Job Description

About Alta

Alta Planning + Design is an active transportation company dedicated to creating active, healthy communities through planning, landscape architecture, engineering, and education/encouragement programs. Alta was founded in 1996 when cities and communities were calling for safer streets for people walking and bicycling as the non-motorized transportation movement developed into a profession in the United States. We pioneered the field of active transportation, evolving our planning and design work into a visionary global practice that empowers people to live active, healthy lives and getting them to where they need to go. Our core values and work bring about positive change by creating places that are geared toward moving people rather than cars, connecting community members to daily needs and human experience, and empowering every person to live an active healthy life. As a global leader in mobility innovation for over 24 years with 175 people on staff, we are dedicated to connecting people to places by working across disciplines and scale to address social justice, safety, and environmental resilience. Alta is seeking a Landscape Designer to join our team and help us improve the public realm across a wide range of communities. The ideal candidate is passionate about active transportation and community-grounded design for the public good. In this position, you will work in a variety of contexts, at a range of scales, and through multiple mediums to improve how people walk, bike, and thrive. Your work will be based primarily in California, but you\xe2\x80\x99ll have opportunities to work nationwide. Collaborating with our team of engineers, planners, graphic designers, data analysts, and outreach specialists, you will see your work get built and become real. Current and recent project work includes cycle tracks in the Bay Area and Southern California, major regional trails throughout the state, back-country trail planning across six counties, waterfront urban design, and other projects that foster active, sustainable, and engaging communities.

Position Priorities

An understanding of the field of non-motorized transportation, the ability to collaborate across discipline boundaries to support the delivery of solutions which meet client expectations is required in order to successfully meet the requirements of this position. The essential priorities of this exempt, salaried position are to:

• Enhance Alta\xe2\x80\x99s reputation as a trusted advisor and expert by educating clients and other relevant parties, supporting solutions which will meet their business objectives.
• Produce high-quality, accurate and complete design documents, reports and analyses.
• Participate in public outreach and other project deliverables.

Responsibilities + Tasks

Additional responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to:

• Manages production of high-quality, accurate, and complete design documents, reports, and analyses, with occasional production.
• Participates in public outreach and other project deliverables.
• Develops cost estimates and design details for construction documents.
• Creates landscape design recommendations.
• Participates in and facilitates community meetings.
• Leads conceptual design work for trail routing and alignment, trailhead design, and streetscape design.
• Contributes to research and enhances professional staff knowledge.
• Contributes to blogs and internal white papers.
• In-depth understanding of street and trail design principles.
• General understanding of NACTO, MUTCD, ADA, and relevant state DOT design requirements.
• General knowledge of the principles of site grading and general construction techniques.
• Ability to effectively read, understand, and utilize technical drawings, maps, and other similar documents.
• Ability to create or delegate task work for photo renderings, concept sketches, and other similar materials for use in proposals and project deliverables.
• Exhibits strong initiative and the ability to work independently with little or no supervision.
• Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities and multiple simultaneous projects involving cross-functional project teams.
• Ability and willingness to travel.
• Strong professional ethics, leadership skills, accountability, and decision-making capabilities.
• Strong interpersonal, written and verbal communication, and analytic skills.
• Exhibits accuracy, attention to detail, and strong organizational skills.
• Proficiency in an enterprise-wide resource planning and project management tool.

Requirements

This position requires a combination of skills, experience and education including, but not limited to:

• Bachelor\xe2\x80\x99s degree in Landscape Architecture, Architecture or a related field of study.
• 4-7 years of experience in a consulting environment or public entity.
• Knowledge of, and interest in, the field of active, non-motorized transportation.
• Ability and willingness to travel.
• Strong professional ethics, leadership skills, accountability, and decision-making capabilities.
• Strong interpersonal, written and verbal communication, and analytic skills.
• Exhibits accuracy, attention to detail, and strong organizational skills.

Preferred Skills + Certifications

There are a number of additional skills, experience and education that would be beneficial to this position including, but not limited to:

• Registration as a Professional Landscape Architect.
• Experience using MS Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Adobe Creative Suite, AutoCAD, Photoshop, SketchUp, GoogleEarth GIS, or similar products.
• Proficiency in an enterprise-wide resource planning and project management tool.

What We Offer

Compensation The pay range for this job in Oakland, CA is $80,000.00 \xe2\x80\x93 $105,000.00 annually. Placement within the range is based upon experience, skill-sets, and qualifications. Alta offers comprehensive benefits to all full-time employees.

• Medical: PPO or HSA medical plans, Alta pays 75% of the cost.
• Dental/Vision: PPO, Alta pays 90% of the cost.
• Life Insurance: Alta pays 100% of the premium for life and AD&D, equal to your base compensation.
• 401k: Alta provides a safe harbor match up to 4%.
• PTO: 21 days accrued annually to start.
• Holidays: 11 total company paid holidays

Additional benefits: Wellness reimbursement up to $800 annually, Alta Gets Around benefit of up to $900 annually, 5-year travel award, and professional development opportunities.

How to Apply

To apply, please upload your resume, any work samples, and a cover letter, telling us why you\xe2\x80\x99re interested in Alta and why you\xe2\x80\x99d be a good fit. Due to the high volume of applicants we will not be able to respond to email or phone inquiries. Alta is an Equal Opportunity Employer Alta Planning + Design, Inc. is committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all employees and applicants. It is our policy that decisions involving people are made on the basis of job-related criteria, independent of an individual\xe2\x80\x99s gender, race, color, national origin, age, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, physical or mental disability for which reasonable accommodation is available, and any other status protected by law. This includes decisions involving hiring, job placement, transfer, promotion, compensation, benefits, training and company-sponsored programs. Alta Planning + Design maintains formal employment policies, available on online and by request. Affirmative Action Plan Alta Planning + Design, Inc. is a federal contractor subject to affirmative action regulations requiring written Affirmative Action Plans (AAP\xe2\x80\x99s) for minorities and women, and for covered veterans and individuals with disabilities. We worked intensively with a local firm who specializes in Affirmative Action Plans to develop a program for our company that will not only satisfy our federal obligations, but will be a living document. This means the plan is integrated into our recruiting and evaluation procedures, and is revisited often in order to ensure we\xe2\x80\x99re doing everything we can to embrace and promote diversity within our company. Alta requires all employees to complete their COVID-19 vaccination series or have an approved exception to the requirement due to a medical condition or sincerely held religious belief. Proof of vaccination or an approved exemption for new employees will be verified prior to the first day of employment. Failure to provide proof of vaccination or receipt of an approved exemption will lead to withdrawal of the job offer. Alta requires all employees to complete their COVID-19 vaccination series or have an approved exception to the requirement due to a medical condition or sincerely held religious belief. Proof of vaccination or an approved exemption for new employees will be verified prior to the first day of employment. Failure to provide proof of vaccination or receipt of an approved exemption will lead to withdrawal of the job offer.
The \xe2\x80\x9cApply For This Position\xe2\x80\x9d button will direct you to Pinpoint, our external applicant tracking system hosted with our Trilon partners. To learn more about Alta\xe2\x80\x99s partnership with Trilon click here.