Coon Rapids Is Hiring a Sustainability Planner and the Work Ahead Is Bigger Than a Job Title

Coon Rapids, MN

The City of Coon Rapids is searching for its next Senior Planner, Sustainability, a position that sits at the intersection of environmental policy, climate action, land use planning, and day-to-day municipal operations. The role, housed within the city’s Community Development Department, is both technical and civic in nature. It is about writing policy, securing resources, and translating long-term environmental commitments into visible, measurable change for residents.

The opening comes at a moment when sustainability in local government has shifted from aspiration to accountability. Cities are no longer simply pledging action. They are being asked to show outcomes. In Coon Rapids, the senior planner will be responsible for ensuring that those outcomes are real, funded, and publicly legible.

According to the official posting, the position is full time, primarily in person, with eligibility for limited remote work at the discretion of the department director. The salary range is $95,305.60 to $118,768.00 annually, and applications received by February 23, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. will receive first consideration.

A role built around policy, planning, and implementation

At its core, the Senior Planner, Sustainability serves as the city’s lead architect for environmental and climate initiatives. This is not a narrow program management role. It is embedded directly into how the city plans, builds, and operates.

Among the primary responsibilities outlined by the city:

• Policy development and long-range planning
  The planner helps research, draft, and implement sustainability-focused sections of the city’s Comprehensive Plan, as well as related strategic documents addressing water management, environmental protection, transportation, and resiliency.
• Climate and energy action
  A central responsibility is implementing Coon Rapids’ Energy Action Plan, adopted by the City Council in March 2023, which commits the city to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 35 percent by 2030. The plan functions as a roadmap for municipal energy efficiency, emissions tracking, and community-wide reductions.
• Grant strategy and administration
  The city explicitly tasks the planner with identifying, applying for, and administering state and federal grants that support sustainability, recycling, stormwater, and energy efficiency initiatives. This element of the role signals a strategy of leveraging outside resources rather than relying solely on local revenue.
• Regulatory and operational coordination
  The planner supports development reviews and inspections related to sustainability requirements, including recycling and refuse compliance, stormwater best management practices, shoreline protections, and landscaping standards. The role also coordinates with public works and engineering on natural resource management and parks-related practices such as native plantings and pollinator habitats.

Serving as a bridge between policy and the public

The Senior Planner also serves as the city’s staff liaison to the Sustainability Commission, a body created in 2008 to study sustainability strategies and advise the City Council. That work includes preparing agendas and packets, maintaining public records, and translating commission recommendations into implementable city actions.

The commission’s portfolio has historically included topics such as backyard chicken ordinances, native planting guidance, and electric vehicle readiness. The planner’s role is to ensure that these ideas move beyond discussion and into policy, pilot programs, or ordinances when appropriate.

Public education and communication are also built into the job. The planner works with the city’s communications team to develop newsletter content, website updates, and social media materials, and coordinates stormwater and sustainability education with watershed and regional partners.

Programs already in motion

Coon Rapids enters this hiring process with a substantial sustainability infrastructure already in place.

The city participates in Minnesota GreenStep Cities, a voluntary benchmarking and best-practices program supported by the state. Coon Rapids reached Step 1 in 2014, Step 2 in 2015, Step 3 in 2021, and achieved Steps 4 and 5 in 2022. These milestones reflect progress in areas such as efficient city operations, land use planning, transportation options, urban forestry, and stormwater management.

The incoming planner will be responsible for coordinating and advancing that work, ensuring that the city maintains and builds upon its current standing.

On the ground, the role touches a range of active initiatives, including:

• Residential energy efficiency programs, such as city-supported rebates for insulation, air sealing, and high-efficiency HVAC upgrades.
• Active transportation planning, focused on expanding and improving trails and sidewalks to support safe walking, biking, and other non-motorized travel.
• Community recognition and engagement, including Earth Month programming and sustainability awards that highlight residents and organizations advancing habitat restoration and renewable energy.
• Municipal operational efficiency, coordinating energy audits and retrofits at city facilities such as City Hall and the Coon Rapids Ice Center, which utilize building automation systems and LED lighting.

Who the city is looking for

The minimum qualifications include a bachelor’s degree in a related field such as planning, environmental education, sustainability, or landscape architecture, along with at least three years of relevant experience and demonstrated public engagement work. A master’s degree, experience managing grants, resilient community planning expertise, and AICP certification are listed as preferred.

More than credentials, the posting emphasizes an ability to manage complex projects, communicate clearly with residents and elected officials, and move between technical detail and big-picture policy.

Why this hire matters

In many cities, sustainability remains siloed. In Coon Rapids, the Senior Planner, Sustainability is positioned as a connective role, linking climate goals to zoning decisions, infrastructure investments, grant dollars, and resident behavior.

It is a job that reflects how local government is changing. Environmental commitments are no longer abstract promises. They are operational mandates, written into plans, measured in emissions data, and funded through competitive grants.

Whoever steps into this role will help determine how a growing metro suburb navigates energy costs, climate risk, infrastructure demands, and environmental stewardship over the next decade.

For applicants, the message from the city is clear. This is not just a planning job. It is a chance to shape how sustainability is practiced, funded, and experienced in Coon Rapids.

How to apply:
Applications are accepted through the City of Coon Rapids employment portal on GovernmentJobs.com. First consideration is given to applications submitted by February 23, 2026.

MinneapoliMedia