Starr Whitehouse – an award-winning urban planning and landscape architecture firm based in New York City, Atlanta, GA and Hudson, NY – seeks an experienced planner/urban designer with strong graphics and communication skills to manage an ambitious public engagement and resilience portfolio. This position will be based in our New York City office with an anticipated salary range of $95–$130k, depending on candidate experience. Starr Whitehouse’s current projects address climate change, urban design, streets and public spaces, resiliency, park design, open space equity, and multifamily housing. We collaborate with internationally acclaimed architects and engineers and foster a creative, energetic atmosphere that is challenging to team members and attentive to quality of life. We are looking for a senior urban designer to work with and lead project teams throughout the office – conceptualizing urban projects, communicating design ideas visually, verbally, and in writing to a variety of audiences, and creating clear, compelling project deliverables. This position will involve planning and implementing public engagement strategies for a variety of project types, so familiarity with urban systems, governance, and development processes in New York City and beyond is helpful. The role will periodically support design production for public space, parks, and landscape architecture projects.
Required Qualifications: • Degree in Urban Design, Landscape Architecture, Architecture or related field • 3–15 years of professional experience with design of the urban environment
Skills: • Ability to independently conceptualize project deliverables, conduct urban design analysis, create planning frameworks and schematic design, produce urban design graphics, and create and edit presentations (Adobe Suite). • Strong verbal, written and visual storytelling skills. • Exceptional urban design and spatial planning skills. • Project management, including team coordination, project planning and scheduling.
Additional Specializations to Tell Us About: • Mapping and data analysis (ArcPro, PostgreSQL, R, Python) • Climate analysis (Climate Studio, Ladybug, etc.) • 3D modelling and visualization (Rhino, Lumion, Grasshopper)
This is a full-time, in-office position with an option for some remote working days. Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k), commuter benefits, and paid holidays. Starr Whitehouse is an equal opportunity employer and invested in diversity, equity, and inclusion. Please apply with a cover letter, resume, portfolio under 10mb, and a writing sample no more than 500 words to jobs@starrwhitehouse.com with Senior Urban Designer_Your Name in the subject line. No phone calls please.
Starr Whitehouse is a landscape architecture, planning, and urban design firm with offices in New York, Atlanta, and Hudson. Our mission is to shape beautiful and resilient civic spaces that connect people to nature and each other.
Rooted in a proud tradition of public service, our practice is built on engaging stakeholders to deliver spaces that truly serve the people who use them. We bring energy and creativity to the challenge of finding what is genuine and sustainable — a challenge that starts with recognizing the strata of natural systems, physical organization, social systems, regulations, history, and culture that come together in a location. From this base, recommendations and designs emerge through consensus-building and inspiration. From waterfronts, parks and streetscapes to campus plans and green infrastructure, we combine civic vision, design excellence, and ecological intelligence to create places where people thrive.
Since its founding in 2006, Starr Whitehouse has been trusted by governments and communities to deliver projects that reflect shared aspirations. Whatever geography we work in, our team enjoys partnering with local experts and leaders on visionary, buildable environments that create social, environmental, and economic value for all.
