Urban Planning Specialist – Ponce, PR

About the role

The Urban Planning Specialist will support the Puerto Rico Department of Housing’s Vacant Property Recovery (VPR) Program, working under the Senior Urban Planning Lead. Based in Ponce, the role focuses on developing planning strategies, conducting municipal assessments, and creating tools that enable the reuse of vacant and abandoned properties across Puerto Rico.

Key responsibilities

• Evaluate municipal processes, staffing capacity, policies, and planning procedures related to vacant property management.
• Research best practices in neighborhood revitalization and translate findings into actionable guidance.
• Develop planning tools, templates, guides, and technical resources for local governments.
• Lead stakeholder outreach, public engagement activities, workshops, and meetings.
• Conduct municipal interviews, site visits, and on‑the‑ground assessments.
• Prepare technical memoranda, reports, presentations, meeting summaries, and recommendations.
• Assist in creating training materials and capacity‑building resources for municipal staff.

Required profile

• Recent graduate or early‑career professional in urban planning, geography, public policy, or a related field.
• Strong interest in community development, property reuse, and federally funded planning programs.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to travel within Puerto Rico for site visits and workshops.

Required skills

• GIS