OSPCD-Transportation&Infrastructure-NU09-Streetscape and Public Space Planner — File 205021

City of Somerville, Massachusetts Job Description OSPCD-Transportation&Infrastructure-NU09-Streetscape and Public Space Planner 1 Position Title: Streetscape and Public Space Planner Grade Level: NU09 Department: OSPCD-Transportation & Infrastructure Date: 1/18/2018 Reports to: Director of Transportation & Infrastructure FLSA Status: Exempt Statement of Duties The Streetscape and Public Space Planner performs technical work and advises senior staff on urban design and landscape architecture to ensure that public and private investment advance the City’s goal of becoming the most walkable, bikable, transit-oriented city in the nation. Candidate will demonstrate capacity for field work, desk-based design tasks, technical quantitative analyses, public engagement and interdisciplinary coordination consistent with the City’s adopted Comprehensive Plan and adopted Open Space and Recreation Plan, as well as ongoing initiatives including the City’s Public Space and Public Life planning, Vision Zero planning, Urban Forestry planning and other related initiatives. Essential Functions: The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various type of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position. (Note: not all duties are performed by all incumbents in each division).  Perform urban design and landscape architecture work in one or more functional areas  such as streetscape reconstruction, park and playground rehabilitation, schoolyard  upgrades, public plaza planning, riparian zone enhancement and campus planning.   Review and critique public space design submittals from City consultants, public agency  partners and private developers for consistency with City goals, policies and standards  including the new proposed Somerville Zoning Ordinance overhaul.   Evaluate seating, lighting, planting, circulation and accessibility plans for street,  sidewalk, park and plaza projects.    Facilitate public engagement in physical planning processes.   Produce design concepts for planning and discussion purposes via hand sketching,  computer‐assisted drafting (CAD), perspective rendering and photo simulation.   Collaborate around visioning, planning, execution and evaluation of tactical urbanism  installations and other temporary pilot projects.   Assist in project scoping for City procurement of design services.   Perform quantitative analyses related to urban and landscape design, and communicate  complex data findings to a variety of audience types.  Supervision Required Under general direction, employee plans and prioritizes the majority of work independently, in accordance with standard practices and previous training. Employee is expected to solve most problems of detail or unusual situations by adapting methods or interpreting instructions accordingly. Instructions for new assignments or special projects usually consist of statements of desired objectives, deadlines and priorities. Technical and policy problems or changes in procedures are discussed with supervisor. Work is generally reviewed only for technical

City of Somerville, Massachusetts Job Description OSPCD-Transportation&Infrastructure-NU09-Streetscape and Public Space Planner 2 adequacy, appropriateness of actions or decisions, and conformance with policy or other requirements; the methods used in arriving at the end result are not usually reviewed in detail. Supervisory Responsibility Position does not require the regular supervision of employees, but may supervise the work of volunteers or interns. Accountability The nature of the professional or technical work means that errors in analysis, techniques or recommendations would probably be difficult to detect. Consequences of errors, missed deadlines or poor judgment could result in excessive costs, delay of service delivery, or legal repercussions to the municipality. Judgment The work requires examining, analyzing and evaluating facts and circumstances surrounding individual problems, situations or transactions, and determining actions to be taken within the limits of standard or accepted practices. Guidelines include a large body of policies, practices and precedents which may be complex or conflicting, at times. Judgment is used in analyzing specific situations to determine appropriate actions. Employee is expected to weigh efficiency and relative priorities in conjunction with procedural concerns in decision making. Requires understanding, interpreting and applying federal, state and local regulations. Complexity The work consists of the practical application of a variety of concepts, practices and specialized techniques relating to a professional or technical field. Assignments typically involve evaluation and interpretation of factors, conditions or unusual circumstances; inspecting, testing or evaluating compliance with established standards or criteria; gathering, analyzing and evaluating facts or data using specialized fact finding techniques; or determining the methods to accomplish the work. Nature and Purpose of Personal Contacts Relationships are constantly with co-workers, the public and with groups and/or individuals who have conflicting opinions or objectives, diverse points of view or differences where skillful negotiating and achieving compromise is required to secure support, concurrence and acceptance or compliance; OR one-on-one relationships with a person who may be under severe stress, where gaining a high degree of persuasion may be required to obtain the desired effect. The employee may represent to the public a functional area of the municipality on matters of procedures or policy where perceptiveness is required to analyze circumstances in order to act appropriately. Confidentiality Employee has access to some confidential information obtained during the performance of the regular duties of the position. Recommended Minimum Qualifications Education and Experience: Bachelor’s Degree in engineering, landscape architecture, 

City of Somerville, Massachusetts Job Description OSPCD-Transportation&Infrastructure-NU09-Streetscape and Public Space Planner 3 planning or a closely‐related field and three (3) years’ experience; or any equivalent combination of education, training and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the essential functions of the job. Knowledge, Abilities and Skill Knowledge: Knowledge of basic principles and practices of urban design, conservation, landscape architecture, horticulture, project management and/or planning theory is required; knowledge of applicable State and Federal regulations; strong knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite and proficient in the full range of traditional and digital communications methods. Abilities: Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing with state and federal agencies, architects, contractors, developers, owners, supervisors, employees, and the general public; ability to effectively read, understand and utilize technical drawings, site plans, and other similar documents; ability to establish and maintain strong working relations with peers; ability to interpret and apply complex regulatory code; ability to travel to multiple City locations within the workday; ability to maintain, manage, and organize records; ability to coordinate and run public meetings and/or presentations. Skill: Skill in facilitating public presentations; demonstrated organizational skills managing multiple tasks and deadlines; excellent customer service and public speaking skills. Bi-lingual or multilingual ability in Spanish, Portuguese, and/or Haitian-Creole is preferred but not required. Work Environment The work environment involves everyday discomforts typical of offices, with occasional exposure to outside elements. Noise or physical surroundings may be distracting, but conditions are generally not unpleasant. Employee may be required to work beyond normal business hours in response to attend evening meetings or complete work assignments. When in the field or attending meetings, the work environment can be at construction sites and outdoors. Physical and Mental Requirements The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the position’s essential functions. Physical Skills Minimal physical demands are required to perform the work. Work effort principally involves sitting to perform work tasks, with intermittent periods of stooping, walking, and standing. Work requires some agility such as moving in or about construction sites or over rough terrain. There may also be some occasional lifting of objects such as office equipment or photocopy paper (up to 30lbs.). When in the field, more physical skill may be required to accomplish the duties required. Motor Skills Duties are largely mental rather than physical, but the job may occasionally require minimal motor skills for activities such as moving objects, operating a telephone, personal computer

City of Somerville, Massachusetts Job Description OSPCD-Transportation&Infrastructure-NU09-Streetscape and Public Space Planner 4 and/or most other office equipment including word processing, filing and sorting of papers. Visual Skills Visual demands require constantly reading documents for general understanding and analytical purposes.