Urban Planner

Freese and Nichols, Inc. (FNI) is currently searching for a highly-motivated, passionate and energetic Urban Planner to join the Urban Planning and Design Group in Charlotte, as we increase our capacity to serve our clients.

Our ideal candidate would strengthen our capabilities across a broad spectrum of project types, including comprehensive planning, development regulations, campus master planning, small area planning such as downtown revitalization plans and corridor plans, and parks and recreation planning, as well as supporting clients in operational roles augmenting city staff. This person will be supported by project managers and is intended to be a key content creator. This role can develop into project management.   

If you’re seeking an exciting opportunity to advance the practice of urban planning and design in a way that allows you to consistently provide innovative and sustainable solutions to communities that respond to the vision and capabilities of the people and community, work side-by-side with a team of the brightest minds in the industry and know that you’re part of a team that strives to make the world a better place, Freese and Nichols is where you should be. Our multidisciplinary group includes some of the most creative urban planners, urban designers, landscape architects, and site civil engineers, all housed under the same group to create a studio-like atmosphere of idea generation. This is backed by overall firm support from expert engineers, skilled GIS analysts, talented environmental scientists, and a variety of other practices. The ideal candidate is not just skilled, but passionate about helping communities find paths to success with a keen eye towards implementation. Likewise, the ideal candidate should be excited to serve North Carolina and its surrounding states.

Responsibilities/Accountabilities

• Work in a collaborative environment as part of a multi-discipline team.
• Demonstrate ability to produce well-written documents.
• Manage personal timeliness and technical correctness of a project to ensure high-quality work that fits within a client’s budget and expectations.
• Be willing to travel as needed to meet project commitments, including overnight travel and evening client meeting obligations.
• Prepare and facilitate public involvement and consensus-building meetings and workshops.
• Assist the group manager and project managers with related marketing and client development for planning assignments and help support/identify strategic direction to advance urban planning and urban design practices.
• Represent the company at conferences, seminars, meetings; make presentations to clients, government officials, and industry representatives.
• Plan, schedule, conduct and coordinate detailed phases of planning work in several large and important projects.
• Develop plans for utilization of land and physical facilities of cities, counties, campuses, metropolitan areas, and larger geographies, demonstrating creativity, foresight and mature judgment in anticipating and solving unprecedented planning and design phases of a project.
• Maintain liaisons with individuals inside and outside of the company.
• Draft proposals and statements of qualification within the directives of company policy relating to marketing.
• Delegate to and supervise technicians and other planners when performing project tasks.

#UPDJobs

Qualifications

Required Skills and Qualifications

• 3+ years of urban planning-related work experience
• Bachelor’s degree in Urban Planning, Architecture, Landscape Architecture or a related field to planning.
• Proficiency in the Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Creative Suite, various common graphic design programs, and database management.

Preferred Skills and Qualifications

• American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) certification
• The successful completion and adoption of various types of plans, development codes or code amendments.
• Experience in cross-sector planning (community and economic development, resilience, etc.), experience with multiple and complex projects, facilitation and engagement, project and scope development, and other skills necessary to be successful in a government-client focused, high-paced firm are desirable.

About Freese and Nichols

At the heart of our culture is our LEADS values (Learn continuously, Engage as family, Act with integrity, Deliver quality, and Serve always).  Each year, our employee engagement survey confirms that our leaders and our employees live our values.

We strive to be the firm of choice for clients and employees through innovative approaches, practical results, and outstanding service.  For more than 130 years, we have been planning and designing the infrastructure our communities need:  developing water supplies, designing roadways and bridges, preparing for natural disasters, and much more.

Besides our comprehensive benefits package (see more at https://www.freese.com/services/benefits-that-work/), we offer paid overtime for salaried employees, an annual bonus, and access to company cabins in Red River, New Mexico.  We are proud of our flexible work environment which includes a hybrid schedule with up to 40% of remote work, and an alternative work schedule program which provides a day off every other Friday.

Join our team of 1,200+ employees as we grow from Virginia to Colorado. Learn more about working here at https://www.freese.com/careers/.

Freese and Nichols is firmly committed to Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and prohibits employment discrimination for employees and applicants based on his or her age, race, color, pregnancy, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, marital status, citizenship, or because he or she is an individual with a disability, protected veteran or other status protected by federal, state, and local laws.

We recognize that our workforce reflects the increasingly diverse nature of our society, and we strive to take advantage of that diversity with both our external and internal customers. As a Federal Contractor, Freese and Nichols is an equal employment, affirmative action employer.

#LI-Hybrid