Technical Senior Associate

Cascadia Partners • Portland, OR

7d • Hybrid

About The Position

Cascadia Partners seeks a Technical Senior Associate to serve as a project manager and technical task leader within our growing multidisciplinary practice. This position bridges the gap between advanced spatial/quantitative analysis and strategic project management. The ideal candidate will possess technical expertise in data analysis and GIS, alongside the leadership skills necessary to oversee multiple projects, manage budgets, and delegate tasks to junior team members. As a Technical Senior Associate, you will help our clients navigate complex problems by conducting rigorous research, analyzing a variety of data sources and types, and creating compelling data stories and visualizations.

Requirements

• Minimum of 3 years of professional experience in urban planning, data analysis, geography, public policy, or a related field.
• Master’s Degree in Urban Planning, Data Science, Geography, Real Estate, Economics, or related fields.
• Demonstrated success in managing projects and people, maintaining budgets, leading client meetings, and ensuring deliverables are on time and within scope.
• Demonstrated ability to apply spatial reasoning to solve complex problems.
• Proficiency in GIS software (e.g., ArcGIS, QGIS).
• Proven ability to pose rigorous research questions and identify appropriate data and methodologies to answer those questions.
• Ability to think and speak fluently about quantitative/statistical methods and concepts, ability to accurately interpret data and identify its limitations, and ability to apply data to evidence-based decision-making.
• Strong ability to quickly learn, troubleshoot, and implement new tools and methodologies in a fast-paced environment.
• Practical knowledge of land use theory, zoning regulations, and planning frameworks.
• Highly skilled in data management, cleaning, analysis, visualization, and narrative development, with the ability to translate complex analysis of multiple data sources and data types into compelling, actionable stories.
• Highly skilled at clearly and concisely presenting work.

Nice To Haves

• Experience and proficiency with R or Python for tabular and spatial data manipulation and mapping.
• Experience leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to automate workflows, optimize data processing, and maximize operational efficiency.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a project manager or task leader on a variety of data-driven and spatial planning projects.
• Define project approaches.
• Manage production of technical work.
• Coordinate internal teams and subconsultants.
• Maintain budget tracking.
• Synthesize complex analyses into polished, concise, and compelling presentations for clients and the public.

Benefits

• Gold-level health insurance
• dental
• 401k with 3% employer match
• professional development stipend
• Generous paid time off, including 4 weeks paid vacation for first full year (prorated to hire date for first year)
• 1 additional week of paid vacation per year worked; up to 8 weeks max
• Additional paid holidays (11 days)
• Paid parental leave (dependent on state of residence)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Number of Employees: 1-10 employees