Chief Planner, Downtown Growth & Strategy

Tampa Downtown Partnership; Tampa (FL); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Life insurance

401(k) matching

Paid time off

Commuter benefits

Job summary

The Tampa Downtown Partnership seeks a Director of Planning & Growth to guide Downtown Tampa's urban development and economic vitality. You will translate market intelligence into actionable strategies, convene partners, and advance place-based initiatives with cross-sector stakeholders.

Ideal candidates bring 7-10 years of leadership in urban planning or economic development, strong collaboration skills, and the ability to turn insights into tangible improvements for neighborhoods, corridors,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Urban Planning, Public Administration, Economics, Business, Real Estate, Geography, or a related field; Master's degree preferred.
• 7-10 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in urban planning, economic development, downtown management, redevelopment, real estate, public administration, or related field.
• Demonstrated success building collaborative partnerships across the public, private, nonprofit, and institutional sectors.
• Strong understanding of urban development, economic vitality, market analysis, mobility, and place management.
• Experience using research, analytics, and performance metrics to support strategic planning and organizational decision-making.
• Exceptional communication, facilitation, presentation and relationship-building skills.
• A collaborative leadership style with the ability to convene diverse stakeholders, build consensus and translate strategy into action.

Responsibilities

• Lead planning and growth initiatives that strengthen Downtown's economic vitality, connectivity and quality of place. Identify catalytic opportunities and help move priority initiatives from planning toward implementation.
• Advance place-based strategies integrating economic growth, mobility, public realm, business vitality and neighborhood priorities.
• Support ground-floor activation, retail vitality, small-business growth, public-space improvements and other strategies that create a more active Downtown.
• Identify physical, economic and experiential gaps and develop actionable strategies to address them.
• Build trusted relationships with developers, investors, employers, brokers, institutions, property owners, businesses and community leaders.
• Convene public- and private-sector partners around shared Downtown priorities.
• Connect businesses and stakeholders with research, resources, relationships and opportunities.
• Identify partnerships and investment opportunities that strengthen Downtown's business environment and long-term competitiveness.
• Lead the Partnership's research and market intelligence program, positioning TDP as a trusted source for Downtown data and economic insights.
• Track development, investment, commercial and residential markets, business activity, mobility, demographics, workforce and visitor trends.
• Utilize platforms including Placer.ai, GIS, CoStar and other analytical tools to understand Downtown performance.
• Develop dashboards, market reports, benchmarking and strategic insights that support decision-making.
• Translate data into clear recommendations, presentations and thought leadership for leadership, the Board and Downtown stakeholders.
• Serve as a member of the Partnership's Executive Leadership Team and contribute to organizational strategy, annual priorities and cross-functional initiatives.
• Represent the Partnership with public agencies, business organizations, neighborhood groups and community partners.
• Lead and mentor the Planning & Growth team while fostering innovation, collaboration, accountability and continuous improvement.
• Work across the organization to ensure planning and growth initiatives support the Partnership's broader strategic priorities.

Skills

Leadership experience

Partnership building

Urban development knowledge

Market analysis

Communication skills

Facilitation & presentation

Relationship building

Collaborative leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Urban Planning, Public Administration, Economics, Business, Real Estate, Geography, or related field

Master's degree preferred

Job description

The Tampa Downtown Partnership seeks a Director of Planning & Growth to guide Downtown Tampa's urban development and economic vitality. You will translate market intelligence into actionable strategies, convene partners, and advance place-based initiatives with cross-sector stakeholders.

Ideal candidates bring 7-10 years of leadership in urban planning or economic development, strong collaboration skills, and the ability to turn insights into tangible improvements for neighborhoods, corridors,