Mid Level Planner

Sasaki Associates • Los Angeles, CA

18h

About The Position

Sasaki is seeking an innovative, self-driven, and creative mid-level Planner with 4–7 years of relevant experience to join its multidisciplinary planning and design firm. The role offers the opportunity to contribute to a wide range of planning projects and requires strong analytical, research, and storytelling skills across verbal, graphic, and written communication.

The Planner will lead research and analysis, oversee junior planners, and play a substantial role coordinating interdisciplinary project teams. As they advance in the position, they will develop client-facing and project management skills, gain experience in marketing and business development, and contribute to innovation in the planning discipline. The role also involves communicating clearly through graphics and storytelling, recognizing cultural sensitivities, developing narratives for complex stakeholder and client groups, and laying out presentations and reports while leading the creation of graphic content.

Requirements

• A strong grasp of foundational planning concepts and the ability to independently complete tasks related to complex planning topics and contexts.
• Ability to work on multiple projects and tasks simultaneously.
• Organizational and management skills, attention to detail, and the ability to coordinate tasks on small projects or internal teams.
• Curiosity and enthusiasm for working across a variety of client and project types, with experience in a core market (civic sector, campus, or master planning) or a technical area such as sustainability or transportation.
• Knowledge of and comfort with Adobe Suite workflow, including InDesign and Illustrator, and Microsoft Office, including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including for planning reports, memoranda, and day-to-day communication.
• Strong quantitative and qualitative analysis skills and the ability to structure and interpret data-informed physical planning processes.
• Cultural competency in engaging with planning concepts in a variety of contexts.
• Master’s degree in planning or a related field, or a bachelor’s degree in planning or a related field.
• The posting seeks planners with 4–7 years of relevant experience; it also describes a preference for at least four years of relevant experience for applicants with a bachelor’s degree.

Nice To Haves

• Experience contributing to community engagement processes and public speaking.
• Familiarity with directing spatial analysis workflows and software such as ArcGIS or QGIS.
• Familiarity with project implementation processes, such as zoning codes and design review.
• Proficiency in languages spoken in frequent project locations, including Spanish and Chinese.
• A degree in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, or another design field.
• Experience working as part of an interdisciplinary design team in an office setting.
• Experience with emerging topics in planning and design.
• Exposure to scope development, budget management, and subconsultant management for planning projects.
• Familiarity with project pursuits, including proposal development, strategy, and interviews.
• Ability to coordinate multiple junior staff members and support project leadership.
• A distinctive skill or strength that could make an impact on projects and practice.

Responsibilities

• Lead research and analysis.
• Oversee junior planners.
• Coordinate internal interdisciplinary project teams.
• Develop client-facing and project management skills.
• Develop marketing and business development experience and contribute to innovation in the planning discipline.
• Present clear graphic communication and storytelling, demonstrating cultural sensitivity and crafting narratives for complex stakeholder and client groups.
• Lay out presentations and reports and lead the creation of graphic content.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level