Associate Director–Placemaking, Policy & Community Development

Job Opening: Associate Director–Placemaking, Policy & Community Development Portfolio

A full-time role with Pattan & Co.

St. Louis, Missouri (Hybrid)

Position Description

Pattan & Co. is hiring an Associate Director to lead day-to-day work across a portfolio of community development, civic, and place-based clients. The role focuses on how projects are positioned, introduced, understood, and adopted in the market.

The work includes nonprofit organizations focused on civic life, advocacy, direct service, and public awareness, alongside developers, architecture and design firms, public agencies, municipalities, and preservation organizations. These clients operate in different sectors but share a common objective: shaping how places grow, how communities engage, and how initiatives gain traction.

The Associate Director works directly with the Principal, who leads overall strategy. The role contributes to strategic direction and leads execution across communications, public affairs, stakeholder alignment, placemaking, and public-facing work. This person serves as the day-to-day client lead and is responsible for maintaining clarity, coordination, and progress across projects.

The work varies by client and project. It may include narrative development, media strategy, stakeholder coordination, political navigation, or advising on how a development or district is introduced and experienced. Most projects involve a combination of communications, public affairs, placemaking, community engagement, programming, and ongoing visibility.

This is a consulting role with responsibility for assessment, recommendation, and execution.

Core Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary day-to-day contact for assigned clients
• Work with the Principal to shape strategy and lead implementation across communications, public affairs, placemaking, and stakeholder engagement
• Lead projects from early positioning through execution, including narrative development, media strategy, community engagement, programming, partnerships, and public rollout
• Develop and manage messaging frameworks that guide how projects, developments, and initiatives are understood across stakeholders, media, and the public
• Navigate stakeholder environments that include elected officials, public agencies, nonprofit leaders, developers, and community representatives
• Maintain active relationships with media across relevant beats, including pitching, follow-up, and ongoing relationship development with reporters, editors, and producers
• Write and oversee press materials, messaging frameworks, strategic plans, talking points, media kits, and executive communications
• Advise clients on how developments, districts, and initiatives are introduced to the public, with clear positioning and alignment to broader goals
• Lead placemaking strategy tied to communications, including programming, activations, partnerships, and cultural integration
• Guide clients through community engagement and public process with structured, credible approaches
• Support advocacy efforts, policy positioning, and public campaigns by aligning messaging and stakeholder outreach to defined outcomes
• Define scope and approach for each project, including identifying partners, recommending budgets, and aligning clients around appropriate levels of investment
• Manage project budgets, timelines, and deliverables across multiple accounts
• Execute core communications and strategic work directly, with a focus on writing, messaging, and media outreach
• Identify and manage external partners including media buyers, event producers, designers, photographers, videographers, and research support
• Represent clients and the firm in meetings, media interactions, public settings, and community-facing environments

Who This Role Is For

• This role is for someone with experience across communications, public affairs, and place-based work who understands how these disciplines operate together in practice. Candidates should bring:
• 8 to 12 years of experience in community development PR, strategic communications, public affairs, placemaking, stakeholder engagement, or related work
• Experience working with media in an ongoing, strategic capacity
• Experience managing client relationships and advancing work across multiple priorities
• Strong writing skills across press materials, strategy documents, and executive communications
• Experience contributing to strategy and leading execution
• Comfort working with public agencies, nonprofit organizations, developers, and community stakeholders
• Understanding of how political dynamics, policy, and public process influence projects and initiatives
• Ability to develop clear approaches to positioning places, launching initiatives, and engaging communities
• Experience managing budgets, vendors, and multi-part projects
• Strong judgment, organization, and follow-through
• Familiarity with the St. Louis market and its stakeholder landscape

Team Structure and Support

• The Associate Director works closely with the Principal and collaborates with senior staff for strategic alignment and input.
• Part-time associates support execution across accounts, including event staffing, research, data organization, calendar management, and administrative coordination.
• External partners are engaged for specialized work such as media buying, event production, design, photography, videography, and research. The Associate Director identifies when additional support is required and manages those partners.
• As the portfolio grows, there may be an opportunity to add dedicated full-time support.

Compensation & Employment Details

• Salary range: $80,000 to $100,000, depending on experience
• Employment Status: Full-Time, Permanent, W-2
• Role Level: Mid-Senior
• Reports to: Principal
• Location: St. Louis, Missouri (Hybrid)

Benefits and Schedule

• Pattan & Co. operates on a four-and-a-half-day work week.
• The schedule accounts for early mornings, evening events, and occasional weekends while maintaining a 40-hour work week.
• Additional benefits include
• More than 20 paid bank holidays annually
• 20 days of paid time off provided at the start of each year
• Competitive health and retirement benefits, with flexible spending support determined during onboarding
• 12 weeks of fully paid parental leave
• One week of bereavement leave, with flexibility based on individual needs
• Hybrid schedule with access to office space in Downtown St. Louis and Alton, Illinois
• Some travel may be required

Growth Path

This role is structured for advancement.

The next step is Director, with increased ownership of strategy and client leadership. Beyond that, the path leads to Vice President, with responsibility for practice leadership, team development, and expansion of the firm’s place-based and civic strategy work.

Interview Process

The interview process includes an introductory conversation, a second interview with a practical exercise, a panel interview that may include clients, and a final conversation if needed.