City Planner – Housing Specialist

City of New York; New York (NY); On-site; USD 68,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

City of New York in the Bronx seeks a City Planner – Housing Specialist to lead housing-focused planning within the Planning & Development team. The role focuses on equity, sustainable growth, and translating resident concerns into actionable policy.

The ideal candidate will blend housing expertise with a broad planning remit, contributing across land use, environmental review, transportation, open space, and community engagement, while working closely with agencies and elected officials.

Qualifications

• Minimum Qualifications include a 4-year degree and 4 years of full-time experience in journalism or communications with 18 months in supervisory/managerial capacity or equivalent.
• Preferred skills include excellent written and verbal communication, MS Office (Excel, PowerPoint), GIS familiarity, strong analytical/organizational/problem-solving abilities, and experience with government or community organizations.

Responsibilities

• Review land use applications and environmental documents; prepare ULURP recommendations with housing implications.
• Conduct neighborhood studies and contribute to planning frameworks across Bronx communities.
• Engage with community boards, officials, nonprofits, and residents to translate feedback into planning strategies.
• Analyze demographic, economic, and spatial data; develop accessible community-facing materials.

Skills

Excellent written and verbal comms

Analytical skills

Organizational skills

Problem solving

Spanish language ability

Collaborative mindset

Education

Bachelor's degree with supervisory experience

Tools

ArcGIS

QGIS

Job description

The Office of the Bronx Borough President is the borough-wide voice for nearly 1.5 million Bronxites. Under the leadership of Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson, the Office advocates for the investment, services, and land use decisions that determine how Bronx neighborhoods grow and for whom. The Planning & Development team sits at the center of that work, reviewing every land use action that comes before the borough, shaping long-range neighborhood plans, and standing with residents as their communities change.

Housing is the defining issue of this moment in The Bronx. It shapes whether families can stay in the neighborhoods they built, whether new development strengthens a block or displaces it, and whether the borough's growth reaches the people who have waited longest for it. The Office of the Bronx Borough President is looking for a City Planner who wants to work on that question every day.

The Office seeks a dedicated and forward-thinking City Planner to play a key role in shaping the future of The Bronx. This is an exciting opportunity for a planning professional who is passionate about community development, equitable growth, and strategic problem-solving. Working under the guidance of the Director of Planning & Development, the City Planner – Housing Specialist will focus primarily on the housing issues that impact all Bronx residents while providing support to the larger planning and development team by supporting initiatives that advance Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson's vision for a more vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable Bronx.

A word on the specialization: the “Housing Specialist” designation reflects the depth we hope this planner will bring and the role they will play as a go-to resource for colleagues when housing questions come up. It is an added strength, not a narrower job. Every City Planner in this Office contributes across the full portfolio land use and environmental review, neighborhood studies, housing, transportation, open space, economic development, and community engagement alike and that breadth is one of the best parts of the work here. The successful candidate will bring real housing expertise to a generalist role, and will grow into a stronger planner across every subject this Office touches.

This is a role with genuine reach. The work moves between the technical and the personal a ULURP review one morning, a tenants' meeting in a Grand Concourse lobby that evening and the recommendations that come out of it carry the weight of the Borough President's Office behind them. The successful candidate will help decide what gets built in The Bronx, and will help make sure that Bronxites who already live here benefit from it.

The ideal candidate is someone who has a baseline knowledge and understanding of housing issues in The Bronx and approaches these issues holistically, communicates with empathy, brings strong technical curiosity, and thrives in both collaborative and independent settings. Just as importantly, this person is comfortable in a room full of neighbors who are worried about their homes and can translate between that room and the agencies, developers, and elected officials whose decisions affect it.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following, and are shared by all City Planners in this Office:

Housing Policy, Strategy, And Advocacy

• Provide support and advise on housing strategies and best practices to support Bronx residents, including both existing residents as well as advise on best practices for new buildings.
• Serve as a housing resource for the Office tracking affordability trends, preservation and development pipelines, and the housing programs and financing tools available to Bronx residents and property owners.
• Advise on how proposed projects and policies will affect tenants, homeowners, and prospective residents, and identify opportunities to strengthen affordability, habitability, and long-term stability outcomes.
• Be available to attend evening meetings to support and provide guidance on housing issues as they arise and as needed.

Land Use And Neighborhood Planning

• Review and analyze land use applications, environmental review documents, and planning proposals; prepare recommendations for ULURP projects, with particular attention to the housing implications of each application.
• Conduct neighborhood studies and contribute to comprehensive planning frameworks across Bronx communities.
• Balance long-term planning efforts with timely responses to short-term operational needs.

Community Engagement And Partnership

• Engage meaningfully with community boards, elected officials, nonprofit partners, and residents to understand needs and integrate feedback into planning strategies.
• Build durable working relationships with tenant associations, housing organizers, HPD and other City and State agencies, and mission-driven developers active in the borough.
• Present insights and recommendations effectively to senior leadership, community boards, and public audiences.

Research, Analysis, And Communication

• Analyze demographic, economic, and spatial data to inform planning initiatives.
• Use data visualization and mapping tools to support analysis and develop accessible community-facing materials.
• Translate technical housing and land use information into plain-language materials that residents can act on.

Project Management And Team Contribution

• Manage complex projects, coordinate with multiple City agencies, monitor timelines, and ensure timely delivery.
• Work both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team in a dynamic environment.
• Demonstrate a strong commitment to equity, sustainability, and inclusive planning practices.

Why Join Us

You will work on housing in the borough where the stakes are highest, with an Office that has the standing to be heard by every agency, developer, and elected official whose decisions shape it. The team is small enough that your analysis reaches the Borough President directly, and the borough is large enough that the work matters at scale. City employment also carries a comprehensive benefits package, including health coverage, a defined-benefit pension, and paid leave, along with eligibility for the federal loan forgiveness programs described below.

Minimum Qualifications

• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and four years of full-time experience in journalism or communications with a mandatory 18 months in an administrative, managerial or executive capacity or in the supervision of professionals involved in journalism or communications; or
• Education and/or experience equivalent to "1" above. However, all candidates must have 18 months of supervisory, administrative, managerial or executive capacity as described in "1" above.

Preferred Skills

The strongest candidates will bring: - Excellent written and verbal communication abilities. - Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint). - Familiarity with GIS tools (ArcGIS, QGIS). - Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills. - A collaborative approach paired with the ability to work independently. - A positive, solutions-oriented mindset. - Experience with government, civic, or community-based organizations. - Knowledge of Bronx neighborhoods, assets, and challenges. - Familiarity with New York City housing policy, programs, and land use processes including ULURP, CEQR, rent regulation, and City and State affordable housing programs. - Ability to communicate with residents in a second language spoken widely in The Bronx, particularly Spanish. Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications are encouraged to apply even if they do not bring every preferred skill listed above.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/.

Residency Requirement

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.

Additional Information

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.

, $68,213.00 – $80,000.00