TreePeople is an environmental nonprofit whose mission is to inspire, engage, and support people to take personal responsibility for the environment, making it safe, healthy, fun, and sustainable; we share our process as a model for the world. TreePeople is among the largest independent environmental organizations in California.  Sustained by a team of educators, foresters, organizers, and administrators as well as thousands of trained “Community Foresters,” TreePeople plays a leading role in mobilizing individuals, private businesses, and government agencies to work together to create resilient communities capable of withstanding the mounting challenges of climate change.  For almost 50 years, TreePeople has partnered with community volunteers to plant and care for millions of trees throughout the cities and mountains of Southern California.

The Landscape Design Associate will manage projects in TreePeople’s innovative and impactful green infrastructure portfolio.  These include our existing school greening, green streets, public parks, and lawn to landscape projects.   Our green infrastructure projects center community-led design processes and bring together complex teams of stakeholders, agencies, and partners to design and implement change making projects across Los Angeles.  We are looking for someone with a Landscape Architecture background who has experience with construction processes and landscape design.  

ESSENTIAL JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

• Design and manage community-led green infrastructure projects, such as school greening, green streets, public space, residential landscapes, or pocket parks.
• Manage landscape contractors and coordinate construction progress at active job sites.  
• Review and organize community input and data collected to inform project development.
• Support contractor selection, such as landscape architects, engineers, and other consultants.
• Manage contractors as needed to meet project deliverables.
• Develop and manage complex project budgets.
• Coordinate and facilitate one-on-one meetings with public agencies, school districts, community stakeholders, and contractors as needed.
• Build consensus between agencies and community stakeholders.
• Review iterations of planning documents for thoroughness, soundness of recommendations, and compliance with relevant policies and regulations.
• Support preparation of project progress reports to agencies and funders.
• Participate in the identification and evaluation of new projects.
• Prepare funding proposals for project concepts, especially descriptions and calculations of technical elements of the project.
• Other duties as assigned.

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in landscape architecture or equivalent experience.
• At least 5 years of professional experience managing projects that involve civil/landscape engineering, landscape architecture, construction, and related fields.
• Knowledge and experience with green infrastructure and nature based solutions.
• Highly organized, detailed oriented, strong work ethic, friendly, smart, proactive and a quick learner.
• Excellent verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills.
• Experience in conceptualizing, developing and presenting project concepts (10% design completion); especially those that can apply watershed/integrated approaches to developing multi-benefit, greening, stormwater and urban runoff capture projects/programs.
• Experience working with community members, their representatives and advocates to assess their needs and strengths. 
• Experience preparing cost estimates for project concepts. 
• Experience working and communicating with project engineers and related technical staff at public agencies and private firms and translating (in relatable terms) for staff and other interested parties. 
• Successful working relationships with diverse public agencies in the Los Angeles area.
• Ability to work with flexibility in teams and independently toward completion deadlines.
• Proficiency in AutoCAD, GIS and/or other project design software.
• This position does require travel to various sites in the greater Los Angeles and Upper Santa Clara areas.
• A valid California driver’s license is required.
• Spanish language proficiency is a plus.