Associate or Senior Associate

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Associate or Senior Associate

Cascadia Partners

Portland, OR United States

How to Apply

URL: https://www.cascadia-partners.com/associate-1

Email: Apply@Cascadia-Partners.com

Job Description

Cascadia Partners seeks an Associate or Senior Associate with a genuine passion for zoning and development code — someone energized by the details of how to translate vision into regulations that influence the built environment. You will diagnose code issues, draft creative solutions, and engage communities in the process. We’re open to a range of experience: a rising planner with clear, demonstrated interest and some hands-on exposure, or a more experienced planned who already leads code work and manages projects. What matters most is a demonstrated interest and aptitude for analyzing and writing development regulations.

This role will focus on where vision and policy become implementable regulation. You will audit development codes to diagnose what is preventing the housing and development a community says it wants, engage the community and stakeholders in finding solutions, and draft the amendments that implement the community’s vision. Projects range from targeted code audits focused on specific issues to complete rewrites of an entire development code. This role will also have the opportunity to work on other types of projects in the firm’s portfolio, including urban analytics, comprehensive planning, urban design, and real estate feasibility.

Representative Technical Tasks:

• Articulating community context and vision — Visit communities in person, facilitate stakeholder conversations, and review past plans to understand and articulate existing context and future vision.
• Turning policy into reform strategy — Take broad policy direction such as housing affordability, sustainable urbanism, or community character and chart the path to achieve those goals through practical code reforms.
• Diagnosing where a code falls short — Analyze a city’s development code to understand why the development a community wants is not being built and identify the specific regulations standing in the way.
  
  

Position Details: Depending on level, you will contribute to or lead code-focused projects — code audits, assessing barriers to housing development, statutory compliance updates, or full code rewrites. Responsibilities scale with experience, ranging from drafting code and analysis under direction (Associate) to defining project approaches, managing technical production and budgets, coordinating subconsultants, and serving as the client-facing lead (Senior Associate).

• Communicating ideas visually — Produce compelling diagrams, illustrations, and renderings that show what a code change would look like on the ground, making abstract regulations legible to residents and decision-makers.
• Engaging the public and policymakers — Design and lead creative, effective ways to involve residents, planning commissions, and councils in shaping code — from hands-on workshops to public hearings — and translate what you hear into stronger regulations.
• Testing development feasibility — Apply development feasibility analysis to proposed code changes — pro forma modeling, sensitivity analysis, and affordability analysis — to determine whether code updates, density bonuses, incentives, or requirements will work for the development a community is trying to encourage.
• Drafting the solutions — Write clear, workable code amendments that remove those barriers, and translate them into the precise legislative language a jurisdiction can implement and administer.
• Shaping better places through design standards — Develop the standards that govern how buildings meet the street, how a block feels at the sidewalk, and how new development shapes attractive, walkable neighborhoods — the creative challenge of translating what makes a great place into regulations that produce it.
  
  

Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated interest in zoning & development code: a clear, evidenced passion for regulatory land use work, whether through coursework, projects, writing, or prior roles.
• Experience: Associate — 2 years in urban planning, land use, public policy, law, or a related field; Senior Associate — 4 years plus demonstrated project and people management.
  
  

Desirable Qualifications

• Oregon Land Use Law: familiarity with Oregon’s statewide planning framework and land use law.
• Data & Spatial Literacy: comfort with GIS or quantitative analysis to support code work.
• Visual Storytelling: capability to tell a story with data, graphics, and visuals; knowledge of principles of typography and graphic design.
• AI Integration: experience using AI tools to augment and accelerate analytical and creative work.
• Education: Master’s degree in Urban Planning, Public Policy, Law (JD), Geography, or a related field — or equivalent professional experience.
• Regulatory Writing: the ability to write, or to learn to write, clear, precise, legally defensible code regulations as well as analytical documents.
• Land Use Planning and Policy: working knowledge of the land use planning process, from setting broad goals and policies, writing the implementing codes, and administering development review.
• Research: comfort reading and interpreting statutes, administrative rules, and dense development codes, and framing sound analytical questions.
• Communication: a clear, concise writer and presenter, comfortable in client briefings and public settings.
• Attention to Detail: the precision that is required for regulatory writing.
  
