Salary: $95,971 – $125,236 (2024 salary range effective January 1, 2024)
First Review of Applications: December 8, 2023 (open until filled)
Learn more about this position and apply today at the Klickitat County website.
Job Description:
Located in south central Washington, Klickitat County, (pop. 23,150), lies at the junction where the Columbia River Gorge cuts through the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains, with expansive farms and wheat fields, vineyards, timberland, and magnificent Mt. Adams as a backdrop. The county seat and the county’s largest city is Goldendale. With a mild year-round climate, the area is the perfect place to take advantage of an abundance of outdoor recreational activities, from fishing and hunting to whitewater rafting, windsurfing, hiking, biking, horseback riding, cross country skiing, and snowmobiling. Scenic tours provide opportunities to thousands of visitors to the Columbia River Gorge and the Cascade Mountains, while an expanding winery and grape growing industry offers many award-winning wines at several tasting rooms.
Klickitat County is governed by a three-member Board of Commissioners and employs approximately 250 FTEs and operates on a 2023 budget of $59,484,698 including a General Fund Budget of $18,796,623. The Director of Planning manages, organizes, and directs the Planning Department. The director also administers the comprehensive plan, subdivision and short plotting ordinance, zoning ordinance, critical areas ordinance, RV park ordinance, mobile home park ordinance, flood plan ordinance, environmental ordinance, State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA), and shoreline plan. The position performs other duties at the direction of the Board of County Commissioners.
Education & Experience:
Any equivalent combination of education and experience that provides the applicant with the required knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the job will be considered. A typical way to obtain this knowledge and abilities would be A bachelor’s degree from a four (4) year college or university in a closely related field with ten (10) years of experience in a field closely related to Planning. A master’s degree in planning or related field and five (5) years of directly related planning experience. Experience with Washington or Oregon Growth Management planning processes, and experience working with Washington’s State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) and Shoreline Master Programs is highly preferred. The ideal candidate will have experience with GIS, the ability to build a community network through outreach, and excellent communication skills. Successful experience in working with growth pressures in professional planning is desired.
