Research and Planning Coordinator

Salary : $77,759.37 Annually
Location : Tallahassee, FL
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number: RAPC-01
Department: Inspector General
Opening Date: 05/08/2026
Closing Date: 5/22/2026 5:00 PM Eastern

General Description of Duties
Under the supervision of the Research and Planning Administrator, the Planning Coordinator position is responsible for planning, process improvement, and project coordination in the areas of law enforcement, detention, and related administrative support functions of the agency.

The Planning Coordinator will support the development and monitoring of agency-wide long-range strategic plans and performance metrics. This position partners with the executive leadership team to develop data-driven decision-making strategies that foster process improvement and conducts primary and secondary research to gather relevant data to support agency strategy and operations and creates comprehensive reports, visualizations, and presentations to communicate findings. This position is also responsible for assisting program areas to analyze performance data and metrics to determine program successes and areas in need of improvement. This position is also responsible for guiding agency reporting and ensuring efforts align with the strategic plan and objectives.

The Planning Coordinator promotes the Leon County Sheriff's Office vision, mission, and values of honesty, integrity, accountability, teamwork, trust, respect, and commitment to excellence.

The Planning Coordinator must demonstrate proficiency in organizational performance management, process improvement, project management/governance, and data-driven decision making. Other skills and experience required include interpersonal communication, time management, public presentations, meeting/team facilitation, and customer service.

Essential Duties
Project Coordination

• Coordinate special projects from initiation to completion. This includes:
  • Planning and monitoring financial resources needed.
  • Establishing and managing timelines.
  • Conducting risk analyses.
  • Coordinating with team members to monitor the progress of projects.
  • Addressing challenges that arise.
  • Ensuring all required guidelines are met.
  • Preparing and providing documentation to internal teams and key stakeholders.
• Develop or assist others in the development of project scopes, goals, and deliverables.
• Ensure project deliverables meet quality standards.
• Identify relevant subject matter experts (SMEs) and stakeholders for agency projects.
• Provide training, coaching, and consultative support to project managers and project team members.
• Maintain LCSO project management forms.

Innovation and Process Improvement

• Stay abreast of emerging trends, technologies, public sentiments, and media attention and make recommendations to ensure the agency is adequately prepared and equipped to meet the agency's mission now and in the future.
• Conduct routine operational studies for the purpose of assessing potential impact(s) of planned changes in agency operations.
• Facilitate program evaluation and process mapping to evaluate the effectiveness of current strategies and programs and propose adjustments as needed.
• Provide recommendations concerning program policies, procedures, content, methods, and/or management processes with intent to reflect goals, objectives, and mission of the agency.

Strategic and Long-Range Planning

• Understand and assist in shaping the agency's strategy and mission.
• Conduct analyses of internal and external influences on agency operations to include environmental scans, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis, internal and external surveys, etc.
• Use analysis, forecasting, and projection to develop long-term policing and corrections strategies.
• Develop plans to actualize strategy.
• Facilitate the strategic planning process to include plan development, monitoring, and evaluation.
• Work in collaboration with agency members to effectively develop strategic objectives related to their units.
• Produce reports related to the strategic planning process.
• Provide training and support to agency leadership to guide them through the strategic planning process.
• Facilitate and support, in collaboration with agency staff and partners, the development of key performance indicators, agency performance measures, benchmarks, and reporting procedures.
• Assess/measure the agency's operational and strategic performance.
• Guide agency reporting efforts on key performance indicators and strategic objectives

General

• Work in collaboration with and under the direction of the Research and Planning Manager for all duties listed above.
• Report to work timely, consistently, and as scheduled.
• Perform all functions of the job classification without posing a direct threat to the health or safety of other individuals.
• Ensure members under their supervision receive required training and facilitate other members' training as warranted for career development or job improvement.
• Work closely with others as a team.
• Effectively communicate both orally and in writing.
• Adhere to the standards and principles of the agency's core values and professionally represent the agency.

Eligibility Criteria

Required Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED required.
• Bachelor's degree in criminal justice, political science, public administration, business, communications, or a related field required.
• Minimum of two (2) years of experience in project administration and management, strategic planning, and project governance, preferably within a governmental or similar public-sector agency.
• Experience facilitating medium to large groups at various organizational levels for planning, problem-solving, or strategy development.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, Project, and/or SharePoint) for preparing reports, project documentation, presentations, and process flow diagrams required, OR
• An equivalent combination of education and/or experience sufficient to perform the essential duties of the position.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in statistical analysis and data visualization.
• At least two (2) years of strategic planning experience at a leadership level within a medium-to-large organization.
• Intermediate to advanced proficiency in Smartsheet.

