Architect - Planner

Overview

Director of Urban Design & Retail Planning – Streetsense – Place Consulting Team

Streetsense is seeking a visionary architect / planner to be the Director of Urban Design & Retail Planning to join our growing Place Consulting practice. This role is designed for a senior professional who can set the vision and framework for transformative mixed-use projects — someone who understands how buildings, public realm, and retail work together to shape thriving mixed-use environments.

You will lead complex, high-impact planning and design efforts for new mixed-use and adaptive reuse projects. Your focus: how to organize buildings, streets, and open spaces so that retail, residential, office, hospitality, and public life reinforce one another
.

The right candidate is fluent in both design fundamentals and real estate strategies, with a track record of working with developers and commercial real estate clients.

• Shaping the vision, planning, and design frameworks for people-centered mixed-use projects.
• Applying deep expertise in retail integration
  : sidewalks, storefronts, block and street structure, road sections, parking layouts, and the critical relationships between uses.
• Translating strategy into physical design guidance that ensures projects are not just well-planned, but viable and vibrant in the market
  .
• Leading multi-disciplinary project teams and serving as the strategic voice with clients, architects, and development partners.
• Mentoring junior staff, elevating the quality of design and planning deliverables.

The Ideal Candidate

• Background
  :
  Architect, urban designer, or planner with 10+ years in private sector real estate, particularly mixed-use development, urban infill, and large-scale master planning and urban design.
• Expertise
  :
  Strong grasp of building placement, block and street design, pedestrian experience, and retail-driven public realm.
• Strategic Lens
  :
  Understands not only how to design for the end user, but also how design drives tenant mix, leasing success, and long-term value
  .
• Communication
  :
  Able to clearly articulate vision to C-suite developers, architects, operators, and civic stakeholders.
• Leadership
  :
  Experience running teams and guiding projects from vision through entitlement and design guidelines
  .

This is not a community organizing or municipal planning role. We are looking for a candidate who brings development-side experience and an understanding of the realities of private-sector real estate decision-making.