National Zoning Planner & Project Lead

Houseal Lavigne; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Houseal Lavigne is expanding its national planning and zoning practice and seeks a Planner II / Project Manager with a focus on zoning. You will lead significant portions of zoning projects, manage client communications, and coordinate teams to deliver regulatory solutions.

The role requires strong writing, public meeting experience, and the ability to translate complex zoning issues into clear recommendations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in urban planning, landscape architecture, architecture, public administration, or related discipline; Master’s or AICP desirable.
• Approximately 4–7 years of professional planning experience with meaningful zoning experience.
• Strong understanding of zoning, land use, development, and planning practices.
• Experience drafting, reviewing, interpreting, or implementing zoning ordinances and other development regulations.
• Excellent writing, editing, and organizational skills with strong attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Draft zoning ordinances, development regulations, code amendments, and related technical documents.
• Research zoning best practices, development trends, and regulatory approaches.
• Evaluate existing zoning regulations and identify issues, opportunities, and recommendations.
• Prepare zoning analyses, regulatory concepts, and supporting materials.
• Coordinate and review work by junior planners.
• Work directly with clients and project teams to advance zoning and planning assignments.
• Participate in staff meetings, stakeholder interviews, workshops, and public meetings.

Skills

Writing

Communication

Project management

Client coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree in urban planning etc.

Master’s degree or AICP certification desirable

Tools

ArcGIS Pro

SketchUp

Adobe Creative Cloud

Microsoft Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Houseal Lavigne is expanding its national planning and zoning practice and seeks a Planner II / Project Manager with a focus on zoning. You will lead significant portions of zoning projects, manage client communications, and coordinate teams to deliver regulatory solutions.

The role requires strong writing, public meeting experience, and the ability to translate complex zoning issues into clear recommendations.