Openings as of 1/10/2026

Principal Planner

JobID: 518

Position Type:
Administration/Management/Community Development


Date Posted:
1/9/2026


Location:
Urbana City Building (Community Development)


Date Available:
When filled


Closing Date:
01/23/2026


Join Our Team!
Principal Planner
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Starting Salary Range: $85,984.42 - $113,929.35 annually

Job Type: Full-time, Management/Exempt, Civil Service


Position Summary:
The City of Urbana is seeking qualified applicants for an exciting opportunity to lead the municipal planning functions of the Community Development Services Department. The successful candidate will serve as the manager of all activities and staff of the Planning Division and will oversee a wide variety of projects that will have a lasting impact on Urbana’s neighborhoods and community-at-large.

The Principal Planner oversees advanced, highly complex professional planning activities and manages Planning Division activities and staff. Responsible for supervising staff, coordinating work programs and priorities, and ensuring that decision-making within the Planning Division is internally consistent and in accordance with state and municipal statutes and the City’s priorities, mission, and values.

In conjunction with the Director, the Principal Planner is responsible for comprehensive planning, historic preservation, neighborhood planning, subdivision/development review, annexation, research, and long-term planning studies. Provides staff support to the City Council, Urbana Plan Commission, Urbana Historic Preservation Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, and Design Review Board. Represents the City on a variety of intergovernmental committees and teams. Supervises and leads staff to accomplish the planning goals of the City. May also be assigned zoning administration duties.

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Our Ideal Candidate:
• Consistently adheres to schedules, timelines, and work plans, while strengthening the Planning Division’s organizational systems to improve daily task management and long-term record keeping. Demonstrates a strong aptitude for organization and process, ensuring structure, clarity, and efficiency in all work.
• Actively listens and responds with empathy, especially when dealing with sensitive or emotionally charged situations; demonstrates strong personal resilience during highly charged public hearings, maintaining composure and professionalism in challenging situations.
• Demonstrates consistency between words and actions, reinforcing the City’s Zoning Ordinance and codes.
• Maintains professionalism and focus even amid frequent interruptions or shifting demands
• Is highly organized and maintains accuracy and consistency in planning documents, maps, and reports.
• Consistently adheres to rules, policies, and ethical standards – even when no one is watching.
• Strengthens team culture by being open, respectful, and generous with knowledge.
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Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
• Actively supports and upholds the City’s mission and values.
• Contributes to supporting organizational goals and priorities.
• Administers and enforces of the City of Urbana’s Land Development Code (LDC) as it applies to subdivisions and developments within the City and the City’s extraterritorial jurisdiction, in consultation with the CD Director and the City Engineer. Serves on the Administrative Review Committee.
• Coordinates and/or oversees zoning issues and enforcement with the Building Safety Division staff and with other City departments. Facilitates joint planning projects between departments.
• Supports the development of the City’s comprehensive plan, planning programs, and policies.
• Directs the Planning Division, which includes implementation of the comprehensive plan, planning programs and policies; preparing staff recommendations regarding development, amendment, and implementation of City’s Comprehensive Plan; and other long-range planning studies.
• Provides lead direction and work assignment to professional and technical staff; assists in the selection of assigned staff; instructs staff in work procedures, reviews work performed and provides periodic performance evaluations to assigned staff.
• Prepares and directs special planning studies as needed. Such studies may include use of maps, graphs, reports, field studies, statistics, tabulations, computations, graphs and charts for illustration and analysis.
• Serves as, or delegates, project management for the Design Review Team (DRT) meetings, which convene key city personnel on planning and development questions.
• Provides staff support to City Council on planning related matters and attends Council meetings as needed. Provides or assigns staff support for the Plan Commission, Historic Preservation Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, Design Review Board, and other boards, commissions or committees as needed. Attends or assigns staff to attend meetings.
• Analyzes requests and recommends appropriate action for a wide variety of plan cases, including, but not limited to, zoning text amendments, zoning map amendments, land development and subdivision requests, subdivision regulation amendments, special use permits, conditional use permits, variances, annexation agreements, planned unit developments, and comprehensive plan amendments.
• Prepares and supervises preparation of Plan Commission and City Council packet materials for meetings including memos, maps, and other information as needed.
• Reviews Plan Commission agenda and cases, including recommendations, providing alternate recommendations if applicable.
• May serve as, or delegate: Secretary of the Plan Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, and Design Review Board.
• Makes presentations to public groups and City boards and commissions, including the Urbana Plan Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, Historic Preservation Commission Design Review Board and Urbana City Council.
• Works with the Director to research, recommend, and implement process improvements.
• Develops and revises applicable City codes, policies and procedures in consultation with the Director and other key staff or elected officials.
• Provides regular reports on the status of projects and ensures that City officials are informed on a timely basis.
• Works with the CD Director on developing a vision for neighborhood organizations and community engagement, including identifying and monitoring performance measures.
• Responds to public inquiries regarding general planning, zoning, and subdivision regulations.
• Facilitates data management and related tasks with U.S. Census Bureau on as-needed basis.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Required / Minimum Qualifications:
• Knowledge typically acquired through completion of a bachelor’s degree in urban planning or a closely related field.
• Five (5) years of progressively responsible experience managing or directing professional planning work, including at least two (2) years of supervisory experience.
• A master’s degree is strongly preferred and may substitute for one (1) years of the experience requirement.
• Local government planning experience, including working with public boards and commissions is preferred.
• Knowledge of specializations such as housing, zoning, historic preservation, and economic development.
• Knowledge of software programs including Microsoft Office applications and GIS/QGIS.
• Strong analytical skills to interpret research data for reports and apply mathematic techniques in practical situations.
• Ability to manage or facilitate complex, multi-year project involving multiple stakeholders and a wide array of disciplines, sensitive political issues and challenges, and diverse communities.
• Must possess or obtain AICP certification within 18 months of hire and maintain certification.
• Must possess or obtain a valid State of Illinois driver’s license within 15 days of employment.
For a complete list of duties and qualifications, please refer to the job description.
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To Apply:
Applicants must submit a current resume and an online application. Click the red "Apply" button on the upper-right hand side of this page. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled, however initial application review will occur after Friday, January 23, 2026. Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to apply prior to this date for priority consideration.

