Planner I/II/III - Planning, Building and Code Enforcement

Our diverse and inclusive workforce of more than 7,000 employees play a key role in the success of San José, the heart of the Silicon Valley. All City of San José employees work together as one team to make San José a vibrant, innovative, and desirable place to live and work. Visit here to learn more about our One Team Leadership Values and Expectations, including quality and excellent customer service and here to learn more about San José.

The City of San José is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants for all job openings will be considered without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or any other consideration made unlawful under any federal, state or local laws. The City of San José is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at 408-535-1285, 711 (TTY) , or via email at CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov .

About the Department

The City of San Jose’s Department of Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement serves to ensure the orderly and safe development of private properties, compliance with all applicable building, zoning, and quality of life ordinances and regulations, and to promote healthy and safe community standards. This is accomplished by departmental staff in service to customers by:

• Assisting and guiding land use and development to promote long-term goals and objectives that render safe, beneficial, and more sustainable communities
• Providing orderly administration and compliance of building codes, as mandated by the various levels of government, to ensure the construction of buildings, homes, and structures meet intended life safety and structural requirements
• Investigating and resolving citizen complaints of municipal code violations on private property in order to promote, maintain, and improve quality of life issues that better allow for safe and harmonious conditions in all neighborhoods
  

The Department is seeking applicants who are committed to understanding, executing, and improving the customer experience to best achieve the above goals and objectives. This includes providing excellent service and guidance to residents, property and business owners, developers, and other stakeholders throughout the planning, building, and code enforcement processes. Strong communication and interpersonal skills are essential, as the department values building positive relationships and fostering collaboration with other departments, agencies, and the community. Additionally, applicants who possess a strong knowledge of planning principles, building codes, and/or regulatory requirements will be highly valued, as they will play a key role in ensuring compliance and promoting healthy, safe, and sustainable development practices.

The City’s Planning Division provides oversight and assistance towards the City's growth and development in relation to regulations related to land use, zoning ordinances, development standards, neighborhood plans, and environmental impacts. The goal is to encourage development that strives to ensure public safety, high quality of living standards, inclusion, and support the health and wellbeing of all persons living and working in San Jose.

The Planning Division is divided into the following four sections:

• Permit Center: Plan check conformance, review for development projects, front counter/public information, and zoning compliance
• Development Review: Entitlement of zonings and development permits, historic preservation, and community engagement
• Environmental Review: Review of projects for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act and National Environmental Policy Act, mitigation monitoring, and implementation of the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Conservation Plan
• Citywide Planning: Long range planning, General Plan updates and amendments, zoning and sign code amendments, preparation of Urban Village/area plans, station area planning, Housing Element preparation and updates, housing policy, data analysis/GIS, grant management, and community engagement

The Department’s Planning Division ensures compliance with the all the above-mentioned obligations by annually reviewing, analyzing, conducting, researching, processing, and issuance of:

• 4,000 compliance reviews for building permits
• Over 150 commercial, industrial, and residential development permits
• Over 150 environmental clearance reviews for public and private projects
• Over 50 zoning changes
• Multiple General Plan Amendments, specific plans, and policies.
• Over 50 community meetings and workshops

Position Duties

The Division is seeking applicants for multiple positions within the Planner I/II/III classification. This is a full-time position and is responsible for various current planning and advanced planning functions such as customer service, planning application review and processing, policy development, community and stakeholder engagement, presenting staff recommendations at public hearings, and inter-departmental collaboration.

Salary range for the classification of Planner I/II/III are:

• Planner I: $90,068.16 - $109,418.40 annually
• Planner II: $105,028.56 - $127,589.28 annually
• Planner III: $120,141.84 - $146,393.52 annually

This salary range includes an approximate five percent (5%) ongoing non-pensionable compensation. Actual salary shall be determined by the final candidates’ qualifications and experience.

The ideal candidates will possess a high level of professionalism, excellent customer service and project management skills, and a strong work ethic. These positions require good judgment, initiative, perseverance, integrity, organizational skills, flexibility, and strong written and verbal communications skills.

