Senior Director of Land Use and Community Leadership

About the role

Urban Neighborhood Initiatives (UNI) is seeking a dynamic and collaborative Senior Director of Land Use and Community Leadership to lead community-driven planning, land stewardship, neighborhood development, and youth engagement initiatives throughout the Springwells Neighborhood in southwest Detroit, reporting directly to the Executive Director.

Responsibilities

• Provide oversight for the following programs and initiatives:
  • Southeast Urban Arts Mural Project (SUAMP)
  • Green Team
  • Southwest Food Cultivators (SWFC)
  • Engaged Leaders Initiating Tomorrow’s Education (ELITE)
  • Youth Advisory Board (YAB)
  • Land Use Plan
  • Community Organizing Plan
  • Land Stewardship Program
  • Volunteer coordination and event planning
  • Youth Climate Ambassadors
• Supervise: the Green Team Success Coach, the Southwest Urban Arts Mural Project Co- coordinator, the Southwest Food Cultivators Coordinator, UNI’s community organizers, and contractors and partners working with the land use and creative place-making programs
• Assess existing programs operating within the organization’s neighborhood and identify service deficiencies and opportunities
• Implement new opportunities identified by and resulting from community engagement or organizing processes
• Build relationships with government, non-profit and private sector partners as needed to successfully implement programs, particularly related to land use and economic development
• Work with consultants and non-profit organizations to attract and/or integrate new or improved services
• Generate resources for land use and creative place-making programs and activities through grant-writing and public relations
• Manage the 3 acres of land that is owned by UNI:
• Ecosystem Transformation (Pocket Forest & Habitat): Direct the botanical strategy to transition the bird, bat, and butterfly habitat into a native perennial meadow and a high-density, native micro-forest. Ensure the selection of multi-season blooming flora and native tree species that maximize urban canopy equity.
• Green Storm water Infrastructure (Rain Gardens/Barrels & Alleys): Implement the Land Use Playbook's flooding mitigation goals by selecting deep-rooted, hydric, and flood-tolerant native plants for specialized rain gardens, swales, and green alleyway beautification.
• Roadside Air/Water Filtration: Oversee a robust roadside vegetation program, selecting plants with high leaf-area density to create solid green barriers capable of filtering downwind vehicle pollution and managing neighborhood runoff.
• Youth-Led Agriculture & Land Management (SWFC & Green Team): Provide botanical and agricultural guidance to the Southwest Food Cultivator Coordinator and Green Team Success Coach.
• Administer the implementation of grants, generate reports and support data collection to ensure accountability and positive impact to our service area
• Staff the Property Development and Facilities Management Committee which may include creating the agenda and reporting the committee deliberations

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher with a major in community development, urban planning, or similarly related fields
• Applied Urban Ecology: Practical, verifiable knowledge of Michigan native flora, pollinator host plants, and aggressive urban weed profiles typical of fragmented clay-heavy Detroit soils
• Ecological Design Principles: Familiarity with low-impact design (LID), agroecology, or permaculture principles needed to manage diverse land assets (parks, forests, rain gardens, and community plots) without heavy chemical reliance
• Soil & Compost Dynamics: Understanding of urban soil remediation, soil microbiome health, and closed-loop community composting systems to support community garden fertility
• Five (5) years of experience in community development, urban planning, or similarly related fields
• Willingness to learn the principles and practices of urban planning, federal and state laws related to planning and urban development, municipal government organization and functions, language and format used in legal property records, neighborhood based planning techniques and policy formulation and analysis methods
• Experience in neighborhood development and community organizing
• Demonstrable skills in team building, supervision and leadership
• Able to work effectively with residents’ groups and people of all backgrounds (race, ethnicity, social-economic status, gender, sexual orientation, religion and disabilities)
• Commitment to best practices in youth development
• Have initiative, motivation and the ability to work toward the attainment of goals and objectives
• Demonstrable skills in written and verbal communication
• Knowledge of grant writing and grant implementation including managing grant budgets and grant related reports
• Must be willing to work flexible hours, including some evenings and weekend
• Computer proficiency including Zoom, Adobe, Microsoft Word, Excel, and other platforms. Have expertise in accessing Internet resources
• Driver’s license, insurance, and reliable transportation
• Familiarity with the Springwells neighborhood and its stakeholders
• Fluency in Spanish (preferred)

Benefits

• Paid Personal Time off (PTO) in accordance with UNI’s policy
• 13 holidays
• Competitive health benefits with employer contribution after 90 days of employment

Pay

$58,000 to $68,000

Schedule

Availability for extended hours during peak periods and attendance at evening and weekend meetings

Physical Requirements

Working outdoors and lifting 10 pounds

Environment

Availability for extended hours during peak periods and attendance at evening and weekend meetings. Exposure to inside and outside environmental conditions. The office is located in a smoke-free facility. Local travel and some out-of-town travel is required.

Additional Information

To Apply: Please send resume and cover letter to Christine Bell at HR@unidetroit.org.