Director, Equitable Economic Development

ABOUT US | HR&A Advisors, Inc. (HR&A) is an employee-owned company advising public, private, non-profit, and philanthropic clients on how to increase opportunity and advance quality of life in cities.

We believe in creating vital places, building more equitable and resilient communities, and improving people’s lives.

From Brooklyn to Los Angeles, we have guided hundreds of clients in transforming real estate and economic development concepts, and public infrastructure, first into actionable plans then into job-producing, community-strengthening assets.

Our clients include real estate owners and investors, hospitals and universities, cultural institutions and philanthropies, community development organizations and governments.

HR&A has offices in Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Raleigh, and Washington D.C. We come from diverse backgrounds, have a breadth of lived experience, and share a passion for cities. We are former city officials, executive directors, planners, lawyers, architects, and economists.

Hear more about the HR&A experience from our employees.

Learn more about careers at HR&A on our website.

THE WORK |HR&A’s Equitable Economic Development practice is focused on development, policy and planning that centers the needs of existing residents and businesses. Anchored in analytics, the Equitable Economic Development practice helps communities to understand market dynamics, pressures and opportunities. We pilot innovative community-focused approaches to replace the traditional analytic approaches that perpetuate inequality with knowledge, strategies and tools that empower low-income residents and businesses to build communities that resonate for them and help them benefit from the fruits of public investment and urban transformation. We craft policies that support wealth building, equitable participation in the workforce and housing stability.

We are focused on building relationships within the public, non-profit and philanthropic sectors to identify opportunities and build HR&A teams that are both excited and committed to empowering communities. Our teams become experts working alongside communities and institutions to develop and implement innovative, equitable approaches, strategies, and tools.

ABOUT YOU |

At least 8 years of relevant work experience, including working with public sector leaders and/or community-based organizations at the city, county, state, and/or federal level. At least two years of experience supervising teams and significant projects.

Knowledge of the issues confronting California cities and local stakeholders; with additional emphasis for candidates that bring demonstrated creditability and network within a specific field of community, economic development, or economic justice.
Proven leadership abilities marked by being innovative, collaborative, decisive; and possess a reputation for getting things done.
Strong quantitative expertise in real estate, finance, and or economics and the ability to interpret technical analysis to serve our clients, including an understanding of its limitations and commitment to innovate with new approaches.
Strong interpersonal skills that reflect honesty, integrity, respect, inspiration and teamwork
Strong communication skills, including the ability to inspire confidence and passion with both internal and external audiences
Strong budgeting and financial management skills
Ability to “manage up”, while giving honest and direct advice to advance firm and practice initiative
Strong facilitation and presentation skills before multiple types of audiences
Experience with complex stakeholder and project management
Patience, a sense of humor, humility, and willingness to be a leader to build the Equitable Economic Development practice as an intellectual and professional home within the firm.

THE ROLE | HR&A Advisors is seeking a strong project manager to join our Los Angeles office and help build our Equitable Economic Development practice. Competitive candidates will bring 8 years of experience in a field that intersects with urban policy and planning, deep history and strong industry connections in California or a specific field of community development, economic development or economic justice, and an understanding of the interrelated systems that perpetuate racial disparity and inequitable economic development. The Director, Equitable Economic Development will manage projects, build trusting and productive relationships with clients and stakeholders, and find creative ways to be of service to a diverse list of clients. The Director will support the development of Partner Judith Taylor’s work in equitable economic development and equitable transit-oriented and real estate development, anti-displacement strategies, and wealth generation. The Director will support authentic community and stakeholder engagement, lead analytic assessment and strategy development to help determine and provide knowledge of the economic tradeoffs related to development and policy to better empower the community.

We welcome candidates who crave impact and thrive in mission-driven, stimulating environments.

At HR&A, Directors manage multiple projects and business development efforts concurrently. Project timelines and scopes are highly variable at HR&A and often span between several weeks and several months, with Directors managing multiple projects at any given time. They will be responsible for:

Creating project work plans,
Managing project budgets,
Directing the analytical work of project teams,
Ensuring the quality and timeliness of deliverables,
And developing productive working relationships with clients.

Responsibilities of the Equitable Economic Development Director will also include:

Working for and with Partner Judith Taylor to support the growth, strategy, and priorities of her Equitable Development Practice.
Work with staff to support the development of skills to help them learn the methodologies and approaches involved with equitable development and upend traditional approaches to economic development consulting.
Represent HR&A and the Equitable Development practice externally at events, professional associations, and in networks.
Engage in internal firmwide activities that advance HR&A’s commitment to Anti-Racism.
Train and mentor staff across the firm, including in multiple offices.

EXPERIENCE REQUIRED | We are looking for candidates with management and leadership experience in the public, private, or non-profit sector, who bring deep curiosity about the challenges facing cities today, and a passion for equity and systems change.

Successful candidates:

Possess ability to lead teams and projects while navigating multiple stakeholders and deadlines.
Can produce sophisticated quant analysis towards equitable economic development, equitable transit-oriented and real estate development, anti-displacement strategies, and wealth generation.
Possess exceptional critical thinking skills, a deep curiosity about the challenges and opportunities of economic opportunity, quality of life, and the built environment, and a commitment to proactively address and advance racial justice, equity, and anti-racism.
Have a deep understanding of the social, political and economic context of the Los Angeles region or other regions in California.
Bring a strong background and/or foundation in economic development, community development, real estate analysis, public policy, city government, real estate analysis or nonprofit management as an important reference point for our work.
Bring experience in consulting or comparable client-facing functions in a relevant field and/or a leadership setting within an economic development, local government agency, or social justice-focused organization such that they can demonstrate ability to manage multiple projects at one time in ways that are impactful, adaptive, persuasive.
Experience managing fast-paced, collaborative project teams of 3-6 members; (experience managing multiple teams or projects simultaneously a plus)
Possess substantial writing and presentation skills, sufficient poise for direct client interaction, and mentorship capabilities.
Are ambitious and creative about new ways in which our firm’s knowledge and expertise can be deployed.

COMPENSATION | The salary range for this position is $126,500 to $143,500. We offer competitive compensation packages, based on qualifications and experience.  We are an employee-owned company, meaning you will have the opportunity to benefit from the firm’s growth over time through participation in our Employee Stock Ownership Plan. Each year, the firm will contribute funds to this long-term wealth-building account and may make contributions to other retirement accounts. We also provide a comprehensive benefits package that goes well beyond coverage of 90-95% of healthcare premiums, and dental and vision coverage.

HOW TO APPLY | HR&A is committed to attracting and retaining a talented, diverse, competitive team of professionals dedicated to solving the challenges of urban life. Women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ community, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply.

Please submit a cover letter and resume as a single PDF document (maximum of 2 pages) online at https://hraadvisors.applytojob.com/apply/. Applications without a cover lever will not be reviewed.

We ask that you submit a version of your resume that has your school information removed. There is no need to reformat your resume, and you should leave your degree (e.g. “B.A. Communications”). But please remove all undergraduate and graduate school name references. This request is part of our ongoing work to build a hiring system that is free from bias and based on candidate merit and performance in the hiring process.

All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to their race, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, marital status, medical condition, veteran status or any other basis as protected by federal, state, or local law.

For more information, please contact us at jobs@hraadvisors.com.