Climate & Sustainability Planner II
Official Title: Climate & Sustainability Planner  (Planner II or Senior Planner)
Duration: Full Time
Start Date: March 2025
Location: Pittsburgh Office preferred; Remote within a 4 hour drive of Pittsburgh will be considered
Salary Range:Â $36/hr to $42/hr commensurate with experience, with overtime eligibility
evolveEA is a nationally award-winning planning, design, and consulting firm that works at the intersection of sustainability and the built environment at all scales. We design places, processes, and systems that demonstrate triple bottom line benefits. Since our inception in 2004, we have been empowering individuals, communities, and organizations to take strategic action. Our work and our culture is design-forward, promotes equity, and accelerates a low carbon future.
As design-thinkers and design do-ers, we are committed to being active in practice, teaching, and advocacy. We pride ourselves on a supportive and inviting office culture where all of our team members contribute in meaningful ways. We walk our talk: evolveEA is a carbon neutral, certified B-Corporation, and JUST organization, and we have won regional Best Place to Work and Green Workplace competitions. For more information about our firm, please visit evolveEA.com.
evolveEA is headquartered in the East End of Pittsburgh, PA with presence in Florida, California, New York, and New Jersey.
Climate Action & Sustainability Planning Studio
evolveEA’s emerging Climate Action & Sustainability Planning Studio is advancing sustainable systems and solutions by design. Our work spans multiple scales from the district, to the county, to the state scale. We excel at strategic thinking from goal-setting to implementation. Our nationally-award winning climate action, sustainability, and implementation plans are ambitious, yet implementable. We help establish not only the big picture goals, but also the roadmap and implementation plans needed to achieve them.
We understand how buildings and cities work, including systems such as energy, water, food, waste, and transportation. We build upon this foundation to find efficiencies that not only reduce environmental impact, but create more livable and equitable systems and communities.
Our work is rooted in community and stakeholder engagement. The success of any sustainability effort hinges upon the ability and willingness of the community or organization to bring it to life. Our intentional approach to facilitation builds consensus, technical knowledge, and willingness to implement plans and projects. We are also committed to community engagement that meets people where they are and invites them to have a seat at the decision-making table.
Our design-forward approach to sustainable systems planning seeks solutions that integrate placemaking and performance to achieve net zero goals. We design places and projects that are visible demonstrations of our clients’ values, and contribute to their sustainability goals.
Our services include climate action plans, resilience plans, ecodistrict and community sustainability plans, strategic sustainability plans for organizations, building and infrastructure systems analysis, implementation studies and support, stakeholder and community engagement, and more.
For more information on our work, please visit www.evolveea.com/work/placemaking/.
Position Description
evolveEA seeks a Climate & Sustainability Planner to join our Climate Action & Sustainability Studio. We are looking for a planner with strong sustainability and resilience qualifications who is passionate about working towards a low carbon future, values design, and works to promote equity. This position will work with communities and organizations to set ambitious climate action goals, and will help them achieve it through strategic roadmaps, implementation studies, and by supporting project implementation. This position will require a strategic thinker who can think broadly across disciplines, but is also detail-oriented and willing to delve into specific sustainability-related topics. This full-time position is an opportunity to manage and participate in projects that not only produce inspirational plans, but reshape the communities and organizations we work with through an intentional process.
Job Responsibilities
We are seeking an individual with the desire and ability to:
As a Climate & Sustainability Planner you will manage planning projects for nonprofit, agency, municipal, and corporate clients under the guidance of the Climate & Sustainability Senior Associate. This will include projects that require management of multiple sub-consultants to smaller projects that are self-performed. The Planner may be managing and participating as part of the project team for multiple planning and implementation projects simultaneously. As a multi-disciplinary firm, you may also contribute subject matter expertise to urban design, community planning, mobility, architecture, and/or building performance projects across the office.
We are seeking an individual with the desire and ability to:
- Enhance our Climate & Sustainability Portfolio, with a focus in the Northeast market
- Develop data-driven and stakeholder- and community-informed sustainability goals, and accompanying strategies and roadmaps to achieve them
- Perform urban systems analysis, including energy, water, food, waste, transportation, and more
- Manage multiple planning projects that adhere to the schedule and budget, and meet client expectations
- Develop innovative solutions that exceed client expectations and advance the field of planning
- Lead project team and client meetings and workshops
- Manage a team to design and facilitate stakeholder and community engagement
- Prepare presentations and final reports
- Participate in business development activities, such as proposal writing and leads cultivation
- Attend and present at relevant conferences, such as the annual APA, ILFI, and USGBC conferences
- Additional tasks to support project delivery as needed
Necessary Qualifications
- Passionate about climate resilience and sustainability projects and initiatives
- Experience managing climate action plans, sustainability plans, resilience plans, or similar
- Experience managing stakeholder and community engagement
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills; experience presenting in front of clients and at community meetings
- Understanding of urban environmental systems, including energy, water, food, waste, transportation, air quality, etc.
- Team-oriented professional with strong research, analysis, and reporting abilities
- Growth mindset with a strong desire to stay knowledgeable on trends and best practices
- 3 – 5 years of project management experience
- Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint; Adobe Illustrator and InDesign
- Education: At minimum an accredited degree in Planning, Architecture, Sustainable Design, Engineering, Urban Design, Climate or Environmental Science, Public Policy, or a related field
- Commitment to social equity and justice
Desired qualifications
- Proficient in Google Suite, including gDocs, gSheets, and gSheets; Adobe Photoshop
- Strong graphic design sensibilities
- Proficient in ArcGIS
- Professional Accreditations: AICP, ENVISION, LEED AP, LFA, WELL AP, Passive House, Registered Architect, CEM, PE, etc.
- Education: Masters degree in Planning, Architecture, Sustainable Design, Engineering, Urban Design, Climate or Environmental Science, Public Policy, or a related field
- Deep understanding of building systems, including energy, water, and/or waste systems
- Deep understanding of transit systems and experience working with transit agencies
- Experience with climate impact assessments; greenhouse gas emissions inventories, and related tools
- Knowledge of state and federal climate-focused funding programs/sources
- Ability to travel to project sites
Approximately 10 – 20% travel to project sites will be required, primarily in Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, and West Virginia.
How to Apply
If you are interested in this opportunity, please complete our employment application below. A work sample or portfolio submission is required for this position.
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. This position has an anticipated start date of March 2025.Â
evolveEA reserves the right to remove or modify this position in order to reflect our strategic needs and personnel strengths.Â
The position will be filled once a suitable candidate is selected. An interview will be required. evolveEA reserves the right to remove or modify this position to reflect our strategic needs and personnel strengths.