Senior Planner

Job Description:

Senior Planner

Description

City of Claremont

The City of Claremont is seeking a qualified Senior Planner to join our growing premier Planning Division.

• Are you ready to experience a different kind of City? A City that challenges convention, embraces innovation, and demands excellence?
• Do you have the passion, drive, and commitment to succeed in a fast paced, service-driven environment?
• The City of Claremont is known for its stellar service and quality leadership that is a result of a conscious effort by management to select only the brightest and best employees. Do you have the leadership skills to inspire those around you to greatness?
• The City of Claremont produces innovative programs that are setting the bar for municipalities across the country. Do you enjoy a challenging environment that will push you to be the best in your field?

If you answered these questions with YES, consider applying to be our next Senior Planner!

The Position

The City is looking for one highly motivated, creative, enthusiastic, customer service-oriented Senior Planner to work in current or advanced planning, depending upon qualifications.

The Senior Planner will conduct special projects and research as assigned, and prepare reports and recommendations relative to assigned area of responsibility. Incumbents are responsible for projects of complex difficulty and are expected to direct them to completion. Claremont is a truly unique Transit-Oriented Neighborhood adjacent to the Metrolink station and future A-Line light rail station. Some of the exciting projects include:

• Implementation of the recently approved Village South Specific Plan, which will serve as an extension to the existing Claremont Village and is approved as a large mixed-use neighborhood that will include retail, shops, restaurants, office, and residential uses.
• Several new and proposed Claremont College buildings, including student centers, dormitories, offices, science centers, and other various educational institutional facilities designed by world-class architectural firms.
• Implementation of the City’s recently adopted Housing Element.
• Completing the City’s General Plan Safety Element.
• Proposed market rate and affordable housing projects on multiple parcels throughout the City.
• Implementation of a draft Citywide Design Guidelines document and needed work on Objective Design Standards for new multi-family development applications.
• Implementation of the recently adopted Cultural Resources Ordinance to protect the City’s historic resources.

The Senior Planner may supervise lower-level staff and provide technical direction to subordinate technical and clerical positions. Work hours are generally Monday through Thursday (38-hour work week) between 7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. The Senior Planner will attend Commission meetings in the evenings, and other evening/weekend meetings or special events as required.

SUPPLEMENTAL RECRUITMENT INFORMATION

Candidate applications will be screened for minimum qualifications as well as against the pool of qualified applicants who apply. Successful candidates will be invited to attend a panel interview.

Dates for recruitment processes are subject to change. Recruitment may close after a sufficient number of qualified applicants are received. All candidates will be notified of their standing in the recruitment process via email.

OPEN DATE: February 12, 2026

CLOSE DATE: March 16, 2026

INTERVIEWS: March 31, 2026

Ideal Candidate

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

The next Senior Planner will have a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university in urban planning or a related field. A Master's Degree in a related field is desirable and may count as one year of experience. Additionally, the next Senior Planner will have four years of progressively responsible experience in urban planning, including one year in a responsible lead or supervisory capacity.

A valid California driver's license and good driving record are required.

Additional Information

THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT

The Community Development Department is responsible for managing and coordinating the work effort of three operating divisions: Planning, Engineering, and Building. To deliver the high-quality services necessary to fulfill the needs of the City Council and the citizens, the department has an annual operating budget of $5.2 million and 22 full-time employees encompassing all divisions.

THE COMMUNITY

Located 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles on the lower slopes of the San Gabriel Mountains, Claremont is best known for its tree-lined streets, historic buildings, world-renowned colleges, and award-winning school system.

Claremont provides the charm of a New England town within comfortable driving distance of major Southern California attractions, sports stadiums, and the Ontario International Airport. Sunset magazine described Claremont in this manner, "College towns like this one may be commonplace on the East Coast, but Claremont, 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, stands out as a singular example in Southern California." Metrolink Rail Authority also named Claremont a Preferred Destination Point.

The City has a population of 36,000 people calling Claremont their home. Within the City's 14.14 square miles, Claremont has 24 City-owned parks and sports fields, with 2,555 acres of public parkland, of which 1,769 is wilderness. Claremont has over 25,000 City trees and has been a winner of the National Arbor Day Association's TREE CITY USA award for 38 years.

Claremont's success is not accidental, but the result of a long tradition of creating and encouraging community cooperatives and involvement in civic affairs, which has also worked successfully in the areas of business and economic retention and development. The City of Claremont exemplifies the quality of a model city and is viewed and respected as a leader in local government.

CITY GOVERNMENT

Claremont is a general law city that uses the Council-Manager form of government. A general law city is one that operates under laws and rules established by the State of California.

The City Manager is hired by and responsible to the City Council. It is the responsibility of the City Manager and City staff to implement Council policies and ensure the smooth day-to-day delivery of municipal services. The City Council also appoints a City Attorney to provide legal counsel to the City organization.

The City Council is comprised of five members elected by-district for four years. The terms of offices are staggered, with three members elected at one general municipal election and two at the next. Elections are held the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March of odd-numbered years.

The City Council and staff is committed to fulfilling its mission to deliver the highest quality service possible to our community in a balanced and equitable manner. The City Council has identified the following citywide priorities:

Preserve our natural, cultural, and historic resources; Maintain financial stability; Invest in the maintenance and improvement of our infrastructure; Ensure the safety of our community through community-based policing and emergency preparedness;Increase livability in our neighborhoods and expand opportunities for our businesses; Promote community engagement through transparency and communication; and Develop anti-racist, anti-discrimination policies and plan to achieve community and organizational diversity, equity, and inclusion.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:

This position offers a highly competitive salary with an attractive and competitive benefit package as outlined below. The starting salary for this position will be based on the competitive labor market and the successful candidate's qualifications, and experience.

The City of Claremont offers an attractive and competitive benefit package, including:

• 3% negotiated salary increase 7/1/26
• $1,500 a month for medical allowance
• 2% at 55 PERS retirement (Classic Members), Employee pays 7% of salary; 2% at 62 PERS retirement (New Member) Employee pays 5.75% of salary
• 96 hours - 160 hours vacation based on years of service
• 72 holiday hours and 43 floating holiday hours
• 72 hours of Administrative Leave
• 96 sick hours per year (may bring up to 200 hours of sick leave from current employer)
• $75,000 life insurance on employee and $10,000 on dependents
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

The City of Claremont is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants as required by the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) and Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). Individuals with qualified disabilities who need reasonable accommodation during the selection process or in the performance of their duties must specify the accommodations needed, in writing, at the time when the employment application is submitted.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The City of Claremont is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to supporting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives to build and sustain an environment that values diversity, welcomes opportunities to engage and understand others, and fosters a sense of belonging.

This summary highlights select benefits. Comprehensive benefits, pays, and working conditions are outlined in the applicable Association Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The full MOU is available on the City’s website.

Closing Date/Time: 3/16/2026 1:00 PM Pacific

Salary:

$95,282.76 - $115,101.96 Annually