Job Description

Alta Planning + Design is seeking a Planning Associate I to join our team in Phoenix, AZ . If you are looking for an innovative organization that is an industry leader in active transportation, want to work with talented and passionate professionals, apply with us today!

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.

Position Priorities

An understanding and knowledge of Alta, its culture and services, the ability to collaborate across discipline boundaries and deliver solutions that meet client expectations in a cost-effective manner are required in order to successfully meet the requirements of this position. The essential priorities of this exempt, salaried position are to:

• Nurture and grow client and industry partner relationships and secure work in support of Alta\xe2\x80\x99s growth goals.
• Enhance Alta\xe2\x80\x99s reputation as a trusted advisor and expert by educating clients and other relevant parties, and supporting solutions that will meet their business objectives.
• Appropriately manage large, complex projects in a budget-conscious and time-sensitive manner.
• Manage potentially large groups of staff.

Responsibilities + Task

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

• Independently applies diversified knowledge of planning practices on tasks with significant complexity and/or scope.
• Applies new planning tools and techniques based on best practices.
• May lead internal trainings on specialized service area topics; mentors more junior staff in service area processes.
• Works on a major project or multiple projects of moderate scope with complex features.
• Participates in and may lead public outreach activities.
• Delegates work to other team members and/or coordinates a task or larger deliverable among a group.
• Acts as Assistant Project Manager with active Project Manager involvement.
• May serve as Project Manager on small projects with active Principal in Charge involvement.
• Implements and adheres to the QA/QC processes, as defined by the technical service areas applicable to the project.
• Supports proposal understanding writing, scoping, and budgeting.
• Utilizes QA/QC procedures, engages in peer review, and may act as qualified reviewer of specific types of analysis.
• Performs analysis using Alta\xe2\x80\x99s standard methods and tools, tailors analysis to their study area, and proactively coordinates analysis with Civic Analytics team.

Requirements

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

• Bachelor\xe2\x80\x99s degree in Planning or a related field of study.
• Six (6) or more of experience in a consulting environment or public entity; three (3) or more years as a Project Manager; three (3) or more years managing staff.
• Experience in the field of active, non-motorized transportation.
• Demonstrated understanding of the planning process and a general understanding of project management principles, methods and techniques.
• Ability to guide staff members and manage internal team expectations.
• Exhibits strong initiative and ability to capitalize on opportunities to enhance Alta\xe2\x80\x99s position in the marketplace.
• Ability to manage competing priorities, and multiple simultaneous projects involving cross-functional project teams within budgetary and schedule constraints.
• Strong initiative and the ability to work independently with little or no supervision.
• Ability and willingness to travel.
• Excellent professional ethics, leadership skills, accountability, and decision-making capabilities.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication and analytic skills.
• Good presentation skills.
• Proficient in MS Excel, PowerPoint and Word, Adobe Creative Suite, ESRI Arc GIS, Google Workspace Apps or similar products.
• Proficiency in an enterprise-wide resource planning and project management tool.

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:

• Master\xe2\x80\x99s degree in Urban Planning or a related field of study.
• Experience managing large projects for both private and public clients.
• Experience writing and/or presenting white papers and/or providing expert level presentations at conferences and other events promoting the field of sustainable infrastructure and active, non-motorized transportation.
• Experience using Deltek Vision.
• Experience using Spatial Analyst, Network Analyst.
• Active participation in industry-relevant professional associations and committees.
• AICP Certification.

What We Offer

Compensation

• The pay range for this job in Phoenix, AZ is $76,500 \xe2\x80\x93 $97,750 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, Bike maintenance reimbursement up to $150 annually, transit reimbursement up to $750 annually, 5-year travel award, and professional development opportunities.

To apply: please upload a resume and cover letter to be considered for this position. Incomplete applications will not be considered. 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 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 that 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. 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.