Planning Associate

Planning Associate

📍 New York, NY (In-Office)

About the Opportunity

Our client is a growing real estate development and investment platform focused on acquiring, repositioning, and developing residential and mixed-use assets across multiple markets. With an active pipeline of projects and a collaborative, entrepreneurial culture, the firm is seeking a Planning Associate to support projects from acquisition through entitlement, permitting, and construction coordination.

This is a highly visible role offering exposure across due diligence, municipal approvals, consultant management, and development execution. The ideal candidate enjoys problem-solving, working across multiple projects simultaneously, and operating in a fast-paced environment with significant ownership and autonomy.

Position Overview

The Planning Associate will support the development team throughout the project lifecycle, including physical due diligence, entitlement strategy, permitting, consultant coordination, and construction handoff. This role serves as a critical link between acquisitions, municipalities, consultants, and construction teams to help ensure projects move efficiently from concept to execution.

The position offers substantial responsibility and direct interaction with senior leadership, external consultants, and local government officials.

Key Responsibilities

Due Diligence & Project Evaluation

• Conduct zoning, land use, and entitlement research for prospective acquisitions and active developments
• Evaluate site constraints, permitting requirements, development feasibility, and entitlement pathways
• Coordinate physical due diligence efforts with architects, engineers, and consultants
• Identify potential development risks and opportunities during acquisition review periods
• Support pre-development planning and project validation activities

Entitlements & Permitting

• Manage entitlement and permitting processes across multiple jurisdictions
• Prepare, coordinate, and track permit and entitlement submissions
• Interface directly with planning departments, building officials, and regulatory agencies
• Attend meetings with municipal staff and other project stakeholders
• Monitor approval timelines, agency comments, and project milestones

Consultant Management

• Coordinate architects, civil engineers, structural engineers, MEP consultants, and other project team members
• Facilitate consultant communication and project alignment
• Track deliverables, schedules, and project budgets
• Lead coordination efforts to ensure project timelines remain on schedule

Construction Coordination

• Support transition from planning and entitlement into construction execution
• Coordinate project documentation and consultant revisions during construction
• Participate in project meetings and assist with issue resolution
• Review plans and provide constructability-oriented feedback
• Assist in maintaining project schedules and documentation throughout development

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Planning, Real Estate, Architecture, Engineering, Construction Management, or a related field
• 3–7 years of experience in real estate development, land use planning, entitlements, permitting, consulting, or related disciplines
• Experience with multifamily, mixed-use, residential, commercial, or adaptive reuse projects
• Strong understanding of entitlement, zoning, and permitting processes
• Experience coordinating architects, engineers, and external consultants
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment
• Strong organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills
• Comfortable interacting directly with municipal officials, consultants, and project stakeholders

Preferred Qualifications

• Multifamily development experience
• Adaptive reuse or redevelopment project experience
• Exposure to construction coordination and project delivery
• Familiarity with Bluebeam, Procore, Buildertrend, or similar project management platforms
• Experience working across multiple municipalities and jurisdictions

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive base salary
• Performance-based bonus opportunity
• Comprehensive benefits package
• Career advancement opportunities within a growing development platform
• Direct exposure to senior leadership and strategic decision-making

Why Join?

• Significant project ownership and autonomy
• Exposure to the full development lifecycle
• Diverse and active project pipeline
• Entrepreneurial and collaborative culture
• Opportunity to work directly with experienced development professionals
• High-growth platform with strong long-term opportunity