JOB DESCRIPTION

Associate Planner (Full-Time) Urban Planning Partners (UPP) —

Oakland, CA Schedule:

On-site Mon-Thu in Oakland office + occasional evening/weekend meetings & travel About UPP At Urban Planning Partners (UPP), we help create better places as partners with our clients and the communities where we work. Our projects are dynamic, complex, and rooted in real places and real people—spanning housing policy, CEQA review, land-use approvals, municipal planning, and community engagement throughout the Bay Area and Northern California. We're a small, savvy team known for designing a way forward when the path isn't obvious. We innovate within existing policy, set new precedents thoughtfully, and bring clarity to the trickiest planning codes. We care about impact and about how we get there: with curiosity, rigor, collaboration, and a healthy dose of fun. Our culture values flexibility, work-life balance, and showing up for one another. The Role This is a mid-level, longer-term role for a planner who's ready to lead. As an Associate Planner, you've already managed smaller projects and supported big, complicated work. At UPP, you'll grow into fuller project management, mentoring, and proposal leadership—shaping both our projects and the firm alongside us. You'll help deliver high-quality planning and CEQA work across Northern and Central California, with increasing responsibility for strategy, client relationships, and deliverables that move projects from vision to implementation. What You'll Do (Responsibilities vary by experience and project needs.) Project Management & Entitlements Lead small and medium planning/environmental projects as PM or Deputy PM Draft and manage project descriptions, entitlement pathways, and CEQA topic sections Coordinate streamlined reviews and approvals for commercial, mixed-use, and multifamily projects CEQA Analysis & Environmental Review Prepare CEQA documents (exemptions → EIRs) for infill, TOD, mixed-use, and policy projects Conduct qualitative and quantitative analysis with clear logic and defensible conclusions Coordinate subconsultants and maintain strong QA/QC across deliverables Housing Policy & Objective Design Standards Support jurisdictions adopting pro-housing policies and objective design standards Review, refine, and propose ordinance updates that are implementable and durable Turn complex policy into clear tools that communities and staff can use GIS, Graphics & Technical Research Pull GIS data, perform spatial analysis, and create maps/visuals that tell the story Develop graphics for reports and engagement Research codes, ordinances, and official records to build sound planning pathways Use Adobe/SketchUp as needed to translate ideas into accessible visuals Contract Planning / Municipal Services Support Bay Area jurisdictions as an extension of staff Review applications for completeness, coordinate department feedback Write staff reports and present clearly to Planning Commissions/City Councils Community Engagement Design and facilitate engagement—from surveys to workshops to focus groups Use inclusive, innovative approaches to reach representative voices Translate community insight into planning outcomes people can see themselves in Marketing & Firm Development Lead/co-lead proposals and interview prep Support social media/marketing as needed Lead a long-term internal project (website, graphics, BD, etc.) Play an active role in professional organizations and the planning community Required Qualifications Experience 3-6 years of professional planning experience with progressive responsibility Education Bachelor's in planning, community development, environmental science, public administration, or related field Master's degree may substitute for 1 year of experience Project Management Background Managed 2-3 small projects (