The Senior Project Manager / Campus Planner is a firmwide planning leader responsible for managing complex campus and institutional planning projects while also providing hands-on planning expertise in Space Planning/Programming and Urban/Campus Design. This role operates across functions and departments to uphold a culture of design excellence, strengthen client relationships, and ensure projects are delivered on time, on budget, and at a consistently high standard. The position requires a service-focused mindset, strong leadership and mentoring abilities, and the capacity to manage multiple project teams and deliverables simultaneously with only intermittent oversight.
Requirements
Responsibilities:
- Project Leadership & Delivery
- Lead planning efforts from programming and concept through documentation and client presentations, driving high-quality outcomes with minimal direction.
- Manage multiple projects concurrently, including large, complex projects with varied scope, stakeholders, and consultant teams.
- Establish and maintain project workplans, schedules, meeting cadence, and deliverable tracking to ensure reliable execution.
- Lead quality oversight for planning deliverables, including narratives, diagrams, graphics, and presentation materials.
- Client & Consultant Management
- Serve as the primary day-to-day client interface, leading meetings and guiding decision-making to achieve client satisfaction at the project level.
- Lead consultant coordination across disciplines (e.g., engineering, landscape, cost, sustainability, mobility), ensuring alignment of inputs and schedules.
- Communicate clearly and confidently with stakeholder groups, facilitating workshops and working sessions as needed.
- Internal Coordination
- Organize planning efforts across teams and departments, supporting a firm culture of design excellence.
- Coordinate internal resources and planning support, helping teams stay aligned on priorities and deadlines.
- Partner with design leadership to drive great planning outcomes and cohesive presentations.
- Team Leadership & Mentorship
- Provide motivation, mentorship, and design leadership to planning staff through all phases of work.
- Mentor planning and architectural staff, helping build technical proficiency and leadership skills.
- Support team development through coaching, feedback, and modeling best practices for planning process and communication.
- Financial & Scope Management
- Manage internal project financials, including budgets, labor planning, and progress tracking.
- Operate with a service-focused approach while maintaining accountability to client requirements, expectations, and budget.
- Support scope clarity and change management to protect schedule and profitability.
- Business Development & Marketing
- Actively participate in proposal development to win new work (writing, coordination, schedules, resumes, and work plans).
- Attend interviews and contribute to interview strategy and presentation quality.
- Engage in both internal and external business development efforts, supporting relationship building and opportunity cultivation.
- Help develop and elevate planning marketing collateral and project narratives as needed.
Expertise:
Candidates should demonstrate expertise in multiple areas of focus and provide support/working capability in the others.
- Space Utilization: Apply institutional priorities, benchmarking, and best practices to guide space management strategy.
- Space Planning: Lead complex space allocations and optimize configurations based on programmatic requirements and benchmarks.
- Programming: Lead client programming workshops and translate needs into clear planning deliverables grounded in space standards and innovative solutions informed by pedagogy and evolving operational requirements
- Urban/Campus Design: Lead large-scale campus and district planning, policy frameworks, infrastructure strategy, and cross-disciplinary coordination.
- Site Analysis: Conduct complex site evaluations, including sustainability considerations, infrastructure planning, and multidisciplinary integration.
- Data Analysis: Apply advanced data modeling, scenario planning, and predictive analytics to inform planning direction and decision-making.
- AHJ / Regulatory: Lead zoning analysis and support code/CEQA compliance; understand approval processes and ensure alignment with local/state/federal regulations.
Requirements:
- Brings 9+ years of relevant experience in campus/institutional planning, urban design, or space planning/programming (or closely related work).
- Holds a graduate degree in a related field or offers equivalent professional experience.
- Demonstrates design leadership, motivating teams and delivering strong planning outcomes with only intermittent oversight.
- Excels at organization and time management, consistently balancing multiple projects, priorities, and deadlines.
- Produces high-quality planning graphics and narratives with strong visual storytelling and production skills.
- Communicates clearly and persuasively in writing and verbally, including facilitation and client-facing presentations.
- Has a track record of leading client meetings, managing expectations, and building trusted relationships.
- Successfully coordinates multidisciplinary consultant teams and integrates inputs into cohesive deliverables.
- Is comfortable managing project budgets/financials while maintaining scope, schedule, and profitability.
- Has expert-level proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Adobe InDesign; working proficiency in Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop; and familiarity with (recommended) GIS, AutoCAD, Revit, Rhino, and Enscape.
Pay/Benefits
- We offer a competitive salary and benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, life, short- and long-term disability, paid PTO and holidays, as well as 401(k) matching, profit sharing and annual performance bonus opportunities.
Salary Description
$125,000 to $150,000
