Principal Planner - Placemaking + Resilience

What Lja Has To Offer

LJA is offering an exciting opportunity that will allow you to reach your full career potential. The structure of our organization is designed to amplify your capabilities while gaining the benefits of being an employee-owner. What truly sets this opportunity apart is the chance to collaborate every day with dedicated, skilled, and supportive leaders. Whether you are in the office, in the field, or behind the scenes, working at LJA gives you the chance to grow through hands-on experience and exposure to a broad range of clients and services.

What Makes Lja Different

At LJA, our employee-owners take pride in their work and their workplace. We’re guided by leaders who foster a culture of respect, collaboration and a shared vision of success. Our difference is evident in the experiences and opportunities we provide:

• Employee-owned. Client-focused
• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)
• Consistently ranked as a Top Workplace
• Internal recruitment team, in-house training, and a marketing department specific to our industry
• We celebrate flexibility, allowing every team and office to lead with their proven approach
• Our culture champions continuous learning and personal growth
• We believe success comes through constant evolution and communication
• We are passionate about having fun and making money, all while creating impact
  
  

POSITION OVERVIEW: As a Principal Planner at LJA PLA, you will be responsible for quality control, staffing, P&L contribution, leading group/studio vision, standards, and execution.

A TYPICAL DAY MIGHT INCLUDE:

• Leads multi-disciplinary/large programs
• Oversees staff scheduling and QA/QC systems
• Drives business development
• Recruits and develops talent
• Mentors experienced staff
  
  

REQUIRED EDUCATION/LICENSE/CERTIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Planning, Public Administration, Landscape Architecture, Urban Design, Architecture, or related field
• AICP, ENV, PLA, AIA, CNU-A, LEED, or other job-related certification required
  
  

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• 12 years
• High autonomy
• Directs strategies, complex negotiations, and complex projects/initiatives
• Recognized leader
• Proven business development and financial stewardship
• Process innovator
• Culture-builder
  
  

IDEALLY, YOU SHOULD ALSO HAVE:

• Engaged leadership in a related professional organization, especially the American Planning Association or similar organization, encouraged. Professional organization leadership roles, speaking engagements, and thought leadership opportunities encouraged.
  
  

LEVEL UP WITH LJA

At LJA, we’re 100% employee-owned. This drives results, rewards ambition and supports long-term success for every team member. With almost 100 locations and 3,000 employee-owners (and growing), we’re building something big! We want you to be part of it. Your future grows here.

• Generous Time Off: PTO, paid holidays, and a full office closure between Christmas and New Year’s.
• Comprehensive Benefits: Multiple plan options for health, dental, and pets. Along with mental health support.
• Family Support: Paid maternity and parental leave to help you focus on what matters most.
• Education Support: Tuition reimbursement and in-house courses provided by our Learning and Development team.
• Referral Bonuses: Know great talent? Get rewarded for helping us grow.
• Community Impact: Company-sponsored volunteer days and philanthropic initiatives.
• Professional Development: Memberships to industry organizations to keep you connected and growing.
• Career Growth: Great internal mobility opportunities to advance your career.
• Fun Culture: LJA social events, employee sports teams, bring your kid to work day, etc.
  
  

To Executive Search Firms & Staffing Agencies: LJA Engineering, Inc. and its subsidiaries do not accept unsolicited resumes from any agencies that have not signed a service agreement. All unsolicited resumes will be considered LJA's property. This includes resumes submitted directly to hiring managers without contacting LJA's Human Resources Talent Department.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.