Selection Process:
The application will serve as the Civil Service exam; applicants meeting or exceeding the passing score will be placed on an open competitive register to fill current and/or future vacancies that may occur within approximately the next two years; this register may be extended or voided as needed by the Civil Service Commission. Questions may be directed to Ranija Turner, Human Resources Coordinator, at: jobs@urbanail.gov or call (217) 384-6295. The City of Urbana provides reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities; if you need information, please contact the Human Resources Division at the number or e-mail above.



What happens after I submit my application?
You will be contacted by e-mail regarding your status once a decision has been made in the selection process. Once you apply, almost all communication regarding the status of your application will be by email through the City's applicant management platform, so please add the domain "@applitrack.com" to your address book to prevent any emails from going to your Spam/Junk folder.


The Organization
The City of Urbana, founded in 1833 and the county seat of Champaign County, is a home-rule municipality situated in east central Illinois, approximately 135 miles south of Chicago and 45 miles west of the Indiana border. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the state's flagship university, is located in both Urbana and Urbana's twin city of Champaign. Urbana's population is estimated at 38,336 and 11.9 square miles are within the City boundaries. The City is led by Mayor DeShawn Williams and operates under the mayor-aldermanic form of government. On average, Urbana employs 260 full-time personnel. For more information about the City of Urbana, visit: www.urbanaillinois.us.

About the Urbana Community
Award-winning dining. Cutting-edge technology. World-class education. Gigabit-speed fiber network. Urbana is a city where artists, thinkers, and innovators thrive. And we’re just getting started!
Urbana boasts a history built on innovation. From the famed Morrow Plots, a National Historic Landmark, to the groundbreaking research conducted every day on the flagship campus of the University of Illinois, Urbana embraces creative thinking and diversity to drive innovation and advancement. We’re connected to each other and the world thanks to an award-winning mass transit district, Amtrak rail, a regional airport, and three major interstates. Prefer to get around on two wheels? We are proud to be the first Gold Level Bicycle Friendly Community in Illinois. Our West Urbana neighborhood has been named of the 10 Great Neighborhoods in America by the American Planning Association, and together with our twin city Champaign, we’ve been recognized as the Greatest Food Town in the Midwest by Midwest Living Magazine, as well as an AARP Age-Friendly Community. Led by Mayor DeShawn Williams, Urbana’s progressive values include civic engagement, celebrating entrepreneurs and innovators, smart growth, and transparent governance. Award-winning schools, outstanding parks, a mosaic of diverse and engaged neighborhoods, a robust array of businesses located throughout the city, and reliable public services committed to the best possible quality of life for residents serve to make Urbana a great place for all to thrive.

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Compensation and Benefits
The City of Urbana offers competitive compensation and benefits to our employees. The full salary range for this position is 85,984.42 - $141,874.28 per year; the starting annual range is $85,984.42 - $113,929.35 . The City of Urbana provides its employees with a robust benefits package that includes the following options:

• Health insurance through Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Illinois, including a no-cost premium option for employees
• Dental insurance options through Delta Dental
• Vision, Voluntary Life, Short/Long-term Disability, Accident, and Critical Illness insurance options
• Flexible Spending Plan option
• Paid holidays
• Generous vacation and unlimited sick leave accruals

For more information about City benefits for this position, please visit Management Benefits | City of Urbana Careers | Urbana, Illinois.

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The City of Urbana Welcomes Diversity!
We foster an environment that values and encourages mutual respect, inclusion of all people, and utilizing differences and similarities as an organizational asset. EOE.
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Attachment(s):
• Principal Planner (2025).pdf



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