Projects Associate

About New City Parks

Founded in 2019 to address the lack of thriving urban parks in neighborhoods of need, New City Parks (NCP) builds environmental and community resilience in historically disenfranchised small and mid-sized cities in the Northeast. NCP focuses on park creation projects that often fall outside the frame of large national organizations yet have intense capital and technical needs that are typically beyond the reach of hyper-local groups.

NCP provides a broad range of expertise and proactive support in a highly distinctive and hands-on way, as well as start-up capital to fill all the most common, critical gaps in city capacity. We help secure public and private capital funding for site development and see projects from conception to completion and on through initial stewardship. Five NCP park projects are open to communities and nine additional projects are well underway. A range of new sites are now being selected. Thanks to NCP’s fundraising expertise, close to $34 million has been raised in private and public capital funding for our initial sites. Please visit our website for more information: www.newcityparks.org.

Description & Principal Responsibilities

A new position in a growing and dynamic organization, the Project Associate will support the parks creation team in managing a growing portfolio of park design and capital construction projects. Ideal for a candidate beginning their career in environmental design, landscape architecture, urban design, or a related field. They should have a strong interest in public spaces and the issues that intersect with them, including public health, economic opportunity, and city policy and planning. The ideal candidate will have excellent organizational skills and attention to detail, a collaborative and proactive approach to their work, and experience developing graphic materials.

Primary Responsibilities

• Support the Design & Finance Director and the Design & Project Management Director in researching project sites, overseeing schedules, and helping coordinate production of work of outside design consultants.
• Support the project team in planning and conducting community engagement activities
• Maintain well-organized project files and tasks
• Coordinate with other organizations/agencies/partners toward the timely completion of projects; track project progress, deadlines and milestones
• Participate in project meetings internally and, when necessary, with cities and external stakeholders; prepare and distribute meeting minutes
• Working with CEO and senior staff, prepares written and oral reports as well as PowerPoint presentations on NCP’s project portfolio including presentations to Board, staff, and external stakeholders
• Under the supervision from senior staff, prepare graphic materials as required, including marketing and promotional materials and project-specific presentations
• Maintain a weekly schedule of team meetings and one-on-one check-ins with manager, as well as participate in weekly full staff meetings

This job description is not intended to represent a complete, comprehensive list of all duties and responsibilities that may be required in this position. There may be unplanned activities and other duties as assigned.

Qualifications and Skills

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university with a major in landscape architecture, civil engineering, urban planning, or closely related field
• Proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite
• Familiarity with SketchUp, ArcGIS, and other design software
• Proficiency in general computer skills, including Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel & Powerpoint)
• Collaboration skills to work effectively with people from a diversity of backgrounds and in communities with wide-ranging cultures and socioeconomic contexts
• Ability to work independently in a remote environment, prioritizing workflow to meet deadlines and paying close attention to detail
• Ability to maintain positive and collaborative relationships
• Proficiency in identifying issues and developing practical solutions
• Flexibility to adapt to changing project needs and environments
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Strong verbal skills in Spanish (preferred); Written skills (beneficial)
• Experience in demographic research (beneficial)
• Driver’s license (preferred)

Compensation, Working Hours, & Commitment to Diversity

This is a full-time, non-exempt salaried position with a benefits package that includes health insurance, a generous PTO policy, and a 401k plan. The salary range is $60,000 - $65,000.

New City Parks team works in a hybrid office environment and typically meets in-person in New York City two days each week. Standard working hours are 9:00am - 5:00pm Eastern Monday–Friday. Some travel is required, typically within the greater NYC metro region. Occasional events or meetings outside standard office hours and in other locations where NCP operates.

New City Parks is committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identification, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, or veteran status. We believe in creating a workplace based on equal opportunity, and in the increased effectiveness that comes from a diverse workforce. To this end, we strive to:

• Hire staff that reflect a full range of racial, ethnic, cultural, sexual, and socioeconomic identities.
• Create a workplace where true diversity is fostered, and different perspectives are valued and freely exchanged.
• Support low-income communities and communities of color particularly affected by social inequities.

Physical Requirements

• Frequently sits for long periods of time.
• Frequently speaks, reads, writes, and uses a computer keyboard.
• Occasionally requires walking at park locations.

To Apply:

To apply, please submit a cover letter, resume, and portfolio of planning and/or design work (PDF format, five pages minimum) before June 28th, 2024.

Submit to: https://bit.ly/NCP-project-associate

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $60,000.00 - $65,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Flexible schedule
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

People with a criminal record are encouraged to apply

Work Location: Hybrid remote in New York, NY 10010

Salary : $60,000 - $65,000