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Senior Planner
OCCR/ OC Parks / Irvine, CA
Posted on: November 17, 2025
Application Deadline: 12/8/2025 11:59pm
Job Description
OC COMMUNITY RESOURCES (OCCR)
OC Community Resources is a multi-faceted department comprised of OC Animal Care, OC Community Services, OC Housing & Community Development, OC Parks, and OC Public Libraries. Click here for more information on the County of Orange.
OC PARKS
OC Parks encompasses regional, wilderness, and historical facilities, as well as coastal areas throughout the County of Orange in California. Featuring 60,000 acres of parkland, open space and shoreline, Orange County’s award-winning parks and programs are enjoyed by millions of residents and visitors each year, in ways as diverse as the parks themselves.
THE OPPORTUNITY
OC Parks is seeking a strong, motivated team member to serve as a Senior Planner within the Entitlement Division at OC Parks reporting to the OC Parks Entitlement Project Manager (Development Services Administrator).
Under the supervision and guidance from the OC Parks Entitlement Project Manager, the Senior Planner is responsible for helping to ensure that the mission of preserving and enhancing OC Parks’ natural and cultural resources for recreation, education and exploration is upheld by providing comprehensive and timely review of third-party development proposals and permit requests on OC Parks land. The Senior Planner works to research and analyze underlying County parkland restrictions, such as easements and habitat reserve restrictions, in their review of third-party requests on or adjacent to County parkland and prepares reports and recommendations. The Senior Planner serves as a subject matter expert on a wide variety of land use and planning issues and must be resourceful and responsive to specialized assignments, which may be priorities from OC Parks Executive Management or the Board of Supervisors. Additionally, the Senior Planner serves as a liaison between external agencies and internal OC Parks working groups and other County agencies, including County Counsel, County Executive Office / Real Estate, and OC Public Works.
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Reviews third-party development proposals to ensure that work is performed in a manner that is compatible with OC Parks’ mission and goals and consistent with the vision and goals set forth in park planning documents including General Development Plans (GDPs) and Resource Management Plans (RMPs)
- Reviews third-party California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) documents (e.g., Initial Studies, Mitigated Negative Declarations, Environmental Impact Reports) for potential impacts to OC Parks and provides comments on behalf of OC Parks
- Coordinates with internal OC Parks’ working groups and other County departments, including County Counsel, County Executive Office / Real Estate, and Orange County Public Works to obtain timely feedback on project reviews
- When appropriate, conduct field inspections to gather data relevant to Entitlement projects
- Coordinates, obtains, and compiles project review feedback from OC Parks staff including, but not limited to, Operations and Natural Resources
- Utilizes the County’s geographic information systems mapping for data gathering
- Manages and prepares final documents such as formal reports and provides support on preparing interdepartmental agreements
- Provides support in developing real estate instruments, including easement documents, leases, and licenses
- Prepares and presents project briefings to Director’s Office and other executives, as needed
- Provides responsive, high quality service on behalf of OC Parks while working collaboratively with stakeholder groups at all levels including US Fish & Wildlife, US Army Corps of Engineers, Caltrans, CA Fish & Wildlife, CA Coastal Commission, OC Transportation Authority, OC Fire Authority, Coastal Greenbelt Authority, neighboring cities, water and sanitation districts, developers, homeowner associations, and others
- Enters development permit information associated with assigned projects into a central database
- Presents to OC Parks advisory bodies, OC Parks and County leadership, other government agencies, and staff at large meetings/trainings, as necessary
Required Experience / Skills / Education
DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS AND CORE COMPETENCIES
The ideal candidate will have five (5) or more years of significant and progressively responsible professional work experience in planning, land use, entitlements, implementation of real estate agreements/instruments, or other closely related field and possess a bachelor’s degree or higher in urban planning or a related field.
The ideal candidate will also have professional knowledge of and/or experience in all of the following areas:
- Complex principles and practices of land use and planning with a focus on open space and recreation
- Pertinent federal, state and local codes, laws and regulations, including the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and state and environmental laws
- Land use project management
- Familiarity with Geographic Information System (GIS) or comparable mapping tools
- Methods and techniques of effective technical report preparation and presentation
- Effective verbal and written presentation techniques
- Working with regulatory agencies, which may include Federal and State Fish and Wildlife, Army Corps of Engineers, California Coastal Commission, for the purposes of land use reviews
In addition, the ideal candidate will possess knowledge and experience in the following core competencies:
TECHNICAL EXPERTISE
- Demonstrate thorough knowledge of entitlement/land use review and permitting processes
- Demonstrate familiarity with natural resources/wildland open space management principles, including habitat restoration and mitigation best practices
- Ability to analyze real estate instruments including easements, leases, licenses, and other contractual language
- Utilize Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to complete site research tasks
- Demonstrate knowledge of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
- Demonstrate knowledge of conservation plans such as the Natural Communities Conservation Plan (NCCP) and the Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP)
- Expertly facilitate and coordinate projects, providing project leadership, advice and recommendations, technical direction and expertise, ability to evaluate progress, and resolution of issues related to project areas or work assignment
- Applying functional knowledge/skills to solve problems and reach sound solutions
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION AND LEADERSHIP
- Demonstrate effective written and verbal communication skills
- Effectively facilitate and move projects forward in an expeditious manner
- Interact effectively with other government agencies, public and private partners, community leaders, customers, and the general public
- Present ideas and complex material clearly, objectively, concisely, logically, and persuasively both orally and in writing
- Align organizational vision with County strategic goals and department business objectives
- Use creativity and innovation in achieving business objectives, achieving consensus that benefits and/or protects OC Parks, and making suggestions for improvements
- Apply own expertise to add value to the organization
- Build effective working relationships inside and outside the organization
PLANNING AND ORGANIZATION
- Plan, prioritize work and manage time effectively, handling multiple projects simultaneously and effectively, and meet deadlines consistently
- Communicate any project delays well in advance and allocate sufficient time to strategize to minimize delay impacts
- Demonstrate aptitude for critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making
- Demonstrate strong organizational skills with attention for detail
PROBLEM SOLVING | ANALYTICAL SKILLS
- Gather, analyze, and apply information skillfully to respond in creative ways to planning and park/land use challenges
- Conduct conflict resolution in a positive and constructive manner
- Work independently and maintain flexibility among changing assignments and priorities
- Anticipate and minimize unexpected issues and situations by promptly resolving and addressing the issues with evidence-based decision-making strategies
Application Instructions
Apply online at: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/oc/jobs/5135743-0/senior-planner
