Good afternoon, I wanted to share our job advertisement for our second position focusing on implementing our 2050 Parks and Recreation tax. See below for the job info or visit fcgov.com/jobs. Please forward to anyone you think might be interested.
Thanks,
Jill
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JILL WUERTZ, PLA, CPRP, CPSI
Senior Manager – Park Planning and Development
Park Planning and Development & Parks Infrastructure Replacement Program
City of Fort Collins 215 North Mason Street, Fort Collins, CO 80524 Third Floor
970-416-2062 office 970-219-1573 mobile
jwuertz
POSITION TITLE: Sr Planner, Parks (Full-Time Regular) (Classified)
REQUISITION #: req7889
DEPARTMENT: Parks
LOCATION: 215 OFFICE BLDG
BENEFIT CATEGORY: Classified (Non-CBU) View Classifications & Benefits
EMPLOYMENT TYPE: Full-Time Regular
ANNUAL SALARY RANGE: $65,425.00 – 109,042.00 (Salaries are paid biweekly)
ANNUAL ANTICIPATED HIRING RANGE: $81,000.00 – 99,000.00 (Salaries are paid biweekly)
SELECTION PROCESS: Application deadline is 3:00 p.m. MT on 12/17/2024.
Job Summary
The City of Fort Collins is seeking a dynamic and experienced Senior Park Planner to lead the development, planning, and implementation of parks, and recreation projects, particularly those funded by the City’s 2050 Tax for Parks and Recreation. As the Senior Park Planner, you will be responsible for guiding the realization of the City’s vision as outlined in the ReCreate 2021 Parks and Recreation Plan and Parks Infrastructure Replacement Plan, helping to ensure that projects reflect the needs and aspirations of the community, while also embodying the City’s core values of Partnership, Service, Safety & Wellbeing, Sustainability, Integrity, and Belonging.
The ideal candidate will have a strong background in fields such as landscape architecture, planning, or park and recreation management. In this senior role, you will play a central part in shaping the future of our parks system by establishing project goals and visions that are aligned with the City’s plans and initiatives. You will lead public engagement efforts, ensuring that community input directly informs each project. Your role will involve collaborating with City staff, stakeholders, and residents to advocate for inclusive and sustainable parks and recreation spaces. You will also supervise the upcoming GIS position, which will be hired in 2025, helping to integrate a data-driven approach to asset management and future planning.
A Colorado-licensed Landscape Architect, an AICP (American Institute of Certified Planners) certification from the American Planning Association, or a Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP) certification through the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) are all highly valued qualifications. In addition to these credentials, the candidate should have experience with GIS and other ESRI software products, as technical proficiency in these tools is beneficial. Additional certifications related to public process and community engagement, project management, or mapping would also be advantageous. Experience with park and trail-specific grant writing is another asset, as the ability to communicate effectively and leverage funding will be a future opportunity for this role.
The Senior Park Planner will be a visible leader in the community, representing the department at public forums, including City Council meetings and community workshops. You will be expected to engage the public in meaningful ways, facilitating discussions around park development and renovation, project priorities, and long-term planning. Strong communication skills, a visionary mindset, and the ability to speak confidently in public will be key to your success.
A critical component of this role is your commitment to equity in the planning and design process. You will ensure that all parks and recreation projects are designed to be accessible, inclusive, and reflective of the diverse needs of our community. Your ability to foster relationships and maintain open communication with community groups and partners will be essential to creating parks and spaces that serve residents of all backgrounds and abilities.
This is an exciting opportunity to lead transformative projects that will have a lasting impact on Fort Collins parks and recreation system, ensuring that our community thrives now and in the future.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
The following duties and responsibilities are illustrative of the primary functions of this position and are not intended to be all inclusive.
- Serves as an expert in the park and recreation and development field.
- Leads neighborhood outreach, stakeholder engagement, and community education efforts
- Provides proactive planning and coordination with City staff, developers, and landowners to identify and secure necessary land easements and/or property needed to advance parks and recreation master plans.
- Negotiate directly with Homeowner Associations (HOA)’s, individual landowners, and developers to identify and secure easements and property acquisitions.
- Support development review coordination and oversight with the multiple city departments and developers to identify and secure park and trail easements through the development review process.
- Act as project manager for assigned plans and other strategic plans as needed.
- Proactively coordinate and develop partnerships with City departments to identify and implement projects.
- Provide oversight and development of holistic GIS data base system for Park Department maintained assets.
- Coordinates with relevant agencies regarding park and recreation best practices.
- Works with other agency representatives to advocate and support interagency projects and initiatives.
- Coordinate with Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), City Give and other grant providers to identify, secure, administer and closeout grants for projects.
- May direct the review and final approval, and signs final mylars, for park and/or trail improvements in new developments.
- Provides language to incorporate in Development Agreements, identifying developer and City responsibilities regarding future park and/or trail improvements and/or land acquisition.
- Manages the selection of professionals who will provide contractual planning, outreach, design and engineering services.
- Provides technical oversight of park and recreation projects through design and construction for ADA compliance.
- Administers project budget, determines expenditures, and maintains records to keep costs within budget.
- May direct the preparation of contract documents, manage bidding, and execute contract administration.
- Authorizes payments for work done by contractors or outside agencies. May authorize change orders.
- May inspect sites to monitor progress and ensure conformance to engineering plans, specifications, and construction and safety standards, including ADA compliance.
- Serves as a technical information resource for the public, consultants and developers, City boards and departments, City Council, and other organizations regarding specific projects or general parks and recreation planning & design questions; may prepare presentations and written materials.
- Interprets and develop policies, standards, and City code language.
- Coordinates with other departments, agencies, or the public to facilitate project implementation; may secure City Council approval as required.
- Participates in staff and project review meetings, and coordinates with other departments or agencies to facilitate project implementation and compliance.
- May represent the Department Sr Manager in their absence.
- Performs technical writing for policies, plans, and grants.
- Assists in policy creation and code changes.
- Assists with the preparation of the Department budget.
Management Responsibilities
Yes