Typical duties for a Planner I/II/III position may include, but are not limited to :

• Reviews and coordinates applications for land use entitlements including development and use permits, General Plan Amendments, and rezonings to ensure they meet the requirements of state laws, the General Plan, City policies, and the municipal code.
• Manages the preparation of long-range planning documents, including plans for Urban Villages, housing, transit station areas, or other specific plans. These documents address land use, urban design, housing needs, circulation, streetscape, and parks and open spaces. Applies for and manages grants.
• Manages environmental review for projects pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act and National Environmental Policy Act, including coordination with consultants, technical experts, Native American tribal representatives, City departments, and the public.
• Coordinates with cross-discipline internal and external project team members to establish and update project schedules, identify and resolve issues, communicate regular status updates, and keep various stakeholders informed. Manages projects to ensure that all parties are on-track with project requirements, deadlines, and schedules, including deadlines required by State law.
• Confers and coordinates with other departments, agencies, professionals, and the public on land use and environmental review related matters.
• Provides information and direction to professionals, developers and the public concerning the General Plan, zoning ordinance, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), historic preservation, and other planning development policies and guidelines.
• Prepares amendments and updates to the Zoning Ordinance and Sign Ordinance.
• Develops and revises planning policies, including the General Plan, affordable housing policies, and other development focused policies.
• Conducts research, data management (including GIS), analysis and reporting in support of other Planning activities.
• Uses a permitting database system to track project statuses and workflow. Conducts electronic plan review.
• Prepares and delivers oral and written reports with recommendations on land use proposals at community meetings and public hearings.
• Performs other duties of a similar nature requiring independent judgment and initiative. This position requires attendance at some evening and occasional weekend meetings outside of standard working hours. The number of evening and weekend meetings varies and is not predictable each month.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university in urban or regional planning, urban design, urban studies, architecture, landscape architecture, urban geography, or environmental studies or a closely related field.

Experience:

• Planner I: None.
• Planner II: Two (2) years of entry-level professional planning experience.
• Planner III: Four (4) years of professional planning experience including two (2) years of experience at the City of San Jose Planner II level or equivalent.

Acceptable Substitution (for Planner III): Master’s Degree or sixty (60) semester hours of graduate course work from an accredited college or university in urban or regional planning, urban design, urban studies, architecture, landscape architecture, urban geography, or environmental studies or a closely related field can substitute for the two years of professional planning experience equivalent to Planner II.

Other Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies, as demonstrated in past and current employment history.

• Job Expertise - demonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable professional/technical principles and practices, Citywide and departmental procedures/policies and federal and state rules and regulations.
• Communication Skills - effectively conveys information and expresses thoughts and facts clearly, orally and in writing; demonstrates effective use of listening skills; displays openness to other people's ideas and thoughts.
• Customer Service - demonstrates the ability to anticipate customers' needs and deliver services effectively and efficiently using professional demeanor.
• Initiative - exhibits resourceful behaviors toward meeting job objectives; anticipates problems, is proactive, and avoids difficulties by planning ahead; displays willingness to assume extra responsibility and challenges; pursues continuing education opportunities that promotes job performance.
• Multi-Tasking - can handle multiple projects and responsibilities simultaneously; has handled a wide variety of assignments in past and/or current position(s).
• Problem Solving - approaches a situation or problem by defining the problem or issue; determines the significance of problem(s); collects information; uses logic and intuition to arrive at decisions or solutions to problems that achieve the desired outcome.
• Project Management - ensures support for projects and implements agency goals and strategic objectives.
• Teamwork & Interpersonal Skills - demonstrates a positive attitude and flexibility along with the ability to develop effective relationships with co-workers and supervisors by helping others accomplish tasks and using collaboration and conflict resolution skills.

If you have questions about the duties of these positions, the selection or hiring processes, please contact Travis Hobson at travis.hobson@sanjoseca.gov.

Additional Information:

Employment Eligibility: Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of San Jose will NOT sponsor, represent or sign any documents related to visa applications/transfers for H1-B or any other type of visa which requires an employer application.

You must answer all job-specific questions to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Applicants are expected to write their own essays/responses.

Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third party job board application system.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Please allow adequate time to complete the application and submit before the deadline or the system may not save your application. If your online application was successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov and we will research the status of your application.

AI and the Hiring Process

We recognize that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming part of daily life and can be a valuable tool for learning, research, and professional growth. We encourage candidates to use AI responsibly as a support in preparing application materials, live assessments, and interviews. However, we value authenticity, accuracy and truthfulness. Application responses and interview answers must reflect your own knowledge, skills, and experiences. While AI can supplement preparation, it cannot replace the originality and judgment we look for in our employees. This ensures fairness, transparency, and equity for all applicants in the hiring process.

The City of San Jose offers a wide range of core health benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision, Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance, Disability, and Savings Plans. Please visit the City's benefits pagefor detailed information on coverage, cost, and dependent coverage.

For information on the City’s Retirement Plan(pension for full-time employees), please visit the Office of Retirement Services website. You will be able to view information based on different Sworn/Federated job classification.

In additional to the benefits above, there is an additional perks siteto explore further benefits of working for the City of San Jose like paid leave, educational reimbursements, and holiday pay are specific to the job classification and union membership.

Closing Date/Time: 1/2/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

• 

• City of San Jose

• 408-535-1285

Show more