Planner 3 – Community Plans

Department: Planning Department

Division: Long Range Planning

Reports To: Community Plans Manager

Position Summary:

The Metropolitan Nashville Planning Department is seeking a Planner 3 to join the Community Plans section of the Long Range Planning Division. This position plays a key role in advancing the Department's mission through leadership in policy analysis, small area and corridor plan development, and public engagement. The Senior Planner will contribute to the ongoing update of NashvilleNext (Metro's General Plan), guide policy development and application, and collaborate with a wide range of internal and external partners to create sustainable growth and well-planned outcomes.

Key Responsibilities:

Policy analysis (50%)

• Participates in NashvilleNext (Metro Nashville's general plan) update by leading, coordinating, creating, and/or assisting with technical tasks, community engagement efforts, and public presentations as assigned by Community Plans manager.
• Coordinates with other Long-Range Planning sections, Planning Department divisions, Metro departments, and outside agencies/organizations as assigned by Community Plans manager to collaborate on projects, conduct research, and create deliverables (which may include reports, presentations, charts, diagrams, maps, and other items as needed) for projects related to NashvilleNext, Community Character Manual (Metro Nashville's future land use policies), and community plans, among others.
• Provides guidance and recommendations on policy framework, incorporating findings from special projects.

Plan development (30%)

• Coordinates and leads small-area/corridor studies.
• Uses GIS and graphic design software to create and analyze scenarios and present graphics for internal and public use.
• Applies existing policy and regulatory frameworks to small-area and corridor plans and recommends changes to policy and regulatory frameworks as needed.
• Supervises junior-level planners assisting with projects.
• Reviews the work of third parties and provides leadership, guidance, and feedback on consultant-led and consultant-assisted projects.
• Engages Planning staff, other Metro agencies, external stakeholders, and Councilmembers, among others, in project planning activities.
• Coordinates and leads reporting — including writing reports, technical memos, staff reports, etc. — of projects and supervises, reviews, and approves reporting by junior-level staff.
• Presents findings and recommendations to Metro staff, external stakeholders, and decision-making bodies including Metro Planning Commission.

Public engagement (10%)

• Partners with other senior staff in section to design public outreach activities and leads and coordinates public outreach activities as needed.
• Creates charts, diagrams, maps, and other graphics for multiple audiences from various levels of knowledge and experience.
• Gives presentations and leads and/or engages in activities and exercises at public outreach events.
• Coordinates with other senior staff in section to document outreach activities with assistance from junior staff, coordinates post-outreach reporting, and leads outreach documentation and reporting as needed.

Administrative (10%)

• Assists section and division leads with annual reporting on section activities.
• Provides task supervision to junior-level planners as assigned by section manager.
• Skills with expectation of proficiency: Word, Excel, Teams, PowerPoint, ArcGIS, Adobe creative suite, SketchUp; demonstrated ability to write both highly-detailed, technical documents for specific audiences and practical, jargon-free documents for general audiences.

Education and Experience:

Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university and six (6) years of planning experience

OR

Master's Degree in Planning or related field from an accredited college or university and four (4) years of planning experience

Salary and Benefits

This Planner 3 position will be filled with an annual salary of $98,314 along with excellent health, dental and retirement benefits, and competitive paid vacation time, paid sick leave, and paid holidays.

How to Apply

Applications will be received up to August 22, 2025.

Qualified applicants should send (preferably via email) a letter of interest and resume to:

Randi Semrick at Randi.semrick@nashville.gov

The Planning Department does not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, creed or disability in admission to, access to, or operations of its programs, services, or activities. Discrimination against any person in recruitment, examination, appointment, training, promotion, retention, discipline, or any other employment practices because of non-merit factors shall be prohibited. For ADA inquiries, contact Randi Semrick, ADA Compliance Coordinator, at (615) 862-7230 or e-mail her at Randi.semrick@nashville.gov. For Title VI inquiries, contact Human Relations at (615) 880-3370. For all employment-related inquiries, contact Human Resources at (615) 862-6640.