Research Assistant Jobs in Ponce, PR (NOW HIRING)

The Opportunity:
Tetra Tech is currently seeking an experienced Senior Urban Planning Lead to serve as the technical leader for a transformative planning and capacity-building initiative supporting the Puerto Rico Department of Housing's (PRDOH) Vacant Property Recovery (VPR) Program. This federally funded effort aims to assist municipalities and other participating entities in addressing vacant and abandoned properties through strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, policy development, and implementation of sustainable revitalization strategies.
Why Tetra Tech:
At Tetra Tech, we are Leading with Science to solve the world's most complex challenges.  Our industry-leading experts in engineering and consulting are committed to driving positive change in communities around the world.  For over 50 years, we have been at the forefront of innovation and sustainability.  Today we stand as a market leader, offering cutting-edge solutions in water, environment, energy, and international development.  Our work has improved more than 625 million lives around the world.

Your Impact:
Join Tetra Tech to make a real difference.  Our work leverages cutting-edge technologies, advanced analytics, and the expertise of world-class scientists and engineers to create meaningful change around the world. Discover your full potential - join us to advance your career while leaving a lasting legacy.

Position Summary:
The Senior Urban Planning Lead will provide overall technical leadership for planning-related activities, guide multidisciplinary teams, and work directly with municipal officials, community stakeholders, legal advisors, environmental specialists, and program leadership to develop practical solutions that strengthen local capacity and support neighborhood revitalization efforts throughout Puerto Rico. The selected candidate will play a critical role in assessing municipal processes, developing planning tools and implementation frameworks, creating standardized toolkit resources, and supporting the delivery of technical assistance and training programs.

This position requires a strategic planner with demonstrated experience in urban and community planning, vacant property initiatives, public-sector planning programs, and federally funded projects. The successful candidate must possess exceptional analytical, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills as well as the ability to translate complex planning concepts into actionable recommendations for local governments and community partners.

Essential Job Functions: 
The following duties are considered essential to the role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions:

• Lead the development of planning strategies related to vacant and abandoned properties. 
• Direct municipal capacity assessments, planning analyses, and implementation evaluations. 
• Develop planning tools, templates, workflows, and technical guidance documents.
• Oversee the creation of the VPR Toolkit Model and implementation strategies.
• Support stakeholder engagement, outreach activities, workshops, and training initiatives. 
• Coordinate with legal, environmental, GIS, compliance, and community engagement specialists. 
• Prepare and review technical reports, presentations, recommendations, and program deliverables. 
• Provide subject matter expertise regarding neighborhood revitalization, land reuse, and community development best practices.
• Support compliance with HUD, CDBG-DR, and applicable Puerto Rico planning requirements.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Urban Planning, Community Planning, Geography, Public Administration, Public Policy, Architecture, or a related field. 
• Minimum seven (7) years of professional experience in urban planning, community development, land use planning, housing programs, municipal planning, or related fields. 
• Experience supporting federally funded programs, including HUD, CDBG-DR, CDBG-MIT, FEMA, or other grant-funded initiatives. 
• Experience supporting planning projects for local governments, public agencies, nonprofit organizations, or community development initiatives.
• Experience preparing technical reports, planning documents, policy recommendations, presentations, and stakeholder-facing materials.
• Knowledge of planning principles, land use regulations, community engagement practices, and neighborhood revitalization strategies. 
• Experience facilitating meetings, workshops, stakeholder engagement activities, or public outreach efforts. 
• Strong analytical, research, organizational, and problem-solving skills. 
• Ability to manage multiple assignments and coordinate with multidisciplinary teams. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. 
• Fluency in English and Spanish, including the ability to prepare professional documents and presentations in both languages. 
• Ability to travel throughout Puerto Rico as required and participate in in-person and virtual meetings.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in Urban Planning, Community Planning, Public Administration, Public Policy, Geography, or a related field. 
• Ten (10) or more years of progressively responsible planning experience. 
• AICP certification or eligibility for certification. 
• Experience with vacant and abandoned property initiatives, neighborhood revitalization, land banking, code enforcement, housing rehabilitation, or recovery planning programs. 
• Familiarity with Puerto Rico municipal operations, permitting processes, land use regulations, and public-sector governance. 
• Experience developing planning toolkits, implementation frameworks, standard operating procedures, guidance manuals, or technical assistance resources. 
• Experience delivering training and capacity-building programs for municipalities or public-sector entities. 
• Knowledge of GIS platforms, spatial analysis, and data-driven planning methodologies. 
• Experience coordinating multidisciplinary teams that include legal, environmental, GIS, engineering, housing, and community engagement professionals.

Physical Requirements: 
All candidates must be in Puerto Rico to be considered for the position.

Work Environment / Environmental Factors: 
This is a remote position with intermittent travel to participate in community meetings or outreach activities on island.

Compensation: 
The salary range for this position is $105,000 - $120,000 (depending on experience). The base salary range represents the low and high end of the compensation scale for this role. Actual salaries will be determined based on location, experience, responsibilities, and qualifications.

Additional Information:

• Employment Type: Full-time (contingent upon award)
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 9AM-5PM (no expected overtime)
• Travel Requirements: 5%-10% (for community engagement meetings)
• Work Location: Puerto Rico (San Juan, Guaynabo, Ponce)