Mid-level Climate Action Planner

Placeworks, Inc.; Berkeley (CA); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

PlaceWorks is seeking a mid-level planner to join the Climate Action and Resiliency team in California offices (Berkeley, LA, San Luis Obispo, or Santa Ana). The role requires 2 in-office days per week, 4–6 years in climate action planning, and strong writing and collaboration skills.

The Associate II role involves leading climate action and adaptation planning efforts, supporting General Plan updates, and coordinating with clients across California. Travel may be required.

Qualifications

• Minimum of two in-office days per week.
• 4–6 years of climate action or adaptation planning experience.
• Bachelor's or master's degree in a related field.
• Ability to travel to client meetings occasionally.

Responsibilities

• Lead preparation of community climate action and adaptation plans and related General Plan elements.
• Lead climate-related technical studies, including emissions inventories and vulnerability assessments.
• Support integration of climate policies into General Plan updates.
• Collaborate across disciplines to integrate climate action approaches.
• Support project planning, workload coordination, and staff assignments.
• Engage in professional development and contribute to proposals and business development.

Skills

Project management

Written communication

Verbal communication

Teamwork

Public speaking

Education

Bachelor's degree in urban or regional planning

Master's degree in urban/regional planning or environmental planning

Tools

ArcGIS

Microsoft Office

Job description

Category

Job Type

Full-time Exempt

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Travel

Job Description

Job Description:

PlaceWorks has an immediate need for a full-time, mid-level planner to join the Climate Action and Resiliency team in one of the following offices: Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo, or Santa Ana. This position requires a minimum of two in-office days per week. We are looking for a colleague with 4-6 years of professional experience with climate action and/or adaptation planning who is creative, experienced, self-starting, and passionate about local climate action planning.

Working in a collaborative and casual work environment under the guidance of skilled senior staff, this team member will serve as a project manager on PlaceWorks’ Climate Action and Resiliency team and manage projects focused on community level climate action and adaptation planning for public agency clients throughout California. Preferred candidates will have established experience and expertise in community level climate mitigation and climate adaptation; however, candidates are not required to demonstrate equal experience with climate mitigation and climate adaptation planning.

This mid-level planner will:

• Lead preparation of community climate action plans, climate adaptation plans, General Plan elements (such as Safety Elements and Conservation Elements), sustainability plans, and similar documents.
• Lead preparation of climate change related technical studies, including community-wide and municipal operations greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventories and forecasts, community-wide and project specific climate change vulnerability assessments, and similar studies.
• Support integration of climate change, sustainability, and resource conservation and protection policies into comprehensive General Plan updates.
• Collaborate internally to support integration of climate action and adaptation approaches across disciplines and projects.
• Support the achievement of team utilization goals through project planning, workload coordination, and effective management of project assignments to project staff.
• Engage in professional development activities to expand knowledge and awareness of best practices, regulations, and guidance.
• Support preparation of proposals and business development activities.

You’re most likely a fit if:

• You love planning for the future of communities and making a difference with your work.
• You have excellent writing, formatting, and proofreading skills and are detail-oriented.
• You have strong verbal communication, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills.
• You’re an initiative-taker who is also a team player, able to work both independently and collaboratively in a hybrid work environment, balancing remote work with in-office collaboration as required based on office location.
• You can work both independently and in a highly collaborative environment with team members across the state, virtually and in person, in an assistant project manager or project manager role on multiple projects at once.
• Time management is second nature, and you can lead teams to produce final project documents and products by stated deadlines.
• You have a diverse portfolio of completed local climate action planning projects.
• You understand the land use, environmental, and climate change regulatory framework applicable to local governments in California.
• You’re comfortable with public speaking and presenting—you’ll be expected to represent PlaceWorks and clients at community meetings and interviews.
• You’re able to attend and travel to client meetings and community workshops which may occasionally occur on weekday nights and weekends.
• You can effectively translate and/or direct preparation of technical reports and analyses into widely accessible reports, policies, and graphics.
• Supporting authentic engagement with diverse communities excites you, and you’re comfortable leading outreach efforts.
• You have professional acumen to cultivate working relationships with clients, community-based organizations, academic institutions, government agencies, and other firms.
• You’re interested in assisting with marketing, business development, and proposal efforts for planning and outreach work.
• You navigate the digital world with advanced computer skills, learn new tools quickly, and have a working knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint).
• You are comfortable and enjoy working with large reports, datasets, and spreadsheets and are proficient with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint).
• You’re experienced with ArcGIS (not required, but these skills are a huge plus!).
• You have a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree in urban or regional planning, environmental planning or policy, or related field.
• You have a reliable means of transportation to and from work, and to perform site visits and attend meetings when needed.

For an Associate II position, the pay range is $85,000 - $115,000 per year, dependent upon experience and other relevant factors.

About PlaceWorks:

Based in California, PlaceWorks is a 100% employee-owned planning, design, and environmental consulting firm. The firm’s expertise and services span a wide range of practices, including city planning, urban design, landscape architecture, environmental review, GIS, and community participation. Our interdisciplinary, holistic approach integrates sustainability, economic vitality, community goals, and collaboration with our clients in the planning and design process. With a 50-year history of providing award-winning projects, we are passionate about our work and together with our clients, will continue to create great places. Learn more about the work we do and how we do it at: https://placeworks.com/ .

PlaceWorks’ mission is to envision and create great places, and that includes our own workplace. You can view the perks and benefits we offer our employees at: https://placeworks.com/our-culture/ .

PlaceWorks is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. All employment decisions at PlaceWorks are based on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications, without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, military and veteran status, physical or mental disability, or any other status covered by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Job Requirements

(see above job description)

We are equal opportunity/affirmative action employers, committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under state or local law.