Senior Urban Designer

HDR, Inc.; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 114,000 - 163,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits package

Employee ownership culture

Job summary

HDR, Inc. is seeking a Senior Urban Designer in Denver to lead the urban design discipline across diverse projects. You will mentor other designers, develop design concepts, and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams.

You will communicate ideas clearly to clients and stakeholders, advancing resilient, sustainable, community-focused urban design. A leadership mindset and strong visualization skills are essential.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in urban design or related field required.
• 10+ years leading urban design projects and teams is expected.
• Proficiency with GIS and Microsoft Office required; strong visualization skills.
• Experience with 2D/3D drawing tools and storytelling for client presentations.
• AICP certification desired; strong communication and leadership capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support urban design across public and private clients.
• Develop design thinking, concepts, and studio culture.
• Create concept and detailed drawings using 2D/3D tools and freehand work.
• Communicate design concepts clearly in writing and presentations.
• Mentor other urban designers and contribute to business development.

Skills

Leadership skills

Public speaking

Verbal communication

Written communication

GIS

MS Office

Team collaboration

Design storytelling

Concept development

Education

Master's degree in urban design or related field

Bachelor's degree in Urban Planning or closely related field

Tools

AutoCAD

SketchUp

Rhino

Adobe Creative Suite

RiNo

Grasshopper

Lumion

Enscape

VRay

Revit

GIS

Job description

At HDR, our employee-owners are fully engaged in creating a welcoming environment where each of us is valued and respected, a place where everyone is empowered to bring their authentic selves and novel ideas to work every day. As we foster a culture of inclusion throughout our company and within our communities, we constantly ask ourselves: What is our impact on the world?

We believe architecture is more than designing buildings, it's about providing solutions to societal challenges and creating stronger, more vibrant communities. As part of our Architecture practice at HDR, you'll contribute to the design and delivery of spaces and experiences that advance community well-being around the world. From healing environments and learning spaces to research labs and civic landmarks and infrastructure, your work will directly influence how individuals experience the world around them. We bring together architects, planners, designers, and technical experts to solve complex design challenges with creativity, curiosity, and collaboration. From championing design excellence with an emphasis on resilience and sustainability to pioneering innovative building technologies, your contributions will leave a lasting impact on the built environment. This isn't just a job, it's a chance to drive meaningful change and help define the future of our communities.

Watch Our Story: https://www.hdrinc.com/our-story

Each and every role throughout our organization makes a difference in our ability to change the world for the better. Read further to learn how you could help make great things possible not only in your community, but around the world.

Position Description:

HDR is looking for an energetic, team-oriented urban designer to join our interdisciplinary architecture studio in Denver, CO. Our design and planning teams work with diverse private and public sector clients to create vibrant places ranging from transit-oriented developments, urban mobility corridors, redevelopment districts, campuses, and waterfronts, to highly sustainable mixed-use communities. The successful candidate would augment and collaborate with a growing team of designers locally as well as across our matrix organization to provide leadership, seek new business development opportunities and contribute to our design culture with innovative and creative thinking.

In the role of Senior Urban Designer, we'll count on you to:

• Lead and support the urban design discipline and within a variety of project types for both public and private sector clients. Simultaneously engage in multiple projects and collaborate effectively with other team members, including architects, engineers and other disciplines
• Lead the development of design thinking and concepts in project work and studio culture.
• Create concept and detailed drawings using 2D and 3D digital illustration tools, free hand drawing, and rendering.
• Clearly communicate design and planning concepts in writing and in spoken presentations. Leverage the design and graphic talents of others from within the project team, including computer and hand graphic skills, to support the design process, visual communication and storytelling.
• Champion urban design as a unifying framework that enhances planning, engineering, and architectural work through collaboration, creativity, and systems-based thinking.
• Mentor and develop other urban designers, challenging, inspiring and motivating them to deliver high quality design solutions for our clients.
• Retain professional licensure and continue professional development, as appropriate.
• Build and maintain meaningful relationships across HDR's internal network, connecting people, expertise, and ideas across disciplines and geographies to identify opportunities, strengthen teams, and strategically position urban design expertise in support of pursuits and broader business development efforts.
• Build and strengthen relationships with clients, partners, and industry peers, leveraging urban design expertise and a strong understanding of client needs to identify opportunities, shape pursuit strategies, differentiate HDR's capabilities, and position the firm for new work.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in urban design or related field from an accredited university. Candidates with both bachelor's and master's degrees may receive elevated consideration.
• Minimum of 10 years professional work experience as an urban designer leading community and city-building projects
• Proficiency with AutoCAD, SketchUp, Rhino, Adobe Creative Suite, and rendering software such as RiNo, Grasshopper, Lumion, Enscape and VRay, and the ability to direct others to apply a variety of digital tools to develop urban design solutions, visual communication and storytelling
• Revit and GIS skills
• Hand sketching and drawing skills
• Strong design and critical thinking skills: ideation, concept iteration and exploration through multiple platforms
• Strong design rigor, clear visual communication
• Exceptional visual storytelling and communication skills, with the ability to craft compelling narratives that translate complex ideas into clear, persuasive, and emotionally resonant visual presentations that inspire people, strengthen community identity, and communicate a compelling vision to clients, stakeholders, and multidisciplinary teams.

#LI-MV3

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Urban Planning or closely related field
• A minimum of 10 years experience in environmental consulting with a successful track record of marketing, urban design project management, staff management and client satisfaction, business development skills and familiarity of local clients and markets; advance degree may offset years of experience
• AICP certification desired
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office programs
• Extensive graphics and report document production experience
• Experience with GIS
• Highly motivated self-starter
• Leadership skills and ability to manage in a team environment
• Public speaking and strong verbal and written communication skills
• May require the ability to travel
• An attitude and commitment to being an active participant of our employee-owned culture is a must

What We Believe

HDR is our company. Together, we build on each other's life experiences and perspectives to make great things possible every day. This shapes our collaborative culture, encourages organizational trust and connects us closer to the clients and communities we serve.

Our Commitment

As employee owners, we all have a role in creating an inclusive environment where each of us is welcomed, valued, respected and empowered to bring our authentic selves to work every day.

Our eight Employee Network Groups (Asian Pacific, Black, Hispanic/Latino(a), LGBTQ+, People with Disabilities, Veterans, Women, Young Professionals) help create a sense of belonging and foster a supportive environment where everyone is empowered to engage and contribute. Each group has an executive sponsor and is open to all employees.

We provide a comprehensive benefits package that promotes employee ownership, employee health, performance, and success, which includes medical, dental, vision, short and long-term disability, life insurance, an employee assistance program, paid time away, parental leave, paid holidays, a retirement savings plan with employer match, employee referral bonus and tuition reimbursement. The expected compensation range for this position depends upon skills, experience, education and geographical location. (Stated benefits are for full-time regular positions. Temporary and part-time roles eligible for limited benefits.) Colorado: $114,114.00 - $163,020.00

Primary Location: United States-Colorado-Denver

Industry: Urban Design, Planning, Landscape Architecture

Schedule: Full-time

Employee Status: Regular

BusinessClass: Urban Design-Planning-Landscape Architecture

Job Posting: Oct 7, 2026