Planning Communities is a women-owned, certified B-Corporation that specializes in socially and environmentally responsible planning and geospatial services. We combine systems thinking with innovative tools, interactive GIS, and data-driven strategies to tackle complex challenges in climate and community resilience, conservation, connectivity and ecology, transportation and transit, and parks, recreation, and trails.

Our impact-driven approach supports equitable, sustainable communities through planning, spatial insight, and inclusive engagement—balancing the needs of people, place, and planet.

We are searching for a highly qualified Lead Project Manager to help us maintain and grow our position as an innovative, values-driven company. The ideal candidate is responsible for overseeing the full lifecycle of a portfolio of projects simultaneously, from initiation to completion.The Lead Project Manager will have strong skills in developing and overseeing work plans, budgets and managing a distributed team of staff and consultants. The candidate will have experience collaborating directly with clients and leading and facilitating client and stakeholder meetings onsite and remotely. The lead project manager will also prepare and present updates regularly to the executive team, ensuring that our business, work culture and social and environmental goals are being achieved. The lead project manager will ensure efficient execution of projects within budgets and timelines, while collaborating closely with cross-functional teams and key stakeholders to achieve project-level and strategic business goals.

Objectives of this role

• Build and develop the project team to ensure maximum performance, by providing purpose, direction, and motivation.
• Lead projects from requirements definition through deployment, identifying schedules, scopes, budget estimations, and implementation plans, including risk
• Coordinate internal and external resources to ensure that projects adhere to scope, schedule, and budget.
• Analyze project statuses and, when necessary, revise the scopes, schedules, or budgets to ensure that project requirements can be met.
• Establish and maintain relationships with relevant client stakeholders, providing day-to-day contact on project status and changes.
• Collaborate with the executive team to provide weekly updates, identify new opportunities, solve problems,and assist with business planning in alignment with B-Corp principles.

Key Responsibilities:

• Project Planning and Initiation:
  • Collaborate with stakeholders to define project scopes, objectives, deliverables, timelines, and budgets.
  • Develop comprehensive project plans, including work breakdown structures, resource allocation, and risk assessments.
  • Identify and assign project team members, clearly communicating roles and responsibilities.

● Project Execution and Monitoring:

• Lead project teams, providing direction, motivation, and performance
• Track project progress against the plan, identifying potential roadblocks and proactively addressing issues.
• Monitor project budgets, adjusting as necessary to maintain financial
• Facilitate effective communication between team members, stakeholders, and clients through regular status updates and meetings.
• Report project outcomes and/or risks to the appropriate management channels and escalate issues, as necessary, according to project work
• Make recommendations to improve the company’s project management systems and support the execution of changes and updates.

●       Partnership and Stakeholder Management:

• Build strong relationships with key partners and stakeholders (including vendors), managing expectations and addressing concerns promptly.

• Regularly communicate project status updates to senior management and
• Proactively identify and mitigate potential risks to project

● Quality Assurance and Delivery:

• Ensure project deliverables meet quality standards and adhere to established requirements.
• Oversee project closeout activities, including documentation, final reports, and lessons learned analysis.

● Team Development and Leadership:

• Foster a collaborative and supportive team environment, promoting individual growth and skill development.
• Encourage cross-functional teamwork and knowledge sharing within the project team.
• Identify and address team challenges, providing timely coaching and

Required Skills and Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in planning, environmental policy, public administration, business or similar with a minimum of 8 years of combined relevant planning
• Proven experience leading and managing a portfolio of projects and
• Demonstrated ability to independently research and analyze complex issues to develop practical, data-driven solutions for diverse planning and community
• Strong project management skills, including proficiency in project management methodologies (Agile, Waterfall, etc.).
• Excellent communication and people skills to effectively collaborate with diverse
• Ability to prioritize tasks, manage deadlines, and adapt to changing
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills to identify and resolve project
• Strong attention to deadlines and budgetary
• Proficiency in project management software tools (e.g., Scoro, Basecamp, Asana, Trello, Microsoft Project, etc.).
• Understanding of GIS and geospatial technologies and experience collaborating with professionals in this sector to integrate and deliver GIS products and
• Strong written and verbal communication
• Excellent presentation
• Ability to wear multiple hats and contribute to cross-functional initiatives as needed within a small team.

Preferred skills and qualifications:

• Professional certification(s) AICP, GISP and/or other related certifications
• Experience in managing planning platforms for internal
• Experience in coaching project team members to strengthen their abilities and skill sets.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $120,000.00 - $140,000.00 per year

Schedule: Monday to Friday with occasional weekend travel required

Travel: Ability to travel as needed to client locations for meetings, etc. Estimated 20% - 25% annually.

Benefits:

• Health, dental, and vision insurance (effective [DATE the 1st of the month following the start date]).
• Paid Time Off (PTO) accrued at a rate of 67 hours per month, or 16 days per year for full-time employment.
• Paid holidays, including a Wellness Day and Floating
• 401(k) retirement plan with company match on the first 3% of employee
• Company-paid life insurance and short- and long-term disability
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and access to supplemental
• Opportunities for professional development, including certifications and
• Work with a certified B-Corp purpose-driven