Federal Planner - Department of Defense
About The Position
INTEGRATED DESIGN & ADVISORY + FEDERAL PLANNING PRACTICE At Michael Baker International, we bring together decades of federal planning expertise and integrated design thinking to deliver innovative, high-impact solutions for our clients. Our Federal Planning Practice has supported the U.S. government with award-winning services in master planning, emergency management, sustainability, and facility programming—often under tight deadlines and across the globe. Our Integrated Design and Advisory vertical enhances this foundation by uniting architecture, engineering, and strategic consulting into a powerful delivery platform. With over 850 professionals nationwide, we serve a diverse range of sectors including defense, aerospace, healthcare, higher education, and the federal government. We leverage early stakeholder engagement and cross-disciplinary collaboration—spanning MEP+S+FP engineering, planning, and advisory services—to deliver holistic, resilient, and future-ready solutions. From strategic consulting and digital twins to energy resiliency and operational continuity, our team is committed to solving complex infrastructure challenges with agility, innovation, and integrity. Together, we are shaping high-performance environments that support mission success and long-term growth for our clients. DESCRIPTION The Federal Planner-Department of Defense will join a practice of more than 40 experienced planners, GIS professionals, design associates, and project managers as the task lead and lead planner on multi-disciplinary planning projects for U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) clients. The ideal candidate will be driven, intellectually curious, and committed to excellence. This role requires strong analytical skills, real property expertise, and a minimum of 5 years of experience working with or for the DoD on federal planning projects. Please note that this role requires U.S. Citizenship and travel on-site to DoD locations in the U.S. and overseas. Anticipated work includes:
Requirements
- A minimum of 5 years of experience working with or for the DoD on federal planning projects.
- Continuous and progressive leadership experience on DoD federal planning projects.
- Experience using DoD data systems and guidance (please note specific DoD data systems, such as real property systems of record, in your application).
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office tools (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams).
- Availability to travel to DoD sites in the U.S. and overseas (25% of time).
- U.S. Citizenship.
- Advanced knowledge of federal planning principles, military mission priorities, and DoD real property assets.
- Proven success leading projects that helped DoD clients achieve their desired planning outcomes.
- The ability to juggle multiple, concurrent priorities and manage tasks independently.
- Experience organizing and working with multi-disciplinary teams.
- Proven quantitative and qualitative analytical skills to effectively convey data-driven planning.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills.
- A track record of submitting high quality deliverables reflective of DoD client goals.
Nice To Haves
- A bachelor’s degree (or higher) in urban planning or a related field or equivalent professional planning experience.
- American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) credentialing.
- Software skills, such as Esri ArcGIS Suite, AutoCAD, and/or Adobe Suite (please specify in your application).
Responsibilities
- Lead federal planning projects for DoD clients and facilitate successful outcomes.
- Support project-based DoD client and stakeholder engagement both virtually and in-person.
- Prepare deliverables, such as Master Plans, Requirements Analyses, Planning Charrette Reports, and Facility Space Plans.
- Work with Project Managers to organize project teams to ensure deliverables are submitted on time, within scope, and to the client’s satisfaction.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
Number of Employees
501-1,000 employees
