Community Landscape Planner
The Green Infrastructure Center is seeking a landscape planner/designer who is a self-directed, creative individual with a commitment to science-based community planning and design. Applicants should have strong knowledge in community planning and natural resources conservation.
Position Responsibilities and Overview: The Community Landscape Planner (CLP) position requires strong science knowledge and design skills to help communities determine how to achieve conservation goals. The CLP works with local governments, state agencies, land trusts and community groups to help them recognize the location and value of critical natural resources and assists them in developing conservation plans for landscapes or sites. The CLP will design and develop attractive graphics, reports, slide shows and social media posts to communicate key messages. GIS skills are strongly preferred but desire to learn and use GIS as tool will be required.
Administrative duties include project coordination and liaison with clients. It also requires assisting the community forester with training workshops, conferences and community events.
Requirements:
Academic: Bachelor of Science or Arts degree in one or more of the following fields: landscape architecture, landscape ecology or environmental planning. Planners with a science degree and graphic design skills are strongly encouraged to apply. A Master’s Degree is desired, but commensurate experience may be substituted.
Professional Experience: Two to five years of relevant work experience in one or more of the above fields.
Science Skills: Basic knowledge concerning soils, landscape ecology, natural resources and geography.
Graphic Design and computer skills: Applicants possessing strong graphic design skills are preferred. They should have proficiency with design software and illustration tools e.g. Abode Suite (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator). Spatial planning software such as AutoCad and GIS/Geographic Information Systems (ESRI Products) is also preferred. MS office suite is required (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Access). Web design skills desired.
Communications: Strong oral and written communication for presenting at workshops, leading group discussions and client meetings, designing brochures, guides, posters and web content.
Physical/Logistical: This position requires some field visits and physical fitness ability for hiking over rough terrain and up and down slopes. It also requires travel (trips of 1-2 days, up to an entire week, dependent on distance to client site). Travel is usually planned far in advance and is busiest in spring and fall.
Compensation: The annual salary for this position is $65,000+ dependent on experience and education. This is a full time, salaried position at 40 hours per week and it is exempt from overtime. Benefits include paid holiday leave plus 12 hours off per month, health care (reimbursement for a health care plan). Participation in the company retirement plan is offered following one year of employment. All employees are evaluated annually for raises and promotions. As a growing company, there is unlimited potential growth potential for employees. GIC provides its staff with training and skill building as part of the company’s professional development program for employees.
Supervisor: This position reports to the GIC’s Community Forester.
Job Location: Based in the river town of Scottsville, VA area, with some overnight travel required. Working remotely 1-2 days per week is allowed. Job site is near the university town of Charlottesville and within minutes of hiking, boating, birding and camping. Applicants can choose their lifestyle within a vibrant arts and music city or a verdant and affordable countryside close to nature; both are possible with this location.
About GIC: The Green Infrastructure Center (GIC) is a nonprofit company located in central Virginia and working across the U.S. Founded in 2006, we work in wildlands to downtowns. The GIC provides planning, mapping and design services to assist communities in protecting or restoring their green infrastructure. Green Infrastructure includes intact forests, urban tree canopy, wetlands, springs, parks and rivers and agricultural soils that provide clean water, air quality, wildlife habitat, recreation and food. These resources are ‘green infrastructure’ because they create healthful communities, sustain the economy and support cultural values. GIC helps communities create conservation plans and set goals to expand access to natural resources to create more resilient and sustainable communities. The GIC also assists communities with planning for climate resilience.
The GIC’s clients include federal, regional, state and local government agencies, land trusts and conservation groups. The GIC is dedicated to growing the practice of green infrastructure planning and regularly shares its knowledge through workshops, courses, webinars and publications. The GIC’s staff consists of planners, geographers, foresters and natural resource experts.