Summary

Are you a preservation professional that is passionate about preserving the historic, architectural and cultural character of Denver? Do you enjoy providing excellent customer service to guide customers through changes to designated properties? The City and County of Denver’s Community Planning and Development Department (CPD) is seeking a highly motivated and creative individual for our Staff City Planner position with our Landmark Preservation team.

Description

About Our Job

With competitive pay, great benefits, and endless opportunities, working for the City and County of Denver means seeing yourself working with purpose — for you, and those who benefit from your passion, skills and expertise. Join our diverse, inclusive and talented workforce of more than 11,000 team members who are at the heart of what makes Denver, Denver.

What We Offer

The City and County of Denver offers competitive pay commensurate with education and experience. New hires for Staff City Planner are typically brought into the organization between $62,186 – $82,397 based on experience and education. We also offer generous benefits for full-time employees which include but are not limited to:

A guaranteed life-long monthly pension, once vested after 5 years of service
457B Retirement Plan
140 hours of PTO earned within first year + 12 paid holidays, 1 personal holiday, 1 Wellness Day and 1 volunteer day per year
Competitive medical, dental and vision plans effective within 1 month of start date

The City and County of Denver has announced furlough days, or unpaid days off, for most employees to meet a budget shortfall in 2025. There are two fixed furlough days for all limited (temporary positions with an end date) and unlimited (permanent) employees on August 29th, the Friday before Labor Day, and November 28th, the day after Thanksgiving. If you receive an offer for this position, your annual pay will determine whether you are required to take additional furlough days. Details will be discussed during the offer process for selected candidate(s).

Location & Schedule

The City and County of Denver supports a hybrid workplace model. In this position you can expect to work on site at the Wellington Webb Building, 201 E. Colfax Avenue. The Schedule will be Monday – Friday with flexible start/end times as long as the core hours of 9am-3pm are covered. Hybrid work is allowed, with at least 3 days per week in office. Employees must work within the state of Colorado on their off-site days. A 9/80 flexible work schedule option is available after the successful completion of a 6 month probationary period.

Who We Are & What You’ll Do

Working for the City and County of Denver (CCD) is so much more than a job. It’s a chance to make a difference in your own life and in the lives of people around you. Click here to find out about all the amazing benefits and reasons to work for the city that you love! Landmark Preservation is a vital and integrated component of CPD. Denver’s landmark structures and historic districts enhance the city’s unique identity, quality of life, and economic vitality. In this position you will have the opportunity to grow your skills and expertise by reviewing minor alterations to historic buildings. You will also review demolition applications by researching a building’s history and evaluating the property for historic significance.

Key responsibilities include:

Assisting with the initial review of applications uploaded through “e-permits” to determine if required submittal criteria have been met, including completeness evaluations of Demolition, Certificate of Demolition Eligibility, and Landmark Design Review applications; working with customers to address omissions
Providing high-quality customer service to help applicants successfully navigate the Landmark Preservation Design Review and Demolition Review processes
Reviewing a range of proposed projects in historic districts and at individual landmark sites using adopted design guidelines and policies. This includes reviewing applications for signs, site work, solar panels, retaining walls, and other smaller design review projects in our 60 historic districts and for 366 individual landmarks
Taking primary responsibility on the Landmark team for the issuance of “Quick Review” approvals, which are generally simple scopes of work, requiring a fast turnaround, and carrying increased customer expectations for responsiveness
Reviewing and researching applications for Demolition and Certificates of Demolition Eligibility to determine designation potential before approvals can be issued
Assisting the Landmark Preservation team on regulatory improvements such as updates to the design guidelines, and helping to envision creative process improvements
Performing other duties as assigned

What You’ll Bring

We value diversity of ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, sexual identity, gender, religion, language, ability, and experience and exemplify this through the makeup of our team at all levels. You'll be right at home here if you cultivate strong relationships and push yourself, your work, the people around you and Denver to the next level.

Research shows that women and people of color are less likely to apply for a position if they do not meet almost 100% of the desired skills. Please note this is not necessary! If you meet the minimum requirements below and have a passion for the work, you are encouraged to apply.

Our ideal candidate has some or all the following experience, skills, and characteristics:

Basic knowledge of the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and historic design guidelines
Knowledge of architectural history and an interest in researching historic properties
Ability to read and interpret architectural plans, and a command of common architectural and construction terms and construction practices
Confidence discussing terms used in the Design Guidelines for Denver Landmark Structures and Districts such as mass, scale, form, pitch, articulation, rhythm, proportion, setting and context
Understanding of key concepts to evaluate the historic integrity and significance of a building when determining its eligibility for demolition
Excellent writing, public speaking and communication skills, as well as strong interpersonal and customer service skills
Excellent time/work management skills
Ability to multi-task with frequent interruptions, and to work well under pressure
Well-suited to thrive in a team-based culture
Commitment to integrating equity into preservation and planning
Excellent attention to detail and highly organized
Proficiency in the Spanish language – speaking, reading, and writing preferred

Required Minimum Qualifications

Education requirement: Bachelor's Degree in City or Regional Planning, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Historic Preservation, Engineering, or a related field
Experience Requirement: None
Education/Experience Equivalency: One (1) year of the appropriate type and level of experience may be substituted for each required year of post high school education

Application Deadline

This position is expected to stay open until Sunday, November 30th. Please submit your application as soon as possible and no later than Sunday, November 30th at 11:59 PM MST