Location: Portland, Oregon (Remote)

Senior Associate or Project Director, Zoning and Development Code Focus

Salary:
Senior Associate: $85,000-$115,000 base salary + profit sharing bonus, based on experience
Project Director: $100,000-$125,000 base salary + profit sharing bonus, based on experience

Closing: EOD Monday, November 3, 2025

Description
Cascadia Partners seeks an experienced urban planner to oversee multiple projects within our growing zoning and development code portfolio across Oregon and the western United States. The position provides an opportunity to play a leadership role in exciting development code reform projects that address the housing crisis, advance equity in land use policy, and foster sustainable development patterns. This position requires someone with specific experience evaluating and writing development regulations. The ideal candidate can critically analyze existing codes, creatively integrate policy concepts, apply urban design principles, and construct regulations that are clear, legally-sound, and effectively balance flexibility and predictability. The candidate must also have experience delegating to junior staff and communicating effectively with clients, stakeholders, policymakers, and the public.

Our Work:
Cascadia Partners is a multidisciplinary consulting firm headquartered in Portland, OR, with a team of over 20 staff who work in-person, hybrid, or remotely. We work ons 40-50 projects across the country, ranging from housing policy and zoning code updates, district and master plans, mission-driven public-private developments, scenario planning, environmental planning, and community engagement. We focus on actionable plans that get built and solutions rooted in equitable community engagement.

Our Values:
We value diversity, equity, and inclusion on our team and in our work. We value intellectual curiosity and lifelong learning and offer professional development stipends and frequent internal skill building courses. We value a healthy life-work balance and offer every other Friday off and 4-weeks starting paid vacation.

Position Details:
This posting is for either a Senior Associate or Project Director position, depending on the experience level of the candidate. Both positions are responsible for the management of multiple, simultaneous development code or housing policy projects, including scoping, budgeting, deliverable ideation, creation, and quality control. Both positions require subject-matter expertise, professional client interaction, presentations, and facilitating public engagement meetings. Example project types include development code audits, targeted code updates, citywide code reform projects, long-range planning, subarea or corridor plans, housing action plans, and incentive policies.

• Senior Associates have a minimum of 3 years of professional experience and serve as project managers and day-to-day client contacts. Senior Associates understand bigger picture goals and policy issues and are actively developing subject matter expertise. They both organize and execute project work, communicate with clients, delegate tasks to junior team members, and seek guidance and oversight from a Project Director and/or firm Partner.
• Project Directors have a minimum of 5 years of professional experience and manage more complex projects or direct the management of projects in concert with a Senior Associate. They have experience managing staff and oversee projects with more autonomy than a Senior Associate due to their advanced subject matter expertise. They are able to guide project teams through complex technical issues, maintain high standards for work quality, and formulate creative solutions to challenging problems.
• Applicants may designate which position they are applying for when submitting their application.

Required Qualifications:

• Minimum of 3-5 years experience in long-range planning, current planning, real estate, or public policy.
• Bachelor's or Master’s Degree in Urban Planning, Real Estate Development, Public Policy, Economics, or related fields.
• Project management experience, such as managing the production of deliverables, coordinating the work of internal and/or external teams, communicating with clients, and managing project schedules.
• Experience writing or applying development code regulations either as a private consultant, public planner, or applicant’s representative.
• Critical thinker who can analyze a policy or regulation from multiple perspectives, including legal compliance, economic feasibility, housing affordability, urban design, and sustainability.
• Strong writer who can break down complex issues clearly and concisely and synthesize complex information.
• Skilled public speaker who can communicate effectively with the public, stakeholders, and policy-makers.
• Visual storyteller with ability to direct the creation of compelling, public-friendly graphics and documents.
• Demonstrates leadership in working with respect, dignity, and empathy in diverse, multicultural settings.
• Centers relationship-building and collaboration in their work, seeking to engage authentically with their teams, clients, and stakeholders and understand their interests, values, and backgrounds.
• Demonstrates willingness both to receive and give growth-minded feedback and to receive and respond to coaching from Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) colleagues.

Desirable Qualifications:

• Demonstrated interest and passion for land use and housing policy and how detailed regulations impact systemic issues and inequities.
• Familiarity with Oregon’s land use planning system, including statutory requirements and administrative rules.
• Working knowledge of key real estate development issues and concepts, including modeling or interpreting financial pro-forma analyses.

Work Location

• Preference for candidates based in or willing to relocate to Oregon or southwest Washington, but fully remote candidates from other locations will be considered.
• If based in the Portland metro area, must work 2 days per week in our office in the Pearl District.
• Travel to client locations required (once every 1-3 months)

Compensation and Benefits

• Senior Associate: $85,000-$115,000 base salary + profit sharing bonus, based on experience
• Project Director: $100,000-$125,000 base salary + profit sharing bonus, based on experience
• Every other Friday off year-round (36-hour average work week)
• Gold-level health insurance, dental, 401k match, professional development stipend
• Generous paid time off, including 4 weeks paid vacation for first full year (prorated to hire date for first year)
• 1 additional week of paid vacation per year worked; up to 8 weeks max
• Additional paid holidays (11 days)
• Paid parental leave (dependent on state of residence)

To Apply
For full job description and application, please go to this link: https://cascadiapartnersllc.bamboohr.com/careers/25