Planner, Senior (C42)
Employer
Atlanta Regional Commission
Atlanta, Georgia
Description
The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) is the regional planning and intergovernmental coordination agency that focuses on issues critical to the Atlanta region’s success, including growth and development, transportation, water resources, services for older adults, and workforce solutions. ARC is dedicated to unifying the region’s collective resources to prepare the metropolitan area for a prosperous future. This is done through professional planning initiatives, the provision of objective information and the involvement of the community in collaborative partnerships.
The Community Development Department works closely with local governments across the 11-county region to help address a range of land use, development, and transportation challenges. The Department is seeking a highly motivated and collaborative self-starter to join its team. The ideal candidate will have a mission-oriented mindset, excellent written and verbal communication skills, and vision, knowledge, and experience of the role culture and creative placemaking play in local and regional planning and community engagement.
This Community Engagement and Senior Culture Planner position will support the Community Engagement and team’s programs, specifically supporting Culture and Community Design and the Community Planning through Culture initiative. Such support includes the following activities: program and events development, coordination, documentation, reporting, and evaluation; outreach and engagement with artists and culture bearers, culture organizations, and community-based organizations; and research and analysis of inclusive and culture-led community engagement programs, policies, and processes (internal and external to the ARC). The position will also be asked to contribute to other ARC activities, including but not limited to support for the Department’s Regional Development Plan, Community Development Assistance Program (CDAP), Local Comprehensive Planning Program, Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) and the Transportation Department’s Comprehensive Transportation Plan.
- Manage administrative affairs for the group (including budget, spending, timelines, and data, related to social equity and cultural vibrancy);
- Integrates equity into department programs and coordination with departments across the organization around equity;
- Champions and supports to ARC staff on equity matters;
- Develops and implements community engagement plans that promote social equity, cultural vibrancy, and community development;
- Plans and executes cultural events, activities, and programs that center the values and priorities of community members;
- Facilitates community meetings, forums, and events related to social equity and cultural vibrancy;
- Develops and manages partnerships with cultural organizations, businesses, governmental, and nonprofit stakeholders to increase participation in Community Development programs;
- Conducts creative research and analysis to identify community needs, opportunities, and challenges related to social equity and cultural vibrancy;
- Develops and deliver presentations to community members, partner organizations, and internal stakeholders related to social equity and cultural vibrancy;
- Stays informed of emerging trends and best practices in community engagement, social equity, culture, and creative placemaking and identify opportunities to integrate them into the organization’s work;
- Performs other duties as assigned to support agency goals and objectives.
Job Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in design, urban or regional planning, transportation planning, architecture, landscape architecture, communications, economics, psychology, social work, sociology, public policy, or related fields;
- Two years of professional urban planning experience.
OR - An equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential duties of the job such as those listed above, unless otherwise subject to any other requirements set forth in law or regulation.
Preferred
- Master’s degree in design, urban planning, transportation planning, architecture, landscape architecture, communications, psychology, social work, sociology, public policy, or related fields;
- Previous work experience in any of the disciplines listed above;
- Previous experience managing administrative functions (e.g., budgeting, tracking, data management);
- Strong people skills;
- Experience collecting and analyzing qualitative data;
- Expertise in one or more of the following areas: community engagement; land use planning; comprehensive planning; community development; and local government policy.
Required Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Competencies
- Knowledge of community engagement, land use planning, comprehensive planning, community development, local government policy, economic development;
- Experience in community engagement, community development, and/or cultural programming;
- Expertise in arts and culture in planning and creative placemaking practices, policies, models, and a demonstrated desire to stay current on these issues, with ability to empathetically support community members throughout engagements;
- Ability to communicate and present information effectively, both verbally and in writing, to a broad variety of audiences;
- Ability to manage internal administrative tasks (e.g., budgets, tracking, data management);
- Skills in relating to people from diverse communities;
- Experience collecting and analyzing qualitative data;
- Strong analytical and communication skills, both verbal and written
- High level of attention to detail;
- High intellectual curiosity;
- Adept at navigating, managing, and supporting others through change;
- Ability to work as a part of a team and complete tasks to deadline with general instructions;
- Familiarity with Canva preferred;
- Proficiency in Microsoft Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook required;
- ESRI ArcGIS knowledge preferred;
- Adobe Creative Suite, including InDesign and Photoshop, required;
- Ability to support community members with planning processes grounded in an equity lens;
- Adept at consensus building and facilitating collaboration; strong convener;
- Strong systems thinker;
- Experience working with diverse communities and populations, direct experience is a bonus;
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to facilitate meetings, events, and forums;
- Experience using data to inform decision-making and program planning.
Salary Range
$64,668 – 84,688
Benefits
ARC offers our full-time regular employees a comprehensive and competitive benefits package which includes health insurance, life insurance, retirement benefits, paid time off and more! For additional information, please visit: Employment at ARC – ARC (atlantaregional.org).
How to Apply
Deadline
01/31/2025