  

Benefits

Associate: $70K–$85K

• Senior Associate: $85K–$100K (based on experience)
• Every other Friday off (36-hr avg week)
• Gold health, dental, life insurance, 401(k) with 3% match
• Professional development stipend
• PTO: 4 weeks year one (prorated), 1 week per year up to 8 weeks
• 11 paid holidays
• Paid parental leave (varies by state)
  
  

Experience Level

AICP Level

Specialty

Salary Range

Experience Level

Mid I (1-4 years)

AICP Level

Desirable

Specialty

Land Use and Development Regulation and Zoning

Salary Range

Associate $70k–$85k / Senior Associate $85k–$100k

Contact Information

Career Center

• Job Seekers
• View All Jobs
• Launching Your Career
• Employers
• Advance Your Career
• Choosing the Planning Profession
• Mentoring at APA
• Consultants / RFP-RFQ
• 2025 Planners' Salary and Benefits Survey
• Home
• Career Center
• Job Seekers
• Jobs Search
  

Employer? Post a Job Now

Associate or Senior Associate

Cascadia Partners

Portland, OR United States

How to Apply

URL: https://www.cascadia-partners.com/associate-1

Email: Apply@Cascadia-Partners.com

Representative Technical Tasks:

• Articulating community context and vision — Visit communities in person, facilitate stakeholder conversations, and review past plans to understand and articulate existing context and future vision.
• Turning policy into reform strategy — Take broad policy direction such as housing affordability, sustainable urbanism, or community character and chart the path to achieve those goals through practical code reforms.
• Diagnosing where a code falls short — Analyze a city’s development code to understand why the development a community wants is not being built and identify the specific regulations standing in the way.
  
  

Position Details: Depending on level, you will contribute to or lead code-focused projects — code audits, assessing barriers to housing development, statutory compliance updates, or full code rewrites. Responsibilities scale with experience, ranging from drafting code and analysis under direction (Associate) to defining project approaches, managing technical production and budgets, coordinating subconsultants, and serving as the client-facing lead (Senior Associate).

• Communicating ideas visually — Produce compelling diagrams, illustrations, and renderings that show what a code change would look like on the ground, making abstract regulations legible to residents and decision-makers.
• Engaging the public and policymakers — Design and lead creative, effective ways to involve residents, planning commissions, and councils in shaping code — from hands-on workshops to public hearings — and translate what you hear into stronger regulations.
• Testing development feasibility — Apply development feasibility analysis to proposed code changes — pro forma modeling, sensitivity analysis, and affordability analysis — to determine whether code updates, density bonuses, incentives, or requirements will work for the development a community is trying to encourage.
• Drafting the solutions — Write clear, workable code amendments that remove those barriers, and translate them into the precise legislative language a jurisdiction can implement and administer.
• Shaping better places through design standards — Develop the standards that govern how buildings meet the street, how a block feels at the sidewalk, and how new development shapes attractive, walkable neighborhoods — the creative challenge of translating what makes a great place into regulations that produce it.
  
  

Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated interest in zoning & development code: a clear, evidenced passion for regulatory land use work, whether through coursework, projects, writing, or prior roles.
• Experience: Associate — 2 years in urban planning, land use, public policy, law, or a related field; Senior Associate — 4 years plus demonstrated project and people management.
  
  

Desirable Qualifications

• Oregon Land Use Law: familiarity with Oregon’s statewide planning framework and land use law.
• Data & Spatial Literacy: comfort with GIS or quantitative analysis to support code work.
• Visual Storytelling: capability to tell a story with data, graphics, and visuals; knowledge of principles of typography and graphic design.
• AI Integration: experience using AI tools to augment and accelerate analytical and creative work.
• Education: Master’s degree in Urban Planning, Public Policy, Law (JD), Geography, or a related field — or equivalent professional experience.
• Regulatory Writing: the ability to write, or to learn to write, clear, precise, legally defensible code regulations as well as analytical documents.
• Land Use Planning and Policy: working knowledge of the land use planning process, from setting broad goals and policies, writing the implementing codes, and administering development review.
• Research: comfort reading and interpreting statutes, administrative rules, and dense development codes, and framing sound analytical questions.
• Communication: a clear, concise writer and presenter, comfortable in client briefings and public settings.
• Attention to Detail: the precision that is required for regulatory writing.
  
