Parks, Open Space, and Trails Planner

Logan Simpson; Phoenix (AZ); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision plans

401(k) with firm match

Life/AD&D; Short-Term and Long-Term DI

Paid holidays

Job summary

Logan Simpson is seeking a Parks, Open Space, and Trails Planner to join a hybrid team across our Western US offices, including CO, UT, AZ. The role focuses on park, outdoor recreation, open space, and trail system planning and requires collaboration with a multidisciplinary group.

The ideal candidate has 5+ years in design/planning, strong ArcGIS and Adobe InDesign skills, and a drive for proactive community involvement and high-quality deliverables.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture, Planning, Engineering, Recreation Management, Environmental Studies, or related field.
• 5+ years of experience at a design or planning consulting firm, or in a local government parks, recreation, open space, and/or trails department.
• Knowledge of parks, outdoor recreation, and trail planning principles and practices, including land use planning, site planning and design, and land development codes.
• Experience in local government system plans for parks, recreation, open space, or trails.

Responsibilities

• Maintain overall project schedules, budget, and client-team communication (Project Manager or Assistant Project Manager depending on experience).
• Perform planning research, documentation, and mapping/graphics in Adobe InDesign and ArcGIS.
• Manage information collection systems and data gathering methods for reliability and transparency.
• Write planning documents for parks, recreation, open space, and trails plans and related outdoor recreation plans.
• Coordinate and summarize outreach activities, stakeholder meetings, and public meetings.

Skills

5+ years experience

Public speaking

Team collaboration

ArcGIS

Adobe InDesign

Microsoft Office

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture, Planning, Engineering, Recreation Management, Environmental Studies, or related field

Tools

ArcGIS Pro

Adobe InDesign

Photoshop

Illustrator

Job description

Are you interested in joining an award-winning, multidisciplinary consulting firm where you can contribute to our diverse, collaborative, and innovative team? At Logan Simpson, you’ll have the opportunity to expand your skillset, while bringing new tools and ideas to the table.

The Opportunity:

We have an immediate opening for a regular full-time Parks, Open Space, and Trails Planner to work a hybrid schedule based out of our Fort Collins or Denver, Colorado, Salt Lake City, Utah, or Flagstaff or Tempe, Arizona offices, primarily responsible for park, outdoor recreation, open space, and trail system planning.

Who We Are:

Founded in 1990, Logan Simpson is made up of a team of 170+ talented professionals across six offices in the western United States. We are experts in environmental planning, cultural resource management, community planning, and landscape architecture design services. Our mission remains simple: working together to guide responsible change. From the beginning, our founders were focused on protecting natural resources and advancing the wellbeing of our communities. We take pride in adding new staff members to our team who share our values of integrity, creativity, excellence, empowerment, stewardship, and teamwork.

Your Key Responsibilities:

• As Project Manager or Assistant Project Manager (depending on experience), maintain overall project schedules, budget, and communication between client and team.
• Perform planning research, documentation, and supporting mapping and graphics in Adobe InDesign and ArcGIS.
• Manage and analyze information collection systems (e.g., assessment, inventory, trends) and the appropriate methods to gather information in a reliable and transparent manner.
• Write planning documents such as system wide parks, recreation, open space, and trails plans, outdoor recreation plans, and others.
• Coordinate, facilitate, and summarize outreach activities, including stakeholder meetings, online outreach, and community public meetings.
• Occasional evening meetings and public events should be anticipated, along with possible travel to visit project sites and public events.

What You’ll Bring:

• Bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture, Planning, Engineering, Recreation Management, Environmental Studies, or related field.
• 5+ years of experience at a design or planning consulting firm, or in a local government parks, recreation, open space, and/or trails department.
• Knowledge of parks, outdoor recreation, and trail planning principles and practices, including land use planning, site planning and design, and land development codes.
• Experience in local government system plans for parks, recreation, open space, or trails.
• Expertise in Microsoft Office, ArcGIS, and Adobe Creative Cloud, especially InDesign (Photoshop, Illustrator a plus) with example products of mapping and graphics.
• Excellent verbal, interpersonal, and public speaking skills.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, collaborative environment, multitask, and be able to adjust to daily changes in priorities to meet deadlines.
• Desire to work independently, yet collaboratively in a team environment.
• Enthusiastic and self-motivated, with a willingness to expand the knowledge base and solve problems covering a wide range of projects and topics.
• Possess a valid driver’s license and a clean driving record.
• Be able to work cooperatively in a team-oriented setting.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Cultivate exceptional relationships with federal, state, and local land managers.
• Demonstrated knowledge of wildlife corridors, comprehensive plans, land development codes, vision documents, and development processes.
• Experience working with social media and website development.
• Self-starters with an eye for detail, a dedication to accuracy, and a passion for not just incorporating best practices, but identifying and testing new planning ideas, practices, and technologies, are encouraged to apply.

What We Offer:

• Compensation – This is a full-time position paid on a salaried basis between $70,000 to $105,000 annually, depending on experience and education.
• Benefits – A comprehensive benefits package which includes medical, dental and vision plans, paid Life/AD&D, Short-Term and Long-Term Disability coverage, Paid Family Leave, a 401(k) with a firm match, and a robust Employee Assistance Program with free counseling and mental health services.
• Time Off – Paid Time Off starting at 18 days per year available as accrued, plus 9 paid holidays.
• Professional Development – Support for professional conferences and trainings, internal leadership development and innovation program, tuition reimbursement, bonus programs for peer-reviewed publications and academic achievements, and work on a variety of interesting projects.
• Perks – Wellness program with $125 annual Wellness Bucks allowance, paid Costco memberships, Babies-at-Work program, paid parking, and paid public transit costs.
• Flexible Work Schedules – Hybrid work schedule allowing for 2 days of remote work per week depending on the position, plus flexible schedules such as 4 x 10, 9 x 80, or 4 ½ day schedules.

Application deadline: September 20, 2026.

To learn more about our firm culture and the work we do, check us out on social media:

LinkedIn – Instagram – Facebook – Our Website

Inclusion, belonging, and respect are at the core of our values. Here at Logan Simpson, we believe we have a responsibility as a firm to promote and guide responsible change. To do that, we embrace the unique perspectives and experiences of each of our talented staff members. We strive to create an inclusive workplace to connect us closer to our clients and the communities we serve.

Logan Simpson is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. No staff member or applicant is ever denied equal opportunity or discriminated against because of race (including hair style), color, religion (includes religious dress and grooming practices), sex, pregnancy, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, disability (physical or mental), genetic information, parental status, sexual orientation, marital status, political affiliation or belief, military or veteran status, or any other prohibited factor. We provide equal pay for staff members who perform equal work. Staff members are recruited, hired, and promoted based on the individual who is the most qualified for that particular position.