive and accept an offer of employment to a regular position with the City of Los Angeles, your employee benefit coverage (including health and dental coverage as well as life insurance) will commence approximately six weeks after your original regular appointment. Not all positions in the City receive benefit coverage; you should inquire regarding the availability of employee benefits prior to accepting a position. All City employees are required to be Disaster Service Workers.

THIS EXAMINATION IS TO BE GIVEN BOTH ON AN
INTERDEPARTMENTAL PROMOTIONAL AND OPEN COMPETITIVE BASIS

The City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, creed, color, ancestry, medical condition (cancer), or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.

AN EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
For additional information and FAQs regarding the City's hiring process, please go to: https://per.lacity.org/faqs/employment-testing-process.html