Principal Planner - PLA

LJA•Colorado Springs, CO

13h•Onsite

About The Position

As a Principal Planner at LJA's Planning & Landscape Architecture group, you will lead planning efforts for the Colorado Springs office and surrounding markets, including business development, client relationships, project direction, and team leadership. This role will focus on strategic planning, product design, quality assurance, problem resolution, and developing systems and controls that support compliance with LJA’s quality standards. The Principal Planner will also collaborate closely with management, municipalities, clients, and internal teams to deliver innovative planning solutions from conceptual plans through detailed land plans.

Requirements

Undergraduate degree in Planning, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, or another design-related field.
AICP Certification required.
Minimum of 12 years of progressively responsible planning experience, preferably with community-based planning from conceptual plans to detailed lot plans.
5+ years of experience as a practice leader and manager with direct reports.
Experience leading the Planning practice across project management, team coordination, production, client liaison, and marketing.
Strong design skills, including preparation of new community plans and detailed layouts for residential, commercial, office, institutional, parks, open space, and public land uses.
Ability to research, organize, and write reports, including land use analyses, variance and zoning documents, master plan documents, municipal code updates, and Comprehensive Plan updates.
Knowledge and understanding of zoning codes, design guidelines, and development location assessments.
Ability to work with municipal staff throughout the region to support project approvals.
Ability to discuss and defend variance, zoning, and other project requests in a public forum.
Ability to interface with members of the public and run public engagement meetings as needed.
Strong communication skills, including the ability to listen, facilitate, and speak effectively in front of groups.
Demonstrated experience leading and working within a team structure.
Detail-oriented with the ability to conduct research and clearly express results.
Ability to build strong relationships with clients, municipalities, internal teams, and prospective clients.

Nice To Haves

Diverse planning interests, intellectual curiosity, and an interest in producing a range of innovative and creative products to meet client needs.
Strong business development experience, including marketing to existing and new clients.
Experience supporting technical business development efforts, including RFP/RFQ responses and preparation for prospective client presentations.
Experience supporting or managing municipal planning work as an outside planning consultant.
A passion for mentoring less experienced planning staff and helping grow a successful planning practice.

Responsibilities

Leading the Planning practice for the Colorado Springs office, including project management, team coordination, production, client liaison, and marketing efforts.
Designing conceptual and schematic land plans, site planning studies, new community plans, and detailed layouts for residential lots, commercial, office, institutional, parks, open space, and public land uses.
Preparing variance and zoning request documents, land use analyses, reports, master plan documents, municipal code updates, and Comprehensive Plan updates.
Working with staff in municipalities throughout the region to support project approvals and serve as an outside planning consultant when needed.
Leading or supporting public engagement meetings, interfacing with members of the public, and presenting or defending variance, zoning, and other project requests in public forums.
Mentoring less experienced planning staff and supporting team members through technical guidance and project leadership.
Developing business by marketing LJA to existing clients, identifying new clients, and supporting RFP/RFQ responses and presentations for prospective clients.

Benefits

Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)
Generous Time Off: PTO, paid holidays, and a full office closure between Christmas and New Year’s.
Comprehensive Benefits: Multiple plan options for health, dental, and pets. Along with mental health support.
Family Support: Paid maternity and parental leave to help you focus on what matters most.
Education Support: Tuition reimbursement and in-house courses provided by our Learning and Development team.
Referral Bonuses: Know great talent? Get rewarded for helping us grow.
Community Impact: Company-sponsored volunteer days and philanthropic initiatives.
Professional Development: Memberships to industry organizations to keep you connected and growing.
Career Growth: Great internal mobility opportunities to advance your career.
Fun Culture: LJA social events, employee sports teams, bring your kid to work day, etc.