Parks Planning & GIS Specialist

Nyaa Scientific Research Services is seeking a qualified parks planning professional to serve as a subject matter expert (SME) and field validation specialist on a municipal parks and recreation evaluation project. The consultant will apply professional parks planning credentials and GIS competency to support field data collection, validate recreation inventories, and contribute to benchmarking and service area analysis in partnership with the Nyaa evaluation team.

Professional certification valued but not necessary (CPRP, AICP, or equivalent); demonstrated knowledge of parks planning practice, municipal landscape, and outdoor recreation activity assessment; familiarity with NRPA frameworks, standards, and peer community benchmarking methodology.

Ability to interpret spatial data, review GIS mapping outputs, and contribute meaningfully to park service area analysis; working familiarity with ESRI platforms (ArcGIS Pro, ESRI Park Analytics) and mobility/visitation data tools such as Placer.ai.

Experience designing or contributing to structured field observation protocols; ability to review and validate recreation activity inventories and data dictionaries against professional practice standards; comfort conducting systematic field work in diverse municipal park settings.

Familiarity with park equity frameworks and underserved community access assessment; experience applying equity lenses to recreation needs analysis or service gap identification in alignment with NRPA's DEI standards.

Ability to communicate technical parks planning findings clearly to municipal agency staff; strong facilitation skills for working sessions, site reviews, and stakeholder validation activities; ability to contribute written validation memos and review draft evaluation reports.