planning coordinator

Job Title: Planning Coordinator
Organization: Kounkuey Design Initiative (KDI)
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Start Date: Immediately
Closing Date: When Filled

Kounkuey Design Initiative (KDI) is a team of diverse urbanists—landscape architects, urban planners, community organizers, and engineers—united by our shared commitment to building equity, justice, and resilience in communities through design. A BIPOC- and woman-led firm founded in 2006, KDI comprises 50 professionals working from four offices: Los Angeles, Eastern Coachella Valley, Nairobi, and Stockholm.

Job Description
KDI is seeking a Planning Coordinator to join our growing team of 20+ staff in Los Angeles, CA. This is a great opportunity for a creative, highly motivated recent graduate or early career professional to work directly with people in under-served communities to advance equity and support community-driven development. The position is based in our Los Angeles office, and may involve travel to our projects in the Eastern Coachella Valley (ECV), other areas of California, and other cities across the U.S. The Planning Coordinator will work closely with the Planning, Design, and Community teams, local low-income communities of color, government officials, and other stakeholders to support a wide range of projects and topics, such as:

• Equity-focused site development and neighborhood master planning in L.A. and in cities across the country;
• Participatory design and temporary activation of public spaces, from vacant lots to large parks;
• Economic and social development programs, such as two womens' food collectives we have helped organize in the ECV;
• Gender equity in planning and design;
• Leadership development / capacity building for residents in under-resourced communities on improving the built environment;
• Research and project development on topics such as green schoolyards and climate change adaptation in low-income communities of color.

Responsibilities
The Planning Coordinator will conduct the following tasks with the support and guidance of project teams:

• Conceptualize, design, and produce community engagement materials and activities; 
• Work with community partners to coordinate and execute engagement activities. Activities typically occur during evenings and weekends;
• Conduct desk and field research related to site and community, best practices, precedent projects/programs, or other focus areas;
• Collect, process, analyze, and visualize data;
• Work with Design team members to help develop design concepts for a wide range of open spaces;
• Create presentations and graphic materials representing engagement process and findings or other information for internal and external audiences;
• Develop project narratives and write reports for external audiences;
• Support with project management activities such as managing expenses, preparing meeting materials, among others;
• Support with other activities as needed.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Urban Planning or related field;
• 1-3 years’ experience in community development, policy advocacy, economic development, urban planning, or related field;
• Experience working with people from diverse backgrounds;
• Experience consistently meeting deadlines, juggling multiple tasks, and taking initiative to solve problems;
• Strong experience with visual representation (e.g. graphic design, maps, diagrams, sketches, etc.);
• Experience with Adobe Suite. Proficiency with InDesign required;
• Experience conducting research and analyzing data;
• Strong verbal and written communication skills;
• Strong commitment to social justice;
• Fluent in Spanish (verbal and written) preferred;
• Candidates should be interested in working in a nimble, fast-paced environment;
• Driver’s license required

Location + Schedule
This is an In-Person position (with flexible schedule options). In addition, all of our projects require community engagement work that often happens in the evenings or on weekends, when residents are most often available. We offer a compensatory time policy to account for this requirement. 

Salary: $65-$70k
Benefits include: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Ins., 401k, Paid time off

How to Apply
Send electronic copy of cover letter, resume, writing sample, and up to five images of visual representation (e.g. GIS mapping, images from final presentation boards or reports, hand drawn sketches, etc.) to: LAJobs@kounkuey.org 
Subject Heading: Planning Coordinator: Your Name

We are a woman-led, bipoc-led practice committed to recruiting and retaining a team that reflects the communities we partner with. We prioritize inclusion, transparency, collaboration, courage and rigor. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their race, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status or medical condition. We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance.