Planning Associate - Alta Planning + Design - Oakland, CA

Planning Associate
Alta Planning + Design
Oakland, CA

Experience: 7-10 years
Contact person: Susan Harris
Email: hr@altaplanning.com
Website: http://altaplanning.com/careers/planning-associate-oakland-ca/

You have an interest and knowledge of active transportation – you’re the type who enjoys commuting by bike, even when it’s raining, or thinks taking the bus to work is the perfect way to catch up on your reading. You have at least a Bachelor’s degree in Planning or related field and eight (8) or more years of experience working in a consulting environment or public entity but looking for an opportunity that provides daily challenges and opportunities to contribute to your community. You enjoy Planning and leading others on your team, helping them to achieve success.

As a Planning Associate at Alta Planning + Design you will be key in nurturing and growing client and industry partner relationships and contributing to the continued growth and success of the Oakland or San Jose office and region.

The essential priorities of this position are to:

• Nurture and grow client and industry partner relationships and secure work in support of Alta’s growth goals.
• Enhance Alta’s reputation as a trusted advisor and expert by educating clients and other relevant parties, and
• supporting solutions which will meet their business objectives.
• Appropriately manage large, complex projects in a budget-conscious and time-sensitive manner.
• Manage potentially large groups of staff.

RESPONSIBILITIES + TASKS

• Contributing to the development of proposals, statements of work, contract addenda, and scope changes; may
• include presenting proposals to clients and negotiating the final deliverables and costs.
• Identifying engagement goals and objectives leading the client and internal teams ensuring any risks to deliverable
• are property managed.
• Communicating desired outcomes, and advocating for the client and managing expectations.
• Creating and maintaining project schedules, monitoring scope changes, securing necessary approval and
• implementing change orders.
• Communicating the status of project deliverables to clients in a timely and effective manner.
• Administering the project including scheduling meetings, developing agendas, and project documentation,
• coordinating internal project meetings, ensuring timely delivery, and managing resources.
• Managing and mentoring staff, providing feedback and professional development in a timely and effective
• manner; hiring and terminating staff as appropriate.
• Contributing to Alta’s internal Professional Development programs by developing and presenting material.
• Developing, implementing and maintaining annual strategic plans.
• May include oversight of daily office administrative functions for a local office.

REQUIREMENTS

• Interest and knowledge of the active transportation field.
• Bachelor’s degree in Planning or a related field of study.
• Eight (8) or more of experience in a consulting environment or public entity; three (3) or more years as a Project
• Manager; three (3) or more years managing staff.
• Experience in the field of active, non-motorized transportation.
• Demonstrated understanding of the planning process and a general understanding of project management
• principles, methods and techniques.
• Ability to guide staff members and manage internal team expectations.
• Exhibits strong initiative and ability to capitalize on opportunities to enhance Alta’s position in the marketplace.
• Ability to manage competing priorities, and multiple simultaneous projects involving cross-functional project teams
• within budgetary and schedule constraints.
• Strong initiative and the ability to work independently with little or no supervision.
• Ability and willingness to travel.
• Excellent professional ethics, leadership skills, accountability, and decision-making capabilities.
• Excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication and analytic skills.
• Good presentation skills.
• Proficient in MS Excel, Word, Adobe Creative Suite, ESRI Arc GIS, or similar products.
• Proficiency in an enterprise-wide resource planning and project management tool.

PREFERRED SKILLS + CERTIFICATIONS

1. Master’s degree in Urban Planning or a related field of study.
2. Experience managing large projects for both private and public clients.
3. Experience writing and/or presenting white papers and/or providing expert level presentations at conferences and
4. other events promoting the field of sustainable infrastructure and active, non-motorized transportation.
5. Experience using Deltek Vision.
6. Experience using Spatial Analyst, Network Analyst.
7. Active participation in industry-relevant professional associations and committees.
8. AICP Certification.

Alta Planning + Design is an international planning firm with a mission to create active communities where bicycling and walking are safe, healthy, fun, and normal daily activities. We specialize in bicycle, pedestrian, trail, park, greenway, and roadway planning, design, and implementation in addition to outreach and education programs. Alta’s passion permeates everything we do. Working at Alta allows people to apply their skills and ideas to making the world a healthier, better place.

Alta offers competitive salaries, great benefits, flexible work schedules, and welcoming – and fun – work environments for our employees. Alta employees “walk the talk” and are passionate about creating livable and healthy communities. We are always seeking motivated professionals with backgrounds in engineering, planning, landscape architecture, or related fields. Our projects include cycletrack concept and design, bicycle and pedestrian master plans, corridor designs, transit projects, research, analysis, demand projections and safety planning.