Staff Designer – Civic Engagement

Department of City Planning, City of New York; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 68,000 - 79,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

State repayment assistance programs

Job summary

The New York City Department of City Planning is seeking a Staff Designer to work across divisions, collaborating with teams to enhance neighborhood and citywide planning through engaging visuals and materials. You will develop illustrations, maps, and tools for public engagement and learn to apply equity-focused design principles.

Ideal candidates bring a background in design, strong proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, and experience facilitating community design processes.

Qualifications

• Background in graphic, urban design, architecture or related field.
• Ability to create illustrations and tools for engagement.
• Proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Office.
• Experience engaging communities in design processes.
• Residency and eligibility: civil service status or comparable title.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with teams across DCP and coordinate with Communications to identify design goals and visual identity strategies.
• Create materials including illustrations, maps, display boards, tools, and activities for print and digital use.
• Facilitate inclusive civic engagement with an equity lens.
• Conduct user research, prototyping, and usability testing for end-user needs.
• Produce explainers such as illustrations, infographics, presentations and short videos.

Skills

Graphic design

Urban design

Illustrations for engagement

Adobe Creative Suite

Microsoft Office

Project management

Community engagement

Video editing

Curriculum/workshop facilitation

Education

Master's degree + 2 years

High school diploma + 8 years

Tools

Adobe Premiere

After Effects

Microsoft Office

Job description

The New York City Department of City Planning (DCP) plans for the future of New York City, working to create thriving neighborhoods with access to housing and jobs, resilient infrastructure, and a vibrant public realm. The Department engages communities to develop inclusive plans, expands housing access and economic opportunity, and plans for long‑term sustainability. It supports the City Planning Commission in its annual review of hundreds of land use applications, advises on citywide strategic and capital planning, analyzes data, and creates open data and civic engagement tools.

The role

The Staff Designer sits within the Community Planning and Engagement division, which serves as the center for DCP's coordinated community planning work. The division fosters innovation and continuous improvement in how neighborhood and citywide planning initiatives are developed, in collaboration with partner agencies and New Yorkers. The role works across DCP divisions, with agency partners, and directly with communities to increase understanding of city planning topics, internal and public processes, and ways to shape local and citywide planning initiatives.

What you would do

• Collaborate with teams across DCP and coordinate with the Communications team to identify design goals and visual identity strategies for neighborhood and citywide initiatives.
• Create key materials including illustrations, maps, display boards, graphic organizers, tools, and activities for print and digital use.
• Recommend new approaches to civic engagement and advance civic engagement principles with an equity lens.
• Facilitate user research, prototyping, and usability testing to ensure materials meet the needs of end‑users.
• Produce explainer materials such as illustrations, infographics, presentations, and short videos for web and social channels.
• Work with teams across DCP to create reports, brochures, and one‑pagers primarily for engagement settings.
• Facilitate professional development workshops and trainings for DCP staff on design principles and best practices.
• Create and maintain templates for standard materials such as presentations and reports aligned with DCP standards.
• Provide design guidance and feedback to project teams to support continuous improvement.

What they are looking for

• A background in graphic design, urban design, architecture, or a related design discipline.
• Skill in creating illustrations and tools for engagement, and in facilitating inclusive community design processes.
• Proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Office.
• Strong interpersonal, project management, and communication skills, with the ability to work independently.
• Experience engaging and facilitating communities in design processes.
• Eligibility: permanent Civil Service status in the Graphic Artist title, reachability on the Graphic Artist active list (exam #4123), or service in a comparable civil service title.
• Preferred: experience with video editing software (Adobe Premiere, After Effects).
• Preferred: experience with teaching, curriculum development, or workshop facilitation.
• Minimum education and experience as defined by the Graphic Artist civil service title (ranging from a master's degree plus 2 years of experience to a high school diploma plus 8 years of experience, with 18 months of supervisory experience required in all cases).

Working arrangements

The role is based at 120 Broadway, New York, NY (Manhattan). It may be eligible for remote work up to 2 days per week under the City's Remote Work Pilot Program. New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. Authorization to work in the United States is required.

Pay and benefits

The salary range is $68,377 - $78,633 per year. As a City of New York employee, you may be eligible for federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs.