Community Project Planner/Designer

MCKENNA
McKenna’s team of talented planning, design, and building professionals help municipal leaders develop and maintain communities for real life.  McKenna provides planning, zoning, building, landscape architecture, community and economic development, and urban design assistance to cities, villages, townships, counties, and regional agencies, as well as select private clients, based on skilled and effective public engagement.

COMMUNITY PROJECT PLANNER/DESIGNER RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Serve as assistant planner and/or designer on a multitude of projects, primarily local units of government. Projects range from providing ongoing and continuing service in the areas of zoning, form-based coding, master planning, economic development, and placemaking, to special projects in planning, design, economic development, transportation, etc.
2. Work on harmonious teams of other planners and designers, mapping specialists, graphic designers, and administrative staff.
3.  Assist Project Directors and Project Managers in preparing for and delivering public presentations and facilitating public meetings,
4.  Deliver graphically rich work products, regardless of individual graphic skills (i.e. work with team).
5. Begin building relationships with current and future McKenna clients to increase our work products, as well as to begin generating sales leads.
6. Support and attend night meetings as needed as it relates to planning, development, and zoning activities within client communities.
7. Assist Project Directors and Project Managers in preparing creative, error-free, and competitive project proposals.
8. Assist Project Directors and Project Managers in developing marketing content (white papers, social media content, eBulletins, blog posts, etc.) that establishes the Project Planner or Designer, and McKenna, as thought leaders in a diverse range of community planning and design topics.

POSITION SPECIFICS

Successful Project Planners/Designers most often possess the following knowledge and skills:

1. An undergraduate or graduate degree in Urban Planning, Urban Design, Architecture, landscape architecture, or related field.
2. Two (2) to five (5) years of success in professional planning and/or design positions, whether municipal or private. 
3. AICP certification by the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP and/or AICP-CUD), architect or landscape architect professional licensure, National Charrette Institute (NCI), etc.
4. Ability to respectfully function as a productive and enthusiastic member of a team, under direction of McKenna’s Leadership Team, Project Directors, and Project Managers.

This is a full-time, hybrid position, working a minimum of 24 hours in our Grand Rapids office.  To apply for this position, send your resume in confidence with general salary expectations to the attention of Human Resources at [email protected].