What are the responsibilities and job description for the Landscape Designer - Temporary position at City of Roanoke?
Description
The City of Roanoke is seeking a Temporary Landscape Designer to support park planning, design, and community engagement efforts this summer. This is a hands-on opportunity for students and recent graduates to gain practical experience working on real-world park improvement projects that enhance public spaces and benefit local communities. Reporting to the Park Project Manager, the Landscape Designer will collaborate with City staff and external design professionals on a range of exciting projects, including:
- Park Planning & Design – Assisting with individual park and system-wide master plans.
- Community Engagement – Supporting public outreach initiatives to gather input and foster community involvement.
- Project Development – Creating schematic designs for small park projects and environmental graphics for wayfinding, signage, and public communications.
This role offers exposure to a diverse range of projects, from in-river access points to skateparks to full-scale park master plans. Successful candidates will thrive in a collaborative environment, working alongside recreation and maintenance staff, residents, and other City departments. Applicants with interdisciplinary design backgrounds or experience in native plant design, community engagement, and strong graphic communication are especially encouraged to apply.
Responsibilities include developing schematic-level technical drawings in AutoCAD for small park improvement projects, designing signage graphics and mapping for park identification and wayfinding in collaboration with the Department’s GIS Specialist, and assisting the Parks Project Manager with public outreach efforts. This includes designing graphics and presentations, creating interactive engagement tools, and helping to facilitate public meetings. The role also involves conducting fieldwork to assess site conditions, evaluate project feasibility, and document existing conditions alongside the GIS Specialist, Trails and Greenways Coordinator, Landscape Management Coordinator, and Urban Forestry Coordinator. Other duties may be assigned as needed.
- Proficiency in AutoCAD, Adobe Creative Suite, and ArcGIS.
- Interest in community engagement and working with diverse neighborhoods.
- Strong graphic design skills for both presentations and environmental graphics.
- Knowledge of native plants and their use in landscape design.
- Effective time management and strong communication skills (verbal, written, and graphic).
- Currently enrolled in or recently graduated from a Landscape Architecture, Architecture, Urban Design, Urban/Environmental Planning, or related program.
- Ability to conduct in-person community engagement in Roanoke, VA (some evening and weekend work required).
- Remote work may be possible for certain tasks.
The City of Roanoke is an Equal Employment Opportunity/AA/M/F/Disability Employer.
To elevate the performance of the organization, we are committed to respecting, celebrating, and embracing the collective mixture of differences and similarities between our employees as a rich tapestry. Our behaviors will demonstrate open communication, and we will seek opportunities to learn, recognizing and rewarding actions that promote acceptance while suspending judgment. By doing this, we will foster an inclusive, open work environment that delivers excellent service and creates a more vibrant and inviting community.
This is a temporary position.
Typical Qualifications
Supplemental Information
LANGUAGE SKILLS
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret journals, reports, and documents. Ability to respond to inquiries orally and in writing. Ability to prepare and present news releases. Ability to effectively present information to management and public groups.
REASONING ABILITY
Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions and mathematical or diagram from and deal with several abstract and concrete variables
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to walk and sit. The employee is occasionally required to stand; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and reach with hands and arms. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include ability to adjust focus and the ability to identify and distinguish colors.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
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