Planner - Commission of Architectural Review

Planner - Commission of Architectural Review

Salary

$62,672.00 - $76,756.05 Annually

Location

City Hall, 900 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA

Job Type

Full-Time

Job Number

05M00000068

Department

Planning and Development Review

Opening Date

08/10/2026

Closing Date

8/24/2026 11:59 PM Eastern

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

Are you Richmond R.E.A.D.Y? Respect. Equity. Accountability. Diversity…YOU!!!

This is an EXCITING time to Join the City of Richmond! We are committed to nurturing talent, fostering growth opportunities, and building strong connections within our workforce. As we continue to make strides to becoming the employer of choice, we are thrilled about the below employee benefit enhancements:

• Virginia Retirement System (VRS)
• Language Incentive
• Referral Bonus
• Tuition Assistance Program

Description

The City of Richmond Department of Planning & Development Review is currently seeking a qualified candidate for the position of Planner - CAR. The selected individual will be responsible for establishing and applying high-quality historic preservation standards that influence the design of public and private projects.

Duties include but are not limited to

• Preparing reports and presenting findings to boards, commissions, and Council.
• Serving as Secretary to the Commission of Architectural Review (CAR)
• Reviewing plans, permits, and projects for compliance with historic preservation regulations and Commission decisions
• Providing technical assistance to clients, specifically on entitlement and permitting processes
• Leading project teams
• Supporting Section 106 reviews for public and private projects with federal funding.
• Preparing and administering programmatic agreements
• Updating City-wide survey of historic resources
• Organizing and facilitating public engagement activities
• Preparing mailings and public notices
• Creating publications, presentations, and content for website

Qualifications, Special Certifications and Licenses

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

KNOWLEDGE:

• Knowledge of the Secretary of the Interiors Standards for Rehabilitation
• Clear understanding of architectural history, architectural terms, styles, and construction methods
• Knowledge of Commission of Architectural Review Guidelines
• General knowledge of: urban planning and design; federal preservation laws and regulations; preservation planning; zoning ordinances; historic preservation principles; master planning; traditional neighborhood development; transportation planning; ordinance preparation; land title surveying; and engineering principles.

SKILLS:

• Skill in providing excellent customer service, including dealing with unhappy customers
• Negotiating and balancing the needs of citizens with economic demands, health and human service needs, goals of private corporations, and land use regulations.

ABILITIES:

• Ability to analyze information
• Communicating planning and local government policy issues to a range of audiences
• Interacting and working with different groups of people.

MINIMUM TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelors degree in urban planning, historic preservation, architectural history, architecture, landscape architecture, or a related field
• Three years of experience or an equivalent amount of graduate level training.
• An equivalent combination of training and experience (as approved by the department) may be used to meet the minimum qualifications of the classification
• Ability to meet the Secretary of the Interior's Professional Qualifications Standards

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelors Degree in Historic Preservation or Architectural History
• At least three years of experience and a Masters degree in Planning, with course work or certifications Historic Preservation or Architectural History, or a related field
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Proficiency in Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
• Ability to work in a challenging, rewarding, and fast-paced environment
• Experience working for a local government in an urban setting.

LICENSING, CERTIFICATIONS, and/or OTHER SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• None required

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The City of Richmond provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

The City of Richmond is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, the City of Richmond will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided with reasonable accommodations. If you require reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to participate in the job application and/or the interview process, please contact Veronica Kenner, by email at HR-ADA@rva.gov.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

The City of Richmond Values Veterans. We are an official V3 Certified Company.

The City of Richmond is a proud partner with the US Army Partnership for Your Success PaYS Program.

With over 4,000 employees, the City of Richmond is an "Employer of Choice" among cities throughout the nation. The City strives to hire and retain employees who bring dedication and talent to the workforce. Offering a competitive, cost effective, and quality benefits package is one element of an "Employer of Choice".

The City offers a full range of benefit programs from initial hire through retirement. Please visit our Web site for details.

01

10-point compensable veteran. You must have an existing compensable service-connected disability of 10 percent or more. Other 10-point veteran include disabled veteran or a veteran who was awarded the Purple Heart for wound or injuries received in action, veterans widow or widower who has not remarried, wife or husband of a veteran who has a service-connected disability, widowed, divorced or separated mother of an ex-service son or daughter who died in action, or who is totally and permanently disabled. Do any of these apply?

• Yes
• No

02

5-point veterans must have been discharged under honorable conditions and had one of the following: Active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States, in a war, or during the period 4/28/52-7/1/55 or active duty for more than 180 consecutive days other than for training, any part of which occurred during the period beginning 2/1/55 and 10/14/76 or active duty during the Gulf War sometime between 8/2/90 - 1/2/92 or active duty in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized or active duty for which more than 180 consecutive days other than for training, any part of which occurred during the period beginning 9/11/2001 and ending on the date prescribed by the Presidential proclamation or by the law as the last date of operation Iraqi Freedom. Do any of these apply?

• Yes
• No

03

Which answer best describes your highest level of education?

• High school diploma/ GED
• Associates Degree
• Some college
• Bachelors/ Advanced Degree
• None of the above

04

Do you have a Masters Degree in Architectural History, Historic Preservation, Architecture, Urban Planning, or related fields?

• Yes
• No

05

Do you have a working knowledge in any of the following areas? (Check all that apply)

• Secretary of the Interiors Standards for Rehabilitation
• Architectural history, architectural terms, styles, and construction methods
• Commission of Architectural Review Guidelines and Planning Commission processes
• Plan of Development Review Process and Subdivision Review Process

06

Which of the following best describes your experience working in planning, project management, historic preservation, or historic architecture?

• Less than four years of experience
• Four to seven years of experience
• More than seven years of experience

07

How many years of experience do you have working with a historic district commission or architectural review board?

• Less than two years of experience
• Two to four years of experience
• Four to six years of experience
• More than six years of experience

08

Which best describes your years of experience in delivering presentations/speaking in front of citizen groups, representatives of public institutions and local government officials?

• Less than two years of experience
• Two to four years of experience
• Four to six years of experience
• More than six years of experience

09

Do you have knowledge in any of the following areas? (Check all that apply)

• Microsoft Office Suite
• GIS
• EnerGov
• Granicus Suite
• Blue Beam, SharePoint
• AutoCAD
• SketchUp
• ARCGIS
• Adobe Creative Suite ( i.e. InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop

10

Which answer best describes your years of experience in the preparation of neighborhood plans, small area plans, design guidelines or other graphically-oriented planning and design documents?

• Less than four years of experience
• Four to seven years of experience
• More than seven years of experience
• No experience

11

Are you able to demonstrate that you meet the Secretary of the Interior's Professional Qualification Standards for Historic Preservation (36 CFR Part 61)?

• Yes
• No

12

Which of the following best describes your experience in research and formal documentation of historic resources?

• Less than two years of experience
• Two to four years of experience
• Four to six years of experience
• More than six years of experience

13

Which of the following best describes your experience in applying the National Park Service criteria for evaluating the eligibility of resources for the National Register of Historic Places?

• Less than three years of experience
• Three to five years of experience
• Five to seven years of experience
• More than seven years of experience

14

Please describe in detail why do you think you are the most qualified candidate for this position.

Required Question

Employer City of Richmond

Address 900 East Broad Street

Suite

Richmond, Virginia, 23219

Phone (804) 646-5660

804-646-5660

Website https://www.rva.gov/