Associate Planner: Lead Planning & CEQA Projects

uppartners; Oakland (CA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Urban Planning Partners (UPP) in Oakland seeks a mid-level Associate Planner to lead projects, mentor junior staff, and contribute to proposals. You’ll grow into fuller project management and client relationships across Northern and Central California, shaping strategy and deliverables from vision to implementation.

You’ll deliver high-quality planning and CEQA work, with increasing responsibility for housing policy, design standards, and stakeholder engagement, while coordinating with

Qualifications

• 3-6 years of professional planning experience with progressive responsibility.
• Bachelor’s in planning, community development, environmental science, public administration, or related field.
• Master’s degree may substitute for 1 year of experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead small and medium planning/environmental projects as PM or Deputy PM.
• Draft and manage project descriptions, entitlement pathways, and CEQA topic sections.
• Coordinate streamlined reviews and approvals for commercial, mixed-use, and multifamily projects.
• Prepare CEQA documents (exemptions → EIRs) for infill, TOD, mixed-use, and policy projects.
• Conduct qualitative and quantitative analysis with clear logic and defensible conclusions.
• Coordinate subconsultants and maintain QA/QC across deliverables.
• Support jurisdictions adopting pro-housing policies and objective design standards.
• Review, refine, and propose ordinance updates that are implementable and durable.
• Turn complex policy into clear tools that communities and staff can use.
• Pull GIS data, perform spatial analysis, and create maps/graphics to tell the story.
• Develop graphics for reports and engagement.
• Research codes, ordinances, and official records to build sound planning pathways.
• Use Adobe/SketchUp as needed to translate ideas into accessible visuals.
• Support Bay Area jurisdictions as an extension of staff.
• Review applications for completeness, coordinate department feedback.
• Write staff reports and present clearly to Planning Commissions/City Councils.
• Design and facilitate engagement—from surveys to workshops to focus groups.
• Use inclusive approaches to reach representative voices.
• Translate community insight into planning outcomes.

Skills

Writing

Planning knowledge

Organization

Stakeholder engagement

Team leadership

Decision making in ambiguity

Education

Bachelor’s in planning or related field

Master’s degree substitutes 1 year experience

Tools

GIS

InDesign

Illustrator

SketchUp

Job description

Urban Planning Partners (UPP) in Oakland seeks a mid-level Associate Planner to lead projects, mentor junior staff, and contribute to proposals. You’ll grow into fuller project management and client relationships across Northern and Central California, shaping strategy and deliverables from vision to implementation.

You’ll deliver high-quality planning and CEQA work, with increasing responsibility for housing policy, design standards, and stakeholder engagement, while coordinating with