Senior Urban Designer

Senior Urban Designer

The Department of City Planning (DCP) plans for the strategic growth and development of the City through ground-up planning with communities, the development of land use policies and zoning regulations applicable citywide and sharing its perspectives on growth and community needs with sister agencies in collaboration with the Mayor's Office of Management and Budget (OMB). DCP is a great place to work – cultivating intellectual inspiration, professional development, and creativity. The Bronx Office has a diverse and dynamic work program focused on ensuring the borough has great neighborhoods, affordable housing, vibrant commercial and institutional centers, rich transit opportunities, and high-quality open space and waterfronts. The Office is made up of a team of planners and urban designers who work on a wide variety of studies, rezonings, and developments, across a large and diverse borough. The Bronx Office coordinates the review of numerous private and publicly sponsored requests for land use and zoning changes and manages the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), including presentations to the City Planning Commission and coordination with Community Boards. Bronx Office staff also work on a wide range of land use, zoning, urban design, and transportation issues in communities across the borough, and staff are the local experts on their communities, providing essential knowledge to policy makers and elected officials. The Office works in close consultation with the central divisions on borough-specific and city-wide issues.

The Bronx Office at the Department of City Planning is seeking an experienced urban design professional with strong technical design skills, a positive attitude toward community service, as well as a desire to contribute to an engaging work environment in roles that impact the growth and transformation of the borough. The urban design lead would be responsible for the development of borough-wide and local plans, collaborate with private applicants and staff to realize successful mixed-use, affordable and resilient developments (including on the waterfront), lead visioning sessions to engage diverse communities, mentor urban design team members, and visually communicate the agency's principles for sound urban design and a quality public realm. Under the supervision of the Borough Director and Deputy, the Senior Lead Urban Designer will manage a broad portfolio of projects and studies, collaborate across the Bronx teams, and oversee urban design staff. With great latitude for exercising independent judgement, the Senior Lead Urban Designer will:

• Manage Bronx urban design initiatives and contribute to larger planning efforts, while coordinating this work with other divisions of the Department, other city agencies, and Bronx communities
• Review and analyze site plans and development proposals to determine compliance with NYC zoning regulations and the City's land use planning and design policies, and make recommendations on applications submitted to the Department
• Strong urban design capabilities with knowledge of physical design practices including site planning and programming, building layout, zoning calculations, massing and architectural design. Knowledge of urban landscape and environmental design as well as familiarity with resiliency and sustainability measures and best practices
• Advise Director and Deputy Director on current design practices and standards in New York City and precedents from diverse urban contexts
• Create and organize illustrative, graphic and written materials for presentation and to provide visual recommendations and/or solutions to the City Planning Commission, other governmental agencies and the public in support of proposals, studies and other projects
• Manage Department initiatives, ULURP and other land use applications, contribute to planning and urban design studies, and coordinate this work with other divisions of the Department, other city agencies, community boards, elected officials and the public
• Mentor and supervise urban design staff and enhance the knowledge of urban design practices among planning staff
• Support neighborhood planning studies including design research and environmental analysis, and produce visual presentations and project identities
• Develop, maintain and utilize working knowledge of all on-going planning, land use, transportation, urban design and zoning studies, as well as community initiatives and studies, with specific and deep knowledge of these topics within all areas of responsibility with a focus on Coastal Resiliency and Waterfront development
• Areas of expertise may include affordable housing typologies, complex mixed-use development, waterfront zoning and open space planning, infill development, large-scale planning, and resilient and sustainable design strategies
• Perform other related tasks and projects

Authorization to work in the United States is required for this position. NYC Department of City Planning does not provide sponsorship for international employees for visa applications, extensions, or status changes, including STEM/OPT visas. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that they meet all qualifying requirements for this position, at the time of application. Only applicants under consideration will be contacted. Appointments are subject to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval. This position may be eligible for remote work up to 2 days per week, pursuant to the Remote Work Pilot Program agreed to between the City and the labor unions.

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.