Alta Planning + Design seeks a Planning Associate (I-II) for Oakland. This mid- to senior-level position is a great opportunity for someone who believes in the importance of multimodal transportation and who is interested in growing their career as a transportation planning professional. If you are looking to join an innovative organization and do work that connects people to places while advancing social justice, safety, and environmental resilience, apply with Alta today!
About Alta Alta is a mission-driven company working to mitigate climate change and advance safety and social justice by shaping sustainable, people-centered communities. We bring together expertise across planning, design, engineering, education and encouragement programs, and community engagement to help communities thrive. Our work is grounded in the belief that how places are designed and experienced has a profound impact on equity, health, and opportunity - and that people should always be at the heart of those decisions.
Founded in 1996, Alta was at the forefront of the active transportation movement and has spent nearly 30 years partnering with communities to imagine a more connected, resilient, and inclusive future. Today, with more than 225 staff across the United States and beyond, we are a global leader in creating environments that support everyday life, strengthen human connection, and respond to the challenges of a changing world. Alta offers the opportunity to collaborate across disciplines, contribute to meaningful work at every scale, and be part of a team committed to making lasting, positive change for people and the places they call home.
Day to Day In this role, you’ll have the opportunity to lead and directly influence a wide variety of active, multimodal, and sustainable transportation projects including safety plans, active transportation plans, and on-street designs. You will engage residents, attend site visits and charettes, identify and communicate opportunities to improve walking and biking networks and work on complete street projects. You will have the opportunity to work with and learn from an interdisciplinary team of dedicated professionals from across the company who have pioneered active transportation in the US, and have contributed to national best practices around facility design.
The essential priorities of this exempt, salaried position are to:
- Nurture and grow client and industry partner relationships, pursue and secure work in support of Alta’s growth goals.
- Enhance Alta’s reputation as a trusted advisor and expert by educating clients and other relevant parties and supporting solutions that will meet their business objectives.
- Appropriately manage large, complex projects in a budget-conscious and time-sensitive manner.
- Manage staff
Qualifications
Required
This position requires a combination of skills, experience and education including, but not limited to
- Bachelor’s degree in Planning or a related field of study.
- 7+ years of experience in a consulting environment or public entity
- 2+ years as a project manager, including managing project teams, and conducting business development activities
- Experience in the field of active, non-motorized and multimodal transportation.
- Demonstrated understanding of the planning process and a general understanding of project management principles, methods and techniques.
- Ability to guide staff members and manage internal team expectations.
- Strong initiative and ability to capitalize on opportunities to enhance Alta’s position in the marketplace.
- Ability to manage competing priorities, and multiple simultaneous projects involving cross-functional project teams within budgetary and schedule constraints.
- Strong initiative and the ability to work independently with little or no supervision.
- Ability and willingness to travel.
- Excellent professional ethics, leadership skills, accountability, and decision-making capabilities.
- Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication and analytic skills.
- Good presentation skills.
- Proficient in MS Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, Arc GIS, or similar products and Google Workspace Apps.
- Proficiency in an enterprise-wide resource planning and project management tool.
Preferred There are a number of additional skills, experience, and education that would be beneficial to this position including, but not limited to:
- Master’s Degree in Urban Planning or similar field
- Experience managing large transportation related projects for both private and public clients.
- Experience writing and/or presenting white papers and/or providing expert level presentations at conferences and other events promoting the field of sustainable infrastructure and active, non-motorized transportation.
- Active participation in industry-relevant professional associations and committees
- AICP, RSP, or CP3 Certification.
- Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering or experience as a Transportation Engineer a plus!
What We Offer Flexible Schedule Alta offers a flexible, hybrid work schedule where most employees work from home three days per week. In-office days support our collaborative culture, one of our core values.
Compensation
The base salary range for this role is indicated in the posting. This range reflects the company’s good faith estimate of the compensation for this position at the time of posting. Final compensation will be determined based on factors such as experience, skills, qualifications, internal equity, and geographic location.
Benefits
Alta offers comprehensive benefits to all full-time employees:
- Medical: PPO or HSA medical plans
- Dental/Vision: PPO
- Life Insurance: Alta pays 100% of the premium for life and AD&D, equal to your base compensation
- 401(k): Alta provides a match up to 3%
- PTO: 21 days accrued annually to start
- Holidays: 11 total company paid holidays
- Paid Parental Leave/Short-Term Disability
- Additional Benefits: Wellness reimbursement up to $800 annually, Alta Gets Around benefit of up to $900 annually, 5-year travel award, and professional development opportunities
