Senior Planner

Why This Role Matters: As the Senior Planner at CPL, you will join our Community team and work with a diverse range of clients on planning, zoning, and community development projects. You will help shape vibrant communities through short- and long-range planning initiatives across CPL’s practice areas.

Reporting to a Project Manager or Principal, you will help manage project scopes, budgets, and schedules; develop project deliverables; and coordinate with clients and multidisciplinary teams to achieve successful outcomes.

The ideal candidate brings strong communication skills, planning and zoning expertise, and a passion for helping communities thrive. In this role, you will contribute to moderate- to large-scale, complex projects that create meaningful, lasting impacts.

What You’ll Do:

• Serve as a senior planner for professional planning projects, research, and analysis.
• Provide customer service for planning and zoning matters, both in-person and over the phone.
• Write staff memos for zoning-related applications for city boards and councils.
• Conduct research on planning and zoning-related matters.
• Complete zoning plan reviews for commercial building permits, land disturbance permits, plats and other land development/zoning related applications.
• Present cases to city authorities and commissions.
• Read, interpres, and write zoning and other codes.
• Contribute to internal master planning charrettes.
• Draft reports for comprehensive and other master plans.
• Organize and attends public input meetings for master planning and other zoning-related projects.
• Attend daytime, nighttime, and occasional weekend public meetings, assisting other planning staff as appropriate.
• Travel to other local offices and clients may be necessary.

What You Bring:

• A bachelor’s or master’s degree in Urban Planning, Urban Design, City Planning, Geography, Public Administration, Public Health, Architecture, Engineering, or related field and a minimum of four (4) years of planning experience in the public or private planning sector is required.
• Membership in the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) is required.
• A thorough understanding of municipal planning issues, principles, methods and techniques.
• Successful implementation of policies and programs using established resources and working within budgetary constraints.
• Ability to read, understand and interpret a variety of written documentation and graphic material, conducting research as necessary.
• Robust interpersonal skills, communicating effectively both verbally and via written correspondence – and dealing courteously with elected officials, clients, and the general public.
• A background in graphic and/or urban design is a major plus.

What We Offer: Benefits for Regular Full-Time & Part-Time Employees Working 30+ Hours/Week

• Healthcare for you and your family: Medical, Dental & Vision insurance

• Single HDHP Medical plan with 100% paid premium

• Health Savings Account (HSA) with employer match

• Medical and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts

• FREE Life Insurance and AD&D Insurance

• Voluntary Life Insurance for you and your family

• FREE Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Insurance

• PTO + Sick Time + 8 Holidays per year

• Retirement Savings Plan with contribution from CPL to grow your retirement funds

• Internal Mobility & Career Advancement

• Licensure Assistance

Additional benefits available to FT Employees Working 40+ Hours/Week

• Tuition Assistance: You may be eligible for continuing education assistance
• Student Loan Assistance Program: CPL will contribute up to $100/month for 5 years ($6,000 total) toward student loan debt

What Does It Look Like Working Here? We believe that building a strong community is about establishing a prevailing sense of fellowship among our team members, friends, and neighbors.

• Collaboration – working with others towards the best solution, placing great emphasis on the collective wisdom of our internal teams.
• Family – celebrating others’ successes, genuinely caring about the happiness and well-being of our team members and recognizing their own families as extensions of the CPL family.
• Fun – not taking oneself too seriously, fully understanding that fun at work is conducive to productivity.
• Inspiration – contributing to an uplifting workplace that facilitates growth and success by maintaining a positive, upbeat attitude.
• Integrity – doing what is ethically right and providing reliable follow-through on commitments.
• Ingenuity – seeking new opportunities and consistently identifying unexpected and practical ways to solve problems.

The rate for this position generally ranges between $74,000 to 90,000 annually. This range is a good faith estimate provided pursuant to the New York Pay Transparency Law. It is based on what a successful New York applicant might be paid and assumes that the successful candidate will be in New York or perform the position from New York. Similar positions located outside of New York will not necessarily receive the same compensation. Actual pay rates may vary from the range, as permitted by New York Equal Pay Transparency Law. Compensation offers will be based on various factors, including operational needs, individual education, qualifications and experience, work location and comparison to employees already in the role, as well as other considerations permitted by law. A potential new employee's pay history will not be used in compensation decisions.

CPL is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and as such affirms the right of every person to participate in all aspects of employment without regard to gender, race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, disability, citizenship, military or veteran status, gender expression and/or identity, or any other status or characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

CPL does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiting professionals or agencies, nor do we accept resumes from any source that does not reference a specific, open position. CPL will not be responsible for any fees arising from the use of resumes submitted by recruiting professionals or agencies that do not have a current placement fee agreement with CPL. All initial communication with recruiting professionals or agencies must go through our Talent Acquisition Team.