  

Benefits

Associate: $70K–$85K

• Senior Associate: $85K–$100K (based on experience)
• Every other Friday off (36-hr avg week)
• Gold health, dental, life insurance, 401(k) with 3% match
• Professional development stipend
• PTO: 4 weeks year one (prorated), 1 week per year up to 8 weeks
• 11 paid holidays
• Paid parental leave (varies by state)
  
  

Experience Level

AICP Level

Specialty

Salary Range

Experience Level

Mid I (1-4 years)

AICP Level

Desirable

Specialty

Land Use and Development Regulation and Zoning

Salary Range

Associate $70k–$85k / Senior Associate $85k–$100k

Contact Information

Representative Technical Tasks:

• Articulating community context and vision — Visit communities in person, facilitate stakeholder conversations, and review past plans to understand and articulate existing context and future vision.
• Turning policy into reform strategy — Take broad policy direction such as housing affordability, sustainable urbanism, or community character and chart the path to achieve those goals through practical code reforms.
• Diagnosing where a code falls short — Analyze a city’s development code to understand why the development a community wants is not being built and identify the specific regulations standing in the way.
  
  

Position Details: Depending on level, you will contribute to or lead code-focused projects — code audits, assessing barriers to housing development, statutory compliance updates, or full code rewrites. Responsibilities scale with experience, ranging from drafting code and analysis under direction (Associate) to defining project approaches, managing technical production and budgets, coordinating subconsultants, and serving as the client-facing lead (Senior Associate).

• Communicating ideas visually — Produce compelling diagrams, illustrations, and renderings that show what a code change would look like on the ground, making abstract regulations legible to residents and decision-makers.
• Engaging the public and policymakers — Design and lead creative, effective ways to involve residents, planning commissions, and councils in shaping code — from hands-on workshops to public hearings — and translate what you hear into stronger regulations.
• Testing development feasibility — Apply development feasibility analysis to proposed code changes — pro forma modeling, sensitivity analysis, and affordability analysis — to determine whether code updates, density bonuses, incentives, or requirements will work for the development a community is trying to encourage.
• Drafting the solutions — Write clear, workable code amendments that remove those barriers, and translate them into the precise legislative language a jurisdiction can implement and administer.
• Shaping better places through design standards — Develop the standards that govern how buildings meet the street, how a block feels at the sidewalk, and how new development shapes attractive, walkable neighborhoods — the creative challenge of translating what makes a great place into regulations that produce it.
  
  

Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated interest in zoning & development code: a clear, evidenced passion for regulatory land use work, whether through coursework, projects, writing, or prior roles.
• Experience: Associate — 2 years in urban planning, land use, public policy, law, or a related field; Senior Associate — 4 years plus demonstrated project and people management.
  
  

Desirable Qualifications

• Oregon Land Use Law: familiarity with Oregon’s statewide planning framework and land use law.
• Data & Spatial Literacy: comfort with GIS or quantitative analysis to support code work.
• Visual Storytelling: capability to tell a story with data, graphics, and visuals; knowledge of principles of typography and graphic design.
• AI Integration: experience using AI tools to augment and accelerate analytical and creative work.
• Education: Master’s degree in Urban Planning, Public Policy, Law (JD), Geography, or a related field — or equivalent professional experience.
• Regulatory Writing: the ability to write, or to learn to write, clear, precise, legally defensible code regulations as well as analytical documents.
• Land Use Planning and Policy: working knowledge of the land use planning process, from setting broad goals and policies, writing the implementing codes, and administering development review.
• Research: comfort reading and interpreting statutes, administrative rules, and dense development codes, and framing sound analytical questions.
• Communication: a clear, concise writer and presenter, comfortable in client briefings and public settings.
• Attention to Detail: the precision that is required for regulatory writing.
  
  

Benefits

Associate: $70K–$85K

• Senior Associate: $85K–$100K (based on experience)
• Every other Friday off (36-hr avg week)
• Gold health, dental, life insurance, 401(k) with 3% match
• Professional development stipend
• PTO: 4 weeks year one (prorated), 1 week per year up to 8 weeks
• 11 paid holidays
• Paid parental leave (varies by state)