Planning Director / Senior Planning Project Manager

Position SummaryApex Engineering is seeking an experienced Planning Director / Senior Planning Project Manager to lead, strengthen, and grow our planning services. This is a senior leadership role for a practical, development-oriented planning professional who can serve as the primary face of Apex's planning practice, manage complex planning and entitlement work, mentor staff, and help create new opportunities for the firm.The ideal candidate is equally comfortable with client relationships, jurisdictional strategy, public-facing communication, staff leadership, and project delivery. This role will work closely with Apex principals, project managers, engineers, surveyors, CAD staff, and clients to support projects from early feasibility and entitlement strategy through permitting and implementation.This is an in-office position based at Apex Engineering's Tacoma office, with regular availability expected for client meetings, agency meetings, public meetings, and internal team coordination.What This Role Will Lead Planning practice leadership: Provide strategic direction for Apex's planning services and help define the long-term structure, priorities, and growth path for the department. Business development and outreach: Build and maintain relationships with municipalities, agencies, developers, builders, land use attorneys, community stakeholders, and other development partners. Project opportunity development: Identify and pursue planning, entitlement, code, comprehensive planning, permitting, and development feasibility opportunities that align with Apex's strengths. Planning project management: Lead planning and entitlement projects, manage scope/schedule/budget, coordinate submittals, and keep clients and internal teams aligned. Team mentorship and accountability: Mentor and support planning staff, establish clear workflow expectations, and create repeatable processes for research, submittal preparation, quality control, and client communication.  Public and agency representation: Represent Apex and its clients in meetings with jurisdictions, public officials, agency staff, hearing examiners, community groups, and other stakeholders.  Integrated project delivery: Coordinate planning work with civil engineering, survey, CAD, and project management teams so early entitlement strategy supports later design, permitting, and construction phases.Key Responsibilities Serve as the senior planning lead and primary external representative for Apex's planning practice. Lead land use planning, zoning, permitting, SEPA, feasibility, code research, comprehensive planning, and entitlement strategy work. Prepare, review, and oversee planning reports, permit applications, feasibility analyses, zoning/code summaries, hearing materials, and complete submittal packages. Manage client communication, agency coordination, project schedules, budgets, deliverables, and follow-through on assigned planning projects. Develop and maintain planning department systems, including workload tracking, quality control, communication standards, project status reporting, and proposal support.Support proposal development, SOQs, interviews, and client outreach related to planning and front-end development work.Identify opportunities for Apex to be involved earlier in projects through feasibility, entitlement, land use strategy, and jurisdictional coordination.Work with principals and project managers to evaluate planning opportunities, prioritize resources, and support profitable project delivery.Mentor less experienced planning staff and help build a capable, accountable, client-focused planning team.Contribute to Apex's long-standing professional reputation for practical, responsive, high-quality civil engineering, surveying, and planning services.Required QualificationsBachelor's degree in urban planning, regional planning, land use planning, public administration, geography, environmental studies, or a related field, or equivalent directly relevant experience.10+ years of progressively responsible planning, land use, entitlement, permitting, or development-related experience.Demonstrated experience managing planning projects, client relationships, agency coordination, and public-facing processes.Strong understanding of Washington land use regulations, zoning, comprehensive planning, permitting, SEPA, entitlement strategy, and local jurisdiction review processes.Experience preparing or overseeing planning reports, feasibility studies, code analyses, permit applications, and public meeting/hearing materials.Ability to manage multiple projects, deadlines, clients, and agency requirements while maintaining a high standard of accuracy and responsiveness.Strong written, verbal, analytical, and public presentation skills.Experience leading, mentoring, or coordinating planning staff or multidisciplinary project teams.Ability to work effectively with internal engineering, surveying, CAD, and project management teams.Preferred Qualifications and Attributes AICP certification preferred, but not required for a candidate with strong directly relevant experience.Existing professional network in the Puget Sound region or Washington planning/development community.Experience with private development, residential subdivision, mixed-use, commercial, affordable housing, municipal, or utility-related planning work.Comfortable representing a firm in business development settings, public meetings, jurisdictional meetings, and senior client conversations.Practical, solution-oriented planning mindset that balances regulatory requirements, client goals, project feasibility, and community context.Entrepreneurial approach to growing a planning practice within an established civil engineering and surveying firm.Collaborative leadership style with strong follow-through, judgment, and professional maturity.