interested in working with me?

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My consulting practice,
Jarrett Walker + Associates
, has won several consulting gigs for 2013, and is ready to grow just a tiny bit.

I'd like to hear from people who are either:

  • Interested in full-time employment based in Portland, or
  • Interested in assisting me on a subcontract basis.  These do not have to be based in Portland but there is some advantage to being in Portland, Seattle, the Bay Area or Los Angeles.  Scroll down for more on that.

In all cases, compensation is based on experience and salary history, or based on a subcontractor's stated billing rate.  

1.  Full-Time Employment

Full-time employment will likely look like one of these:

  • Associate Planner.  This person, based in Portland, would take on a range of analysis and planning roles while also assisting with administrative and logistical support.  Over time it could grow into full-time planning but in the early stages we will not have much clerical or administrative staff, so you must be ready to pitch in with whatever needs to be done.  This role could be anywhere from entry-level (Masters preferred) to up to 3 years professional, and/or academic experience.  Enthusiastic BAs who can show some relevant experience and skills will also be considered.  Essential skills include English fluency, strong personal organization, resourcefulness, quantitative analysis skills in Excel, and an ability to convey ideas clearly in writing.  Highly desirable skills include GIS and spatial analysis generally, ability to write for both general and technical audiences, and demonstrated skills with graphics including both mapping and explanatory graphics.
  • Senior Associate.  This person, based in Portland, has all the skills listed above plus a either (1) a Masters in a relevant field (planning, design, or engineering) and over 3 years professional experience in transportation planning and/or policy or (2) five years of such experience.  This person is very well-organized and an excellent manager, able to monitor scope, budget, and deadlines and manage more junior staff and subconsultants.  You already have a range of skills that make you marketable as a transit consultant, and are capable of winning some projects based on those skills combined with me in a project director or oversight role.

2.  Subcontracting

Subcontracting would take the form of part-time but committed roles assisting me with various tasks.  ("Committed" means that our agreement imposes deadlines, requires a certain minimum degree of availability, prohibits you from disappearing in the middle of a task, and may include a non-compete clause, but otherwise leaves much room for flexibility in how work is done.)  Subconractors are capable of self-direction and can accurate commit to the time and materials required for various tasks.  I am especially interested in subcontractors who can help with:

  • Graphics of a high presentation quality designed to engage and enlighten a general audience, such as you would expect of an artchitecture or design firm.  These would include both informative maps and compelling visual explanations.  This person should be comfortable with GIS (as a common data source) as well as more artistic graphics programs, and should have a portfolio of clear, engaging and exciting graphical explanations of ideas and/or choices.
  • Quantitative analysis of transit issues using Excel (including graphs), GIS, and other relevant software you may propose.
  • General transit planning, which requires both quantative and qualitative skills plus good writing skills and an understanding of transit issues demonstrated in past work.  It is also very, very helpful if you have experience interacting with general decision-makers and the public, and also with professionals in adjacent fields such as transportation policy, urban design, and traffic engineering.

How to Express Interest

1.  Take the time to understand my work a little, and think about how your own values and experience relate to that.  At the very least, read the introduction to my book and explore my professional website.  Obviously generic or find-and-change applications will be ignored.

2.  Send me an email, using the link under my photo.  In the subject line, say "Employment" or "Subcontracting" and the position or area(s)  listed above that you feel you are qualified for.

3.  Don't write a lot in the email, because that material is a pain to organize and file.  Put your message to me in the cover letter.  

4.  Provide cover letter, resume, and work samples (including professional, academic or volunteer work) that you feel are most relevant.  If the work samples are not exclusively your work, explain what part of it is yours.

5.  In your cover letter, be sure to state the salary range or billing rate that you believe is appropriate.  If you're not sure, cite your most recent salary or hourly rate for similar work.  

6.  In your cover letter, state any limitations about your ability to travel for work.  If you are not in Portland, clarify if you are interested in moving there, now or in the future.  Again, a Portland location is not essential for subcontractors, but it is still a consideration.

I will start reviewing responses around February 1.  If you plan to respond, please do so by then!

Please forward a link to this post to anyone who might be interested!  Thanks!

6 Responses to interested in working with me?

  1. Ben Smith January 16, 2013 at 3:04 pm #

    Repost this in 12 to 18 months when I am finishing mummy degree in Urban Studies, and I will definitely be interested.

  2. Yulin January 17, 2013 at 9:14 am #

    Hi Jarrett,
    I’m from Brisbane, wondering if you have work to be done in Australia.
    Cheers.

  3. Ben Smith January 21, 2013 at 4:53 pm #

    *MY degree in Urban Studies! Stupid touch screen auto-correct, really came through when trying to make a professional impression…

  4. Andy McBurney February 4, 2013 at 8:20 am #

    Can you post a follow up on this? How many people applied? Did my application get through ok? Thank you.

  5. ludo king September 6, 2017 at 6:42 pm #

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  6. Gurgaon Companion February 14, 2018 at 1:43 am #

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