ULI is seeking a Senior Associate to join the organization’s UrbanPlan team. The Senior Associate, under the direction of the Vice President, will support various projects and aspects of program delivery ranging from implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) goals for the program, managing two grant programs, and creating DEI training resources and opportunities for members and educators. Key projects will include implementing DEI projects related to diversifying the students we reach, the volunteers who engage in the program, and the communities where we are active. A recently completed equity and inclusion (E&I) report will serve as the implementation guide and a working group of ULI members and educators will continue to be engaged as the projects get started. In addition, the Senior Associate will take the lead in delivering UrbanPlan with national strategic partners via summer camps and year-round engagement opportunities.
The Senior Associate will also support district councils running the program and take the lead in planning our quarterly newsletter to stakeholders. In addition, the candidate will be trained to deliver volunteer trainings, train new teachers and professors, and also serve as an instructor of the UrbanPlan curriculum via one-day workshops.
The Senior Associate will research current trends in project-based learning, planning, and land use best practices and market realities and take the lead in rolling out a series of pilot deliveries to test the new curriculum and optimize resources, such as homework exercises and case studies to enhance the curriculum. Once the curriculum update is complete, the candidate will work on the following two projects:
- Plan and implement a national delivery model to bring UrbanPlan to more schools and universities and expand our pool of instructors and volunteers. This is envisioned as a series of tours of one-day workshops that will visit various cities.
- Build out a website that will promote the program to prospective teachers and students and also offer content to engage participants after they complete UrbanPlan, including career-focused opportunities, videos with industry professionals, and a toolkit for how to effect change in your own community.
UrbanPlan is a realistic, engaging, and academically demanding classroom-based curriculum administered at high schools and universities and to public officials and community leaders. The program is designed to help high school students learn about where and how land use decisions are made in order to make them better-educated citizens. When UrbanPlan is used at the university level, the goal is to create more sophisticated and effective land use professionals. The community workshops give attendees an opportunity to experience the risk and tradeoffs at play in public/private partnerships and neighborhood investment. UrbanPlan is currently used in over 30 district councils in the United States and Canada and in seven countries globally and relies heavily on local volunteer members who function as advisers and jurors for the process. UrbanPlan has reached over 55,000 high school and university students across the country since 2003.
This is a full-time, exempt position, located in Washington, DC.
- Support the equity and inclusion working group and the implementation of the UrbanPlan E&I report.
- Manage two grant programs to bring UrbanPlan to more district councils and to underserved institutions. Responsibilities include tracking the budget, reviewing applications, and tracking completion.
- Support the execution of a curriculum update, including working with various subcommittees and delivering pilots to test the curriculum.
- Support the upcoming curriculum development where that knowledge will be leveraged.
- Support the buildout of a national delivery model to bring workshops to high schools in key markets, including recruiting schools, instructors, and training volunteers.
- Work with a contractor to build a new website to promote the program and engage students after UrbanPlan with content about career opportunities and ways to get engaged in improving communities.
- Solicit content for and plan the dissemination of quarterly newsletter to stakeholders (volunteers, educators, and so on).
- Provide technical assistance to district councils that are starting or growing their UrbanPlan programs.
- Deliver volunteer trainings and instruct workshops (the candidate will receive training to be able to conduct the trainings and instruction).
- Ensure that the UrbanPlan website is up to date and includes engaging content.
- Develop webcasts to and case studies related to the UrbanPlan curriculum and program; and
- Perform other tasks, including administrative tasks, as needed.
- At least 4 years of progressively responsible experience in education (teaching or youth engagement) or a real estate–, urban planning–, or land use–related field.
- Knowledge of and experience with both teaching and urban planning.
- Ability to work with external stakeholders, educators, and students.
- Experience with project or client management preferred.
- Completion of DEI training (either formal or self-directed).
- Ability to facilitate small group discussions or conference calls.
- Ability to work well independently as well as in a team environment.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills, including public-speaking skills.
- Strong interpersonal skills.
- Self-starter with strong time-management and organizational skills.
- Detail-oriented and analytical.
- A passion for teaching or education.
- Nonprofit experience a plus.
- Proficiency in SharePoint, Excel, and PowerPoint.
- Willingness to travel 20 percent of the time (once in-person engagement returns).
- Bachelor’s degree in urban planning, public policy, real estate development, education, or related field required.
To apply, please follow the link below. Please submit a résumé and a letter of interest.