We are seeking a talented and experienced senior planner.
Are you passionate about helping communities grow, develop, redevelop, and preserve natural systems? Do you want to craft innovative planning and design solutions that lead to improving the physical, social, environmental, and economic health of a neighborhood, downtown, community, or region? Do you want to work in an environment that places a high value on collaboration with other planners, designers, civil engineers, economists, and other leaders?
If so, we are looking for someone like you to join our team.
We are currently seeking an experienced, full-time planner with 10-12 years of professional planning experience. This person can lead and manage projects by facilitating inclusive and equitable community and stakeholder input and create award-winning, action-oriented plans with a focus on implementation.
We’re seeking a planning manager who has a broad range of skillsets:
- excellent written and verbal communication skills
- strong listening and public speaking skills
- excellent understanding of the nexus between policy, design, and development
- ability to help a community articulate its value system while moving their community forward
- ingenuity and creativity regarding public engagement techniques
- highly organized approach to task and people management
About REA
REA (Rundell Ernstberger Associates) is an interdisciplinary urban design, planning, and landscape architecture firm with a history of over 40 years providing innovative planning and design. We’re committed to making our world a better place. That starts with celebrating the unique identity, culture, and history of each community. We make space for connections, for building new relationships and deeper engagement – and for improving the health of people and the planet. Our work reflects who we are and what our communities can become.
A Day in the Life of a Senior Planner: Collaborative. Purposeful. Visionary. Respectful. Thoughtful.
As a Senior Planner, you would manage both people and projects. You would work closely with the Principal-in-Charge of Planning and assist in daily management of the planning staff and projects. This would include mentoring staff, overseeing workload and flow, ensuring that work is completed in a timely manner. You would also manage multiple projects throughout the country ranging in size and complexity. You would support the Planning Principal in business development efforts where needed. The work entails interfacing closely with clients; overseeing parallel tracks of work by staff teams, consultants and subconsultants; and developing, monitoring, and maintaining budgets and schedules. You would assist in proposal writing efforts for new pursuits, build relationships with existing and future clients, and ensure quality control and review.
The REA planning group works on a wide range of projects, at a variety of scales, within our Midwest region and throughout the country. Our award-winning work includes comprehensive plans, neighborhood plans, ordinances, transportation and corridor plans, economic plans, redevelopment plans, downtown plans, and mixed use and innovation districts. We are known for our strong approach to equitable planning and inclusive community engagement. We believe in developing realistic plans that are implementable and achievable for our clients.
We believe that interdisciplinary collaboration makes our work and the communities we serve, better. Our planning, urban design, and landscape architecture practices work together on each planning project to strongly incorporate both design and policy into every plan we create. Our community engagement techniques are on the forefront of the profession. While we often partner with consultants, we typically lead engagement efforts in-house with our team. We employ a variety of software platforms, including ArcGIS mapping software, CommunityViz, and Community Analyst, and other innovative engagement techniques. Some travel will be required depending on the project need.
Skills Required
- Educational background and/or work training and experience in policy and planning for urban, suburban, and rural areas; comprehensive planning; downtown districts; economic development; neighborhoods; corridors; and transit-oriented development
- Urban design, placemaking, site planning, and multimodal transportation skills and experience are a plus
- Specialization or emphasis in development, market analysis, proformas are a plus
- Strong writing and verbal communication skills
- Experience in research and data analysis, precedents, and best practices in support of planning, urban design, regulatory, and built projects
- Project management and organization skills with proven ability to successfully manage multidisciplinary planning and urban design teams.
- Experience in identifying and pursuing business development and marketing leads
- Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly, collaborate and work with the various teams across the firm, multi-task, and to pivot between projects, marketing endeavors, and tasks
- Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office Suite is required
- Fluency in Spanish is a plus
- Proficiency in ArcGIS mapping software, CommunityViz, and Community Analyst is a plus
Educations, Expertise, Certifications
- Preferred candidates for this position will have 10-15 years of experience, ideally with at least 10 years of private sector consulting experience
- AICP accreditation, or willing to become certified/licensed in related field
- Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Planning, Urban Design, or related field from an accredited program
What We Offer You
- Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits
- Flexibility in the workplace and your schedule, including equipment to work from home 1-2 days a week
- Opportunities for professional development through internal and external trainings, mentorship and professional associations
- Ability to work from our offices in Indianapolis, IN and Louisville, KY
- We are also open to remote work arrangements
How to Apply
If you would like to be considered as a potential candidate for this position, please send an email with a cover letter stating your interest and qualifications, a resume, two to three writing samples of not more than 4 pages and two to three graphic samples, and contact information for three references; all materials should bein PDF format and the total size of all files should not exceed 20 MB REA is committed to diversity, inclusivity, and collaboration. We encourage those from underrepresented communities — women, people of color, LGBTQIA+, immigrants, and those with disabilities to apply. REA is an equal opportunity employer(EO/AA/VEV/Disabled employer). Email responses to: careers@reasite.com. Please indicate the position you are applying for in the subject line. No phone calls, please.
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