Highly Desirable Qualifications

• Coursework emphasizing advanced research methodology, project management, project governance, and data analytics.
• Coursework emphasizing internal communications and process improvement.
• Coursework emphasizing criminal justice policy, data visualization, and leadership.

Necessary Special Requirements

• Tasks involve the ability to exert light physical effort in sedentary to light work, but which may involve some lifting, carrying, pushing and/or pulling of objects and materials of light weight (5-10 pounds).
• Tasks may involve extended periods of time at the keyboard or workstation.
• Work is performed in a usual office conditions with rare exposure to disagreeable environmental factors.

Full-time benefits include:

• Health insurance with an employer contribution between 77.5% - 87.5%.
• Life insurance equal to 1 X annual salary paid 100% by LCSO.
• Retirement via the Florida Retirement System with a choice of pension or investment plan.
• Paid vacation, sick and personal leaves.
• Tuition Assistance Program for advanced degrees.
• Education incentive for advanced degrees (only sworn positions).
• Other ancillary benefits including but not limited to deferred compensation, dental/vision insurance, cafeteria savings plan, short/long term disability and identity theft protection.

01

Which best describes your level of education?

• Some High School
• High School Diploma/GED
• Some College
• Associates Degree
• Bachelor's Degree
• Master's Degree
• Doctorate Degree

02

Please indicate if you have a Bachelor's degree or higher in Criminal Justice, Social Science, Public Administration, Business, Communications, or a related field.

• Yes
• No

03

Please indicate your work experience in project administration and management, strategic planning, and project governance.

• No experience.
• Less than a year.
• 1-2 years.
• 3-4 years.
• 5 or more years.

04

Please indicate your level of expierence facilitating medium to large groups at various organizational levels for planning, problem-solving, or strategy development.

• No experience.
• Less than a year.
• 1-2 years.
• 3-4 years.
• 5 or more years.

05

Have you ever received a dishonorable discharge from the military?

• Yes
• No
• Never served in military.
• Currently serving in military/No discharge.

06

Have you ever been convicted of a felony traffic offense including adjudication withheld?

• Yes
• No

07

Have you ever been convicted of, received a withhold of adjudication for, or entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to any felony?

• Yes
• No

08

Are you currently under criminal investigation or indictment?

• Yes
• No

09

Do you have any current criminal charges pending in the courts (without an official legal disposition)?

• Yes
• No

10

Are you currently under internal investigation, under investigation by the CJSTC or administrative investigation?

• Yes
• No

11

Have you ever separated, abandoned, resigned or retired from a business or agency while under criminal or internal investigation or while under the threat of criminal or internal investigation?

• Yes
• No

12

Have you been civilly or administratively adjudicated to have engaged in or attempted to engage in sexual activity in the community or detentions facility by force, overt or implied threats of force or coercion, or if the victim did not consent or was unable to consent or refuse?

• Yes
• No

13

Have you ever been convicted of, received a withhold of adjudication for, or entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to a crime involving perjury or false statement, abuse of a child, elderly, or disabled person, domestic violence, or any crime of a sexual nature?

• Yes
• No

14

Have you ever been engaged in, convicted of, received a withhold of adjudication for, or entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to a crime of sexual abuse in a prison, jail, lockup, community confinement facility, juvenile facility, or other institution?

• Yes
• No

15

Have you ever held membership in, association with, or any other connection to any organization that exposes or supports discrimination based upon race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, religion, political affiliation, sexual orientation or marital status or is known to have been involved in criminal activity and/or a violation of any state laws and/or laws of the United States?

• Yes
• No

16

When would you estimate was your last use of marijuana.

• 0 - 12 months (within the last year)
• 13 - 36 months (3 years or less)
• 37 - 60 months (more than 3 years ago to 5 years)
• 61 - 120 months (more than 5 years to 10 years ago)
• 10+ (more than 10 years ago)
• Never used

17

When was the last time you used any of the following - heroin, cocaine, meth, mushrooms, LSD, illegal steroids or other drugs not prescribed to you?

• 0 - 12 months (last year)
• 13 - 36 months (3 years or less)
• 37 - 60 months (more than 3 years to five years ago)
• 61 - 120 months (more than 5 years to 10 years ago)
• 10+ years ago
• Never used

Required Question