Job Description

This Opportunity

Lead a team of New York City Based urban designers and land-use planners on a diverse group of projects and opportunities on local and national levels. Ensure staff development, project delivery, business development, and coordination within the Planning department and across the company. Responsible for managing team, fostering and developing expertise, meeting company and government compliance, staying connected and aware of industry trends and innovations in the field of urban design. Able to maneuver and lead in a dynamic, fast moving and complex business environment.

Your Impact

• Provide proactive and strategic leadership for the Urban Design group, offering direction, expertise, and support to ensure project deliverables are successfully achieved in-line with client expectations, company standards and responsive to project’s schedule and budget.

• Oversee creation of planning materials produced by the Urban Design group including maps (GIS, topographic), geo-spatial data, and visualizations (using software including CAD, Sketch-Up, Rhino, and InDesign) to advance planning efforts and create case-making materials for reports, initial design direction or stakeholder outreach uses.

• Lead large-scale, complex and high visibility planning projects, ensuring that multi-disciplinary teams coordinate appropriately. Ensure projects are meeting budget, schedule and quality objectives while also supervising team performance, satisfaction and responsiveness. Ability to lead and present complex ideas under fast-paced conditions.

• Responsible for the contribution and management of multi-disciplinary project teams in all phases of the execution and delivery of siting, impact assessment, and permitting for assigned business sector projects, as well as land/urban planning and management projects.

• Actively foster compliance with applicable Federal, State, and Local Agency laws, policies, and regulatory requirements.

• Support the overall long-term strategy, growth, and pipeline development of Land/Urban Planning work for WSP in assigned area of responsibility, with a focus on opportunities in all disciplines (planning, design, strategic consulting, and program management).

• Lead technical aspects of contract negotiation, presentations, and meetings.

• Assist with the preparation of an annual update to business tactical action plans within the specified area.

• Ensure that planning discipline certifications, accreditations, and value proposition is developed and continuously improved.

• Conduct needs analyses and client value surveys to align the planning discipline’s function with business and project strategy, identifying and addressing any skill gaps or risks within the sector business operations.

• Schedule planning discipline meetings, providing updates and recommendations to ensure that all reasonable and proper measures are taken to inculcate discipline expertise and innovation into project work.

• Serve as one of the planning discipline’s lead representatives/liaison to a variety of external entities including Federal, State, and Local Agencies, Clients, Subcontractors, industry-related groups, and various government and community entities.

• Develop and inform proposal and project scopes, timelines, pricing, and budgetary metrics.

• Interpret and summarize data, including reports and documents that result in sound planning and regulatory conclusions to minimize impacts to the health of the community, population, local economy, and environment.

• Develop a client base for providing high level Land/Urban Planning services including identifying additional business development opportunities, and cross-selling of other WSP capabilities.

• Manage and provide performance guidance and leadership to assigned staff.

• Remain current in latest land/urban planning subject matter, practices, regulations, and techniques.

• Collaborate with professionals from a variety of disciplines to provide “trusted advisor” service and future ready solutions for clients.

• Exercise responsible and ethical decision-making regarding company funds, resources and conduct, and adhere to WSP’s Code of Conduct and related policies and procedures.

• Perform additional responsibilities as required by business needs.

Who You Are

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Urban Planning, Architecture, or a related field (or equivalent experience.)

• 12+ years of experience in working in the land/urban planning field, actively engaging in general plans, specific/master plans, zoning code updates, public involvement, and regulatory compliance for a variety of client projects relating to development, construction, infrastructure, transportation, environment, resiliency, revitalization, and/or adaptation.

• Strong working knowledge of relevant zoning laws, urban design principles, complete streets, transit-oriented developments, in-fill development, and equity and the business impact upon the organization.

• Excellent leadership and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to effectively, persuasively, and tactfully interact with employees at all levels of the organization.

• Tactical lateral thinking and strong analytical skills with attention to detail and prioritization of responsibilities in a pressure work environment.

• Ability to elicit cooperation from a wide variety of sources, including senior management, clients, and company-wide staff, including those with whom no formal hierarchical relationship exists.

• Advanced proficiency with design software and design practices necessary to visualize aspects of the projects, depict the urban context or how a project will meet program specifications or interface with public realm.

• Proven track record of upholding workplace safety and ability to abide by WSP’s health, safety and drug/alcohol and harassment policies.

• Strong ability to quickly adapt to change and demonstrate flexibility to a variety of schedules and hours to meet business needs.

• Occasional travel may be required depending on project-specific requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s Degree is preferred.

• Essential professional licensure/certification.

• Strong experience in managing the review and approval of documents and discipline-specific deliverables, certifications, processes, and plans in a multi-project environment is highly desirable.

WSP Benefits:

WSP provides a comprehensive suite of benefits focused on a providing health and financial stability throughout the employee’s career. These benefits include coverage related to medical, dental, vision, disability, and life; retirement savings; paid sick leave; paid vacation (or other personal time); paid parental leave; and paid time off for purposes of bereavement, voting, and/or attendance at naturalization proceedings.

Compensation:

Expected Salary (all locations): $114,000-$210,760

WSP USA is providing the compensation range that the company in good faith believes it might pay and offer for this position, based on the successful applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities in addition to internal equity and specific geographic location. WSP USA reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s sex or other status protected by local, state, and/or federal law.

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About WSP

WSP USA is the U.S. operating company of WSP, one of the world's leading engineering and professional services firms. Dedicated to serving local communities, we are engineers, planners, technical experts, strategic advisors and construction management professionals. WSP USA designs lasting solutions in the buildings, transportation, energy, water and environment markets. With more than 15,000 employees in over 300 offices across the U.S., we partner with our clients to help communities prosper.

WSP provides a flexible and agile workplace model while meeting client needs. Employees are also afforded a comprehensive suite of benefits including medical, dental, vision, disability, life, and retirement savings focused on providing health and financial stability throughout the employee’s career.

At WSP, we want to give our employees the challenges they seek to grow their careers and knowledge base. Your daily contributions to your team will be essential in meeting client objectives, goals and challenges. Are you ready to get started?

WSP USA (and all of its U.S. companies) is an Equal Opportunity Employer Race/Age/Color/Religion/Sex/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/National Origin/Disability or Protected Veteran Status.

The selected candidate must be authorized to work in the United States.

NOTICE TO THIRD PARTY AGENCIES:

WSP does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters, employment agencies, or other staffing services. Unsolicited resumes include any resume or hiring document sent to WSP in the absence of a signed Service Agreement where WSP has expressly requested recruitment/staffing services specific to the position at hand. Any unsolicited resumes, including those submitted to hiring managers or other business leaders, will become the property of WSP and WSP will have the right to hire that candidate without reservation – no fee or other compensation will be owed or paid to the recruiter, employment agency, or other staffing service.

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