Senior Urban Designer

Harris County • Houston, TX

5d

About The Position

Harris County Precinct 4’s Infrastructure Division seeks a Senior Urban Designer to help turn community plans into built projects across the precinct’s urban, suburban, and rural communities. The role oversees projects that carry recommendations from the All in 4 Precinct 4 Community Plans and other adopted plans into the Capital Improvement Program, from community priorities and conceptual design through handoff to engineering and project delivery. The Senior Urban Designer preserves community and design intent as projects advance and works with plan steering committees to track implementation, measure progress, and keep communities informed and engaged.

Working alongside planners and civil engineers, the Senior Urban Designer sets portfolio goals and priorities, reviews staff and consultant deliverables, leads community engagement on assigned projects, and leads placemaking efforts, including public art and cultural tourism initiatives. The role prepares design concepts, plans, visualizations, spatial data, and presentation materials, and represents Precinct 4 on appropriate planning, urban design, and community development boards and commissions. The position initially has no direct reports but may assume supervisory responsibilities as the team grows. It reports to the Director of Planning & Community Development.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in urban/regional planning, urban design, architecture, landscape architecture, geography, public policy, civil engineering, or a related field.
• Five years of professional experience in urban design, urban/regional planning, landscape architecture, or a related practicing discipline, including project management responsibility.
• Texas driver’s license and a good driving record.
• General understanding of capital project delivery and how planning and conceptual design inform engineering, design, and construction, along with knowledge of project management and community engagement principles and practices.
• Ability to use drafting and technical design tools, including AutoCAD and 3D modeling software, and produce rendered visualizations.
• Ability to work with sociodemographic data and use ArcGIS Pro or ArcMap and data analysis and visualization tools.
• Ability to work in Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Office Suite and follow visual communication best practices.
• Effective written and oral communication skills and ability to organize, synthesize, and analyze information.
• Ability to engage communities and individuals of all backgrounds and beliefs in planning and design.
• Qualifying education, experience, knowledge, and skills must be documented in the job application; a resume may be attached as supporting documentation, but information stated only on a resume will not be considered.
• Employment is contingent upon passing a background check and drug screen.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in urban/regional planning, urban design, architecture, landscape architecture, geography, public policy, civil engineering, or a related field.
• Seven or more years of professional experience in urban design, urban/regional planning, landscape architecture, or community development, including implementation of capital projects stemming from comprehensive, subarea, corridor, or park master plans.
• AICP, Professional Landscape Architect (PLA), CNU-A, or similar credential, or ability to acquire professional certification in the candidate’s field or discipline within one year of hire.
• Knowledge of urban design and planning theories, principles, and practices, and quantitative and qualitative data and policy analysis related to transportation, parks and greenspace, land use, placemaking, urban resilience, and sustainable development.
• Knowledge of state and federal grant programs related to infrastructure, transportation, and parks.
• Track record managing a planning or design portfolio, setting goals and priorities, providing quality assurance and quality control, and mentoring junior staff.
• Experience delivering placemaking, public art, or cultural tourism projects, including commissioning or managing artists, cultural heritage interpretation, wayfinding, or destination development.
• Experience coordinating with engineering teams to carry planning and conceptual design work into capital projects.
• Experience supporting community advisory or steering committees, tracking plan implementation, and reporting progress using performance measures.
• Experience supporting grant applications, cost estimates, cost/benefit studies, and equitable prioritization for capital investments and budgeting.
• Experience drafting scopes of work for professional services and coordinating procurement and contracts, including deliverable review and invoices.
• Experience drafting project reports, staff reports, technical memos, grant applications, and communications for organizational or community presentations.

Responsibilities

• Support All in 4 Precinct 4 Community Plans steering committees by facilitating meetings, reporting on implementation, measuring and communicating progress through performance metrics and dashboards, gathering community input, and updating implementation priorities.
• Oversee a portfolio of plan-to-project initiatives; develop team goals and priorities, schedule and assign tasks across project teams, and provide quality assurance and quality control for staff and consultant deliverables.
• Translate community plan recommendations and engagement results into project concepts, including site plans, corridor and streetscape concepts, park improvements, and placemaking elements, with concept-level cost estimates and scopes ready for the Capital Improvement Program.
• Coordinate with civil engineers and the Harris County Office of the County Engineer to communicate community and design intent at engineering handoff and provide input as projects advance within engineering, right-of-way, drainage, and budget constraints.
• Lead placemaking initiatives—including public art and cultural tourism—from community engagement and artist or partner selection through design integration, installation, and programming, coordinating with arts and cultural organizations, tourism partners, and local communities.
• Prepare urban design guidelines, design standards, and placemaking toolkits to guide Precinct 4 capital investments.
• Prepare design concepts, plans, rendered visualizations, and presentation materials; compile spatial data and summarize findings using data analysis and visualization tools.
• Coordinate with county departments and regional partners leading housing and economic development related to All in 4 Plans and Capital Improvement Program investments.
• Represent Precinct 4 on appropriate boards and commissions related to planning, urban design, and community development.
• Organize, synthesize, and analyze information to prepare recommendations and communicate effectively in writing and orally.
• Contribute to a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, engaging communities and individuals of all backgrounds and beliefs in planning and design.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
• Submit a professional portfolio (PDF or website), cover letter, and resume with the application.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance at no cost to the employee after the first two months of full-time continued employment.
• Vacation, sick time, and floating holidays.
• Mandatory participation in the retirement program.
• Various other benefits and discounts.
• Competitive salary, dependent on qualifications.

What This Job Offers

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