Community Planner

Are you passionate about helping rural communities thrive in the face of change? So are we – and we’re hiring!

The Mad River Valley Planning District Community Planner engages and collaborates with citizens, professional organizations, non-profits, and officials (local, regional, state, & federal) on a wide range of topics, including, but not limited to, affordable housing, transportation, recreation, infrastructure, land use, and placemaking. Under the supervision of the Executive Director, the Community Planner conducts regional studies, develops strategies, coordinates implementation steps, assists partners with grant applications, undertakes data analysis, deploys surveys, and other similar work as assigned. The Community Planner’s FY24 priority areas include the implementation of MRVPD’s data program (MRV Community Dashboard, Annual Data Report, etc.), valley-wide rural resource activities, and public outreach activities. The ideal candidate is a change agent with an interest in data-driven decision-making as well as a firm understanding of the value of social capital. This is a full-time salaried position with excellent benefits.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Conduct research
• Analyze data
• Write reports and memos
• Make presentations
• Facilitate and manage public meetings
• Project management
• Grant writing & reporting
• Map creation
• Undertake administrative tasks, such as minute-taking, website posting, etc.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in planning or a related field
• 3 years of relevant experience
• Experience working with rural communities
• Demonstrated ability to outreach and build relationships with community members
• Good humor, strong initiative, creativity, and ability to multi-task
• Written and verbal communication skills
• Work independently and as a part of a team to produce clear deliverables
• Willingness to work on a flexible schedule, including evening meetings
• GIS experience preferred

Salary range: $50-55k, commensurate with experience. Cover letters and resumes can be submitted to [email protected] (Mad River Valley Planning District, PO Box 471, Waitsfield, VT 05673). The deadline to submit an application is 3/10/23.

The Towns of Fayston, Waitsfield, & Warren, and the Central VT Regional Planning Commission, created the Mad River Valley Planning District in 1985. The Purpose of the Planning District is to carry out a program of planning for the future of the Mad River Valley. The planning program shall be directed toward the physical, social, economic, fiscal, environmental, cultural, and aesthetic well-being of the member Towns and their inhabitants. For more information, visit mrvpd.org.