Urban Designer

APA Los Angeles is seeking a mid-level Urban Designer/Planner in Santa Monica, CA. The role involves leading planning projects, collaborating with teams, and engaging with clients and agencies. Candidates should have 5-10 years of experience, a relevant degree, and strong design and analytical skills. Responsibilities include project management, client outreach, and mentoring staff, with a focus on sustainability and diversity equity inclusion.
Urban Designer / PlannerThis is an opportunity for a mid-level candidate with excellent qualifications to grow professionally through our wide-ranging planning and urban design work, and take her/his career to new heights, with the potential to advance into leadership for this important sector of our award-winning practice. Project types may include campus and district master planning, environmental planning, mixed-use urban development, transit-oriented
development and transit-related improvements, housing, design guidelines, land use planning, and urban concept competitions.
A successful candidate will combine strong design and conceptual abilities with solid knowledge and use of data and analytical tools for planning, programming, and community
engagement, including Diversity Equity Inclusion Justice (DEIJ) skills. Ability to work collaboratively within the office team and with clients and regulatory agencies is paramount. Experience in campus planning, and landscape architecture as well as urban design is highly desired, as are graphic skills in presenting a range of quantitative and ideational information to professionals and the public.
Responsibilities:Collaborate with partners and principals as lead planner and project manager, working with mixed planning site development and architectural teams.
• Lead and/or support project-related presentations and workshops to clients and agencies.
• Lead the preparation and completion of reports and other planning documentation.
• Lead in the use of analytical and quantitative information to support design and research
• Lead and/or support the pursuit of new projects.
• Maintain and grow active client outreach efforts.
• Develop and expand personal and firm expertise in planning approaches, methodology, and practical project delivery, through on-going research and participation at conferences and other professional events, priorizing sustainability and DEIJ integration.
• Assist in interpreting project relevant land use criteria – review and approvals; city, county, state (CEQA – California Environmental Quality Act).
• Shape, update, and maintain our planning specific source materials and narratives in partnership with firm leadership.
• Mentor and develop staff in planning and urban design.
• Promote effective and consistent project management and delivery to support successful project outcomes for both clients and the firm.
Required Qualifications:5-10 years of experience in planning-related project types (campus planning highly desired).
Bachelor of Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Environmental Design, Planning, or equivalent.
Display leadership qualities, including the ability to guide and effectively support community and client stakeholder engagement.
Demonstrate ability to integrate analytical data and criteria into creative planning and design approaches.
Exhibit collaborative working style and ability to incorporate expertise of multiple disciplines.
Preferred Qualifications:Advanced degree in Urban Design and/or Urban Planning.
Certification as licensed professional.
Skills:Proficient in multiple digital planning and design tools, Rhino, Revit, AutoCad, Sketch-up, etc.
Proficient in digital presentation software, including Adobe Creative Suite.
Knowledge of planning codes, principles, and methodologies (including CEQA).
Excellent verbal, written, and graphic communication skills, including ability to develop and organize reports and presentations.