CHIEF OF PLANNING, PARKS AND RECREATION

Job Description:

CHIEF OF PLANNING, PARKS AND RECREATION

Description

Position/Program Information

DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION



FILING PERIOD

The application filing period will begin on Friday, December 5, 2025 , at 8:00 a.m. (PT) - Continuous.

We will keep accepting applications until the position is filled.
The application window may close unexpectedly once we have enough qualified candidates.

EXAM NUMBER

D4115B

TYPE OF RECRUITMENT

We welcome applications from anyone.

ABOUT US :
At our Planning and Development (P&D) Agency we play a meaningful role in ensuring that County parks, trails, and buildings are well planned, designed, constructed, and preserved; socially and culturally relevant; appropriately and equitably located in all neighborhoods; physically accessible; and safe and secure. We serve the needs of communities in the County of Los Angeles by developing policies and implementing projects that support park expansion and environmental stewardship of County lands and trails. We are part of an award-winning department that offers room for career growth!
ABOUT YOU:
The Chief of Planning is responsible for master planning, regulation, land management and compliance, and trails planning for the County. Are you an organized, detail oriented, team player who enjoys working on meaningful projects? If you answered yes, then we are looking for you!

Essential Job Functions

• Plans, assigns, reviews, and evaluates the work of the Planning Division.
• Leads the development of plans to prioritize the development of new and improved park space in Very High and High Need Communities as defined by the Los Angeles Countywide Comprehensive Park and Recreation Needs Assessment (accessed at this link: https://lacountyparkneeds.org/pnaplus-home ).
• Leads the development, maintenance, and application of the Los Angeles Countywide Comprehensive Park and Recreation Needs Assessment
• Facilitates the development of planning priorities and special initiatives across the department for the development of new and improved facilities and hiking trails.
• Engages other County departments, non-governmental organizations, jurisdictions, and elected officials to ensure the advancement of departmental priorities.
• Develops strategies, priorities, performance measures to advance departmental aims and values.
• Promotes and supports the department's equity and inclusion goals, such as the increase of park access in High and Very High Need Communities.
• Recommends park improvements and develops specific plans for implementing these needs.
• Supervises planning activities for the acquisition of land and facilities for recreation purposes.
• Provides avenues of participation from, consults with, and provides information to Board Offices, community groups, county departments, and other public or private agencies on matters relating to park planning development and facilities.
• Applies knowledge of social, political, and environmental issues that influence the County park and recreation system.
• Engages diverse groups and stakeholders, including people with disabilities, communities in Very High and High Need Communities, and historically underrepresented groups.
• Oversees routine planning and regulatory actions, including CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act), encroachments, and easements.

Requirements

REQUIREMENTS TO QUALIFY:

Seven years' progressively responsible experience directing the work of a unit* engaged in professional planning activities for master/community planning*** OR land management and acquisition,**** three years of which must have been in a supervisory role.**

LICENSE:
A valid California Class C Driver License or the ability to utilize an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job-related essential functions.

PHYSICAL CLASS II - Light:
This class includes administrative and clerical positions requiring light physical effort that may include occasional light lifting to a 10-pound limit and some bending, stooping, or squatting. Considerable ambulation may be involved.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS:
Credit will be given to applicants who possess the following:

• Experience supervising large teams of staff engaged in professional planning activities for master/community planning, or land management and acquisition.
• Experience managing technical and professional staff through subordinate supervisors engaged in professional planning activities for master/community planning or land management and acquisition.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT INFORMATION:

* Directing the work of a unit is defined as serving in a project manager role. Four years of the seven can be in a non-supervisory role.
** Supervisory role is defined as having responsibility over professional/technical staff, which includes assigning, reviewing, evaluating the work of staff, hiring, and approving time for payroll purposes.
*** Master/Community planning: Involves developing and updating a written document and plan that includes goals and strategies for future park development or preservation of land and open space.
**** Land management and acquisition is a program and process to manage the use and development of land resources for the purpose of conservation or development of public park and open space.

Additional Information

EXAMINATION CONTENT:

• Training & Experience (T&E) Evaluation: This assessment type will evaluate the experience and desirable qualifications you list on a questionnaire and assign a score based on a standardized scoring system. This part of the assessment is worth 100% of your total score.
  

The passing score for the assessment is 70%.

Applications will be processed on an as-received basis and promulgated to the eligible register accordingly.

ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION:
Candidates who pass the assessment are placed on a list in the order of their score group for a period of twelve (12) months.

NO PERSON MAY COMPETE IN THIS EXAMINATION MORE THAN ONCE EVERY TWELVE (12) MONTHS.

VACANCY INFORMATION:
The list of successful candidates created from this exam will be used to fill one vacancy located at our department's headquarters located in Alhambra, CA.

APPLICATION AND FILING INFORMATION:
We only accept applications filed online. Applications submitted by U.S. mail, fax, or in person are not accepted. Apply online by clicking on the "Apply" green button at the top right of this posting. This website can also be used to get application status updates.

Please fill out the application completely. Provide relevant job experience including employer's name and address, job title, beginning and ending dates, number of hours worked per week, and description of work performed.

We may verify information included in the application at any point during the examination and hiring process, including after an appointment has been made. Falsification of information could result in refusal of application or rescission of appointment. Copying verbiage from the Requirements or class specification as your work experience will not be sufficient to demonstrate meeting the requirements. Doing so may result in an incomplete application and may lead to disqualification.

We will send notifications to the email address provided on the application, so it is important that you provide a valid email address. If you choose to unsubscribe or opt out from receiving our emails, it is possible to view notices by logging into governmentjobs.com and checking the profile inbox. It is every applicant's responsibility to take steps to view correspondence, and we will not consider claims of missing notices to be a valid reason for re-scheduling an exam part. Register the below domains as approved senders to prevent email notifications from being filtered as spam/junk mail.

jyee@parks.lacounty.gov
info@governmentjobs.com
talentcentral@shl.com
noreply@proctoru.com
donot-reply@amcatmail.com
noreply@governmentjobs.com

Note: All notifications will be sent electronically to the email address provided on the application. Test scores cannot be given over the telephone.

New email addresses need to be verified. This only needs to be done once per email address and can be done at any time by logging in to govermentjobs.com and following the prompts. This is to enhance the security of the online application and to prevent incorrectly entered email addresses.

Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security Number, so include yours when applying.

For those who do not have access to a computer or the internet, we provide access to complete an application at public libraries throughout the county.

All applicants must file their application online using their own user ID and password. Using a family member's or friend's login information may erase a candidate's original application record.

ANTI-RACISM, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION (ARDI):
The County of Los Angeles recognizes and affirms that all people are created equal and are entitled to all rights afforded by the Constitution of the United States. We are committed to promoting Anti-Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion efforts to address the inequalities and disparities amongst race. We support the ARDI Strategic Plan and its goals by improving equality, diversity, and inclusion in recruitment, selection, and employment practices.

Department Contact Name: Jesse Yee
Department Contact Number: (626) 588-5104
Department Contact Email: jyee@parks.lacounty.gov
ADA Coordinator Phone: (626) 588-5109
Teletype Phone: ( 213) 427-6118
California Relay Services Phone: (800)735-2922

For detailed information, please click here

Salary:

$132,009.36 - $205,301.76 Annually