Environmental Planner / GIS Technician

Position Description: The Environmental Planner / GIS Technician will serve in a supporting capacity on a variety of projects. This work will focus on long-range environmental planning and climate resiliency, and include work in the landscape ecology, renewable energy, and climate change adaption fields. It is SWWRPC’s goal to be a leader in this field, and to begin aggressively engaging our community partners on issues that will impact them in the next 20 years, The Environmental Planner / GIS Technician will develop key data trends to inform community-level discussions around these topics, develop maps to reflect potential climate scenarios and landscape impacts, and support other SWWRPC planning efforts to assist communities in becoming resilient. Our work encompasses various issues that include economic resilience, inclusive and equitable development, job growth/decline, talent attraction, civic infrastructure, affordable housing, and sustainable development. The work of the Environmental Planner / GIS Technician will be to support other SWWRPC staff in determining how these issues intersect with communities, and to develop actions to mitigate negative impacts, and capitalize on positive impacts.

Location: The Environmental Planner / GIS Technician will work primarily from SWWRPC’s main office, located at 20 S. Court Street, Platteville, Wisconsin. Part-time remote work opportunity is possible following the probationary period, and pending satisfactory performance evaluation at the 6-month anniversary.

Requirements:

• Demonstrated experience and knowledge of effective tactics for strategic planning, community engagement, meeting facilitation, and visioning.
• Knowledge of principles, methodology, practices of research and data collection and analysis.
• Demonstrated GIS skills for creating maps and conducting spatial analysis.
• Analyze problems, identify alternative solutions, project consequences of proposed actions, and implement recommendations in support of goals.
• Demonstrated effective oral communication skills – the Environmental Planner / GIS Technician must be able to communicate complex ideas with clarity and ease, and will be expected to demonstrate examples of this during the interview process.
• Demonstrated effective written communication skills – the Environmental Planner / GIS Technician will be required to write a variety of documents ranging from emails to long-range strategic plans, and so must be capable of writing with clarity. Past writing samples will be requested and reviewed during the interview process.
• Proficiency with the Microsoft Office applications Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• The successful applicant will have strong analytical skills, and be able to organize complex information for public consumption and engagement.
• Ability to work independently or in a team environment as needed.
• Familiarity with current issues facing small rural communities, including demographics, finance, cultural, agricultural, and climate-related risks and opportunities.

Education or Experience:

• A bachelor’s degree in planning, management, public administration, economics, geography, or a related field associated with the resiliency issues to be worked on by this position is required. A master’s degree in the same fields is preferred. A Certificate in GIS is required, unless sufficient experience is provided to demonstrate qualifications.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities (percentages may vary following the first year of employment):

• GIS Support for other SWWRPC projects – 25%
• Climate-related GIS work –30%
• Public engagement – 35%
• Administrative Support Work – 0-5%
• Other planning-related duties as assigned – 0-5%

Compensation: Salary Range is competitive within the industry and flexible depending on qualifications. This position most closely aligns with the responsibilities and duties of a Planner I / Assistant Planner within the Planning profession. SWWRPC employees are considered Local Government employees by the Wisconsin Department of Employee Trust Funds, and therefore eligible for Group Health Insurance, Group Life Insurance, Income Continuation Insurance, Flex Spending, and participation in the Wisconsin Retirement System. SWWRPC pays between 88 and 90% of health insurance premiums for its employees. There are no supervisory duties associated with this position. This is a permanent, full-time position and is FLSA exempt.

Those interested should submit an electronic cover letter, resume, three professional references, and a completed SWWRPC Application (available at https://www.swwrpc.org/about-us/employment-opportunities) to jobs@swwrpc.org.

Only electronic applications will be reviewed.  Applications are due by 5:00 PM on Friday, March 18^th, 2022. The first round of interviews is expected to begin the week of March 28^th. Applications will be accepted until a suitable candidate is found.