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Project Manager/Urban Designer - Urban Design Center

City of CharlotteCharlotte, North Carolina

$83,208 - $104,010 / year

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Job Description

Date Opened: Monday, December 29, 2025 12:00 AMClose Date: Monday, January 12, 2026 12:00 AMDepartment: Planning, Design & Development DepartmentSalary: $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 Policy requires background checks to be conducted on final internal or external candidate(s) applying for any position with the City of Charlotte. The type of information that will be collected as part of a background check includes, but is not limited to: reference checks, social security verification, education verification, criminal conviction record check, and, if applicable, a credit history check, sex offender registry and motor vehicle records check.

Background checks must be in compliance with all federal and state statutes, such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The checks must be consistent with the guidelines set forth by these laws requiring organizations to obtain a candidate’s written authorization before obtaining a criminal background report, motor vehicle records check or credit report; and to properly store and dispose of information derived from such reports.

Final candidates must pass a pre-employment drug-screening test and physical examination. During the selection process, candidates may be asked to take a skills test, and/or participate in other assessments.

The City of Charlotte is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, national origin, marital status, age, disability, sexual orientation, political affiliation or on the basis of actual or perceived gender as expressed through dress, appearance, or behavior.

Our culture is to serve the community honorably.

HOW TO APPLY

Apply online.

Federal law requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please tell us if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job.

You are welcome to visit the City of Charlotte Human Resources Department lobby, where self-service application kiosks are available. They are located in our office at 700 East 4th Street, Suite 200, Charlotte, NC 28202. We are open Monday through Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (EST), excluding official City holidays.

For questions about your application or the hiring process, please email Careers@ci.charlotte.nc.us.

The City of Charlotte is committed to making our services and programs accessible to all. Upon request, auxiliary aids, written materials in alternate formats, language access, and other reasonable accommodations or modifications will be provided. To make a request, please fill out the Innovation & Technology ADA request form or call 704.336.4120.

BENEFITS

The City of Charlotte provides a comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees.

Clickhereto learn more about the City of Charlotte’s benefits.

The City of Charlotte is a drug and alcohol-free workplace.

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