Planning and Economic Analyst

Stantec • Minneapolis, MN

80d

About The Position

Strong communities don’t just happen. They’re thoughtfully planned and future-ready. We bring life to urban downtowns, suburban hubs, small towns, and rural areas through master-planned communities, mixed-use developments, parks, and recreation facilities. The result: vibrant economic centers, resilient neighborhoods, and welcoming places that feel like home. You will be the next team member in Stantec’s national Development Economics team. We analyze the context for development and revitalization in local communities, providing strategies and implementation steps to surmount challenges and advance local goals. If hired, you would be joining a technical power center within Stantec. We also work hard to create an inclusive and supportive workplace culture. We are active in developing industry-leading methodologies for understanding real estate, housing, and economic dynamics in local communities. We put research to work in support of urban planning projects, and housing and economic development strategies. The Development Economics team is based in Minneapolis and situated within the Minneapolis urban planning team. We work closely with Stantec planning teams across North America—and support Stantec teams in additional disciplines such as transportation, parks/recreation, infrastructure, and land development. The breadth of projects provides continual opportunities for creativity and deepening our expertise. We are seeking a colleague that brings economic analysis and data science skillsets, and an understanding of how those relate to urban planning, community development, economic development, and/or real estate. You would employ your economic lens and technical skills to support project types such as market analysis, economic development strategies, housing studies, economic impact analysis, fiscal impact analysis, and development implementation strategies. Importantly, we are also looking for a colleague who values and would contribute to a work culture where all team members feel supported and valued.

Requirements

• Strong analytical skills and experience in economic analysis and data science.
• Understanding of urban planning, community development, economic development, and/or real estate.
• Proficiency in data analysis software and methodologies, preferably with python-based workflows.
• Experience with spatial analysis methodologies in open-source and/or ArcGIS-based platforms.
• Ability to develop statistical models to explain and predict real estate markets or related geographic phenomena.
• Strong written, visualization, and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Utilize analytical methodologies and research interviews to build an understanding of a broad range of local planning and development contexts, within which you shape strategies and recommendations for achieving community goals.
• Utilize and build your knowledge of local planning practices, policies and regulations, and how they intersect with the built environment.
• Utilize data analysis software and methodologies—ideally including python-based workflows—to gather and analyze data from structured and unstructured sources.
• Utilize spatial analysis methodologies in open-source and/or ArcGIS-based platforms to organize, transform and visualize spatial data.
• Utilize and develop statistical models to explain and predict real estate markets or related geographic phenomena.
• Generate visually appealing exhibits that tell a convincing story.
• Leverage strong written, visualization, and verbal communication skills to summarize complex data, and to convey information to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Drafting and supporting development market research for plans of all scales (e.g. neighborhood, city, region, etc) and site-based development studies.
• Drafting presentation and narrative content for housing studies, economic development strategies, and the development aspects of planning projects.
• Conducting interviews of developers and real estate professionals to deepen insights relative to geographic areas of focus.
• Conducting demographic, economic, and market data analysis utilizing coding and spreadsheet methodologies.
• Preparing map exhibits that illustrate patterns of land use and development, and features that illuminate their market context and potential opportunities.
• Conducting strategy and best practices research on housing, retail and financial strategies in support of housing and development studies.
• Coordinating with multiple parties including internal teams, consultant partners, and clients.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Entry Level