planning fellow

Job Title: Planning Fellow
Organization: Kounkuey Design Initiative (KDI)
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Job Type:  Full-Time, Temporary (up to 12 months)
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 that was 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 Fellow  to join our growing team of 20+ staff in Southern California, based out of the Los Angeles office. 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 may involve travel to our projects in Los Angeles and other areas of California. The Planning Fellow will work closely with our 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, citywide, and regional master plans   
• Participatory design and temporary activation of public spaces, from vacant lots to large parks
• Design and temporary activation of public spaces, from vacant lots to large parks
• Economic and social development programs
• 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 colorResponsibilities

The Planning Fellow 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 othersSupport with other activities as needed

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Urban Planning or related field
• 1-3 years’ experience in urban planning, community development, policy advocacy, economic development, or related field
• Experience working with people in low-income communities of color 
• Experience conducting research and analyzing data
• Experience consistently meeting deadlines, juggling multiple tasks, and taking initiative to solve problems
• Strong visual representation skills (e.g. graphic design, maps, diagrams, sketches, etc.)
• Experience using Adobe Suite. 
• Proficiency with InDesign required.Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Strong commitment to social justice Fluent in Spanish (verbal and written) strongly preferred 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-$75k
Benefits include: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Ins., 401k, Paid time off
Term of Position:  This is a temporary, limited-term position of up to one year in duration from the start date.

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, with the following subject heading: “LA Planning Fellow: Your Name”

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.