Project Manager/Urban Designer - Urban Design Center
City of CharlotteAbout the role
Close Date: Monday, January 12, 2026 12:00 AM
Department: Planning, Design & Development Department
Salary: $83,208.00 - $104,010.00 Commensurate with Experience
Welcome to the City of Charlotte
Charlotte is America’s Queen City, opening her arms to a diverse and inclusive community of residents, businesses and visitors alike. Here you will find a safe, family-oriented city where people work together to help everyone thrive. The mission of the City of Charlotte is to deliver quality public services and promote the safety, health, and quality of life for all residents.
Our guiding principles include:
Attracting and retaining a skilled and diverse workforce
Valuing teamwork, openness, accountability, productivity, and employee development
Providing all customers with courteous, responsive, accessible, and seamless quality services
Taking initiative to identify, analyze, and solve problems
Collaborating with stakeholders to make informed decisions
SUMMARY
Focuses on transforming Charlotte’s growth and transit investments into well-designed, people-centered places. Leads urban design and placemaking projects across city departments, guiding everything from early concepts to construction so public spaces, station areas, and corridors reflect strong design principles and community needs. By serving as both a project leader and in-house design consultant, the position ensures that major city initiatives create vibrant and inclusive public places.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
Lead interdepartmental projects for the Urban Design Center and other city departments, as assigned
In partnership with other PD+D divisions, lead transit/station area planning efforts around recently funded transit projects
Oversee urban design reviews of future transit projects/provide feedback based on sound principles of urban design
Lead large placemaking projects/manage budgets from design through construction
Partner with planning staff to assist with Community Area Plan implementation
Provide urban design guidance to city Capital Projects
Work with other Departments on major initiatives where urban design and placemaking is concerned (e.g., Corridors of Opportunity, Strategic Investment Areas, etc.)
Assist/lead, as needed, on ad hoc planning and urban design projects (e.g. master planning, design responses and test fits, ordinance updates, etc.)
Perform regulatory tasks as they relate to urban design and the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO)
Manage and mentor junior employees
Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:
Urban design principles, best practices, and applicability to the built environment
Construction management and project implementation, especially how construction methods and design interventions impact the public realm
Leading multi-disciplinary project teams and project management
Management and leadership of junior staff
Experience working with design and development professionals
Ability to effectively collaborate within internal and external organizations
Effective communication of design principles and practices to diverse audiences and all segments of the City’s population
Community engagement experience and ability to build relationships with neighborhood leaders
Work in a fast-paced environment that requires personal organization, a self-starting work ethic, and the ability to switch between tasks quickly
Rendering and graphic production including hand sketching, master planning, computer-generated perspectives, diagrams, etc.
Software knowledge, including Adobe Creative Cloud, ArcGIS Pro, AutoCAD, SketchUp, and Microsoft 365
Minimum Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree in Planning, Architecture, Geography, Landscape Architecture, Engineering, Political Science, Public Administration, Social Science or related degree, with a strong preference that it be supplemented by a Master’s Degree in the above fields of study. Preference given for candidates with a design education and/or design training and experience.
Five (5) years of progressive professional design experience (urban design, public space planning and design, placemaking, policy planning and implementation). or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience that provides the required skills, knowledge, and abilities.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
The City’s Background Check Polic
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