Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for University Planner

🎯 Role Definition

The University Planner is a higher-education planning professional who leads and coordinates campus master planning, space and academic program alignment, enrollment and demographic forecasting, and capital project planning. The role requires strong analytical, communication and stakeholder engagement skills, experience with space inventory and GIS, and the ability to translate institutional strategy into actionable facility and space plans. University Planners work cross-functionally with academic units, facilities management, capital projects, enrollment management, and senior leadership to ensure the campus plan supports academic objectives, regulatory compliance, sustainability, accessibility, and fiscal stewardship.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Assistant Campus Planner, Space Analyst, or Facilities Coordinator supporting space audits and basic planning tasks.
Urban Planner, City/Regional Planner, or Land Use Analyst transitioning into institutional planning.
Campus Project Coordinator, Capital Projects Assistant, or Enrollment Data Analyst with experience in higher education.

Advancement To:

Senior University Planner or Lead Campus Planner with broader scope and budget authority.
Director of Campus Planning, Space Management & Capital Planning.
Associate Vice President / AVP for Facilities, Campus Planning, or Physical Plant.

Lateral Moves:

Capital Projects Manager / Program Manager for large construction and renovation initiatives.
Space Management Analyst or Academic Scheduling Manager.
Enrollment Management Analyst or Institutional Researcher specializing in planning and forecasting.

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead development, maintenance, and implementation of the campus master plan by coordinating cross-functional teams, facilitating long-range scenario planning, and ensuring alignment with institutional mission, enrollment strategy, and academic program priorities.
Conduct comprehensive space inventories, functional space assessments, and utilization studies (including ASF/NSF and room scheduling analysis) to produce actionable recommendations for reallocation, consolidation, or renovation of academic, research, and auxiliary spaces.
Prepare enrollment, demographic, and programmatic projections using quantitative models and trend analysis to identify future space needs and inform capital planning decisions.
Develop and maintain campus GIS layers, site plans, and mapping products to support land use analysis, site feasibility studies, circulation planning, and utility / infrastructure planning.
Manage and coordinate the capital planning process for academic and facilities projects by preparing project program statements, project cost estimates, phasing analyses, and priority lists for senior leadership and capital budgets.
Create and present visual master plan documents, renderings, diagrams, and narrative reports for trustees, executive leadership, academic departments, and community stakeholders to obtain input and approvals.
Establish and maintain space allocation policies, procedures, and governance frameworks, advising deans and department chairs on space requests, relocations, and classroom assignments.
Evaluate building condition, code compliance (ADA, fire and life safety), and infrastructure needs in partnership with facilities operations and architecture/engineering consultants to prioritize maintenance and renewal investments.
Facilitate stakeholder engagement and governance processes, including charrettes, workshops, departmental meetings, and steering committees to integrate user needs and operational constraints into planning outcomes.
Perform fiscal analysis and budget impact assessments for proposed capital projects and space reconfigurations, estimating operating, maintenance, and lifecycle costs and identifying funding options.
Coordinate academic program planning with provost offices to ensure that curricular growth, lab needs, and interdisciplinary initiatives are reflected in spatial strategies and capital requests.
Conduct feasibility studies for new facilities, satellite campus expansions, off-campus program sites, public-private partnerships, and adaptive reuse projects with a focus on cost, schedule, and regulatory constraints.
Track and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) such as room utilization rates, occupancy density, deferred maintenance backlog, and energy/sustainability metrics to measure planning outcomes against institutional goals.
Lead or support site selection and land acquisition assessments, including zoning review, environmental constraints, easements, circulation impacts, and neighborhood compatibility analyses.
Prepare and submit planning documentation required for regulatory approvals, state capital funding requests, and accreditation reviews, ensuring all deliverables meet institutional and external requirements.
Partner with sustainability and accessibility teams to integrate green building strategies, resilience planning, and universal design principles into campus projects and master planning efforts.
Oversee vendor relationships with architecture, engineering, surveying, and consulting teams, defining scopes of work, evaluating proposals, and managing consultant deliverables and budgets.
Maintain and improve planning data repositories and tools (space databases, scheduling systems, CMMS integration) to enable accurate reporting and faster decision-making across campus stakeholders.
Identify opportunities for process improvement in space management, capital project intake, and planning workflows and implement best practices to increase transparency and efficiency.
Monitor industry trends, higher education planning practices, and regulatory changes to advise leadership on strategic risks and opportunities that could affect campus planning and capital investments.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis to support decision-making across academic and administrative units.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap by advising on space and facility data standards and metadata governance.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements and to align planning outputs with IT, facilities, and scheduling systems.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team when working on planning tool enhancements or automated reporting.
Assist in grant writing, capital campaign planning, and funding proposal preparation by providing planning narratives, site plans, and cost/benefit analyses.
Provide training and guidance to departmental staff on space request processes, scheduling systems, and interpretation of planning reports and maps.
Support emergency planning and continuity of operations by maintaining evacuation assembly area maps, access routes, and alternate space plans for academic continuity.
Act as a liaison to municipal planning, transportation, and utility agencies to coordinate on campus-adjacent projects, right-of-way impacts, and public infrastructure improvements.
Coordinate minor project design reviews and evaluate proposed tenant improvements, signage changes, and wayfinding initiatives for consistency with campus planning goals.
Help monitor and report on sustainability certification efforts (e.g., LEED, WELL) and integrate certification requirements into project planning when applicable.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Campus master planning and strategic facilities planning methodologies, including program development and phasing.
Space inventory management and utilization analysis (experience with databases such as 25Live, Ad Astra, Space Management, or similar).
Enrollment forecasting, demographic analysis, and demand-driven space modeling using statistical tools.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) skills (ArcGIS, QGIS) for mapping, spatial analysis, and site feasibility.
Experience with CAD/BIM tools and drawings review (AutoCAD, Revit) to interpret design documents and coordinate space plans.
Project management and capital planning tools, including scheduling, cost estimating, and project delivery methods (design-bid-build, CMAR, design-build).
Data analysis and visualization using Excel, Tableau, Power BI, R, or Python to create dashboards and decision support products.
Knowledge of building codes, ADA accessibility standards, life-safety requirements, and sustainable building practices.
Familiarity with facilities management systems (CMMS), asset management, and lifecycle cost analysis.
Experience preparing regulatory submittals, state capital requests, grant documentation, and board materials.
Contract and consultant management, including RFP development, scope definition, and deliverable review.
Experience integrating sustainability metrics (energy modeling, carbon reduction strategies) into planning decisions.

Soft Skills

Strong communication and presentation skills; able to synthesize complex planning scenarios into clear recommendations for senior leadership and public audiences.
Effective stakeholder engagement and facilitation skills to manage competing priorities among academic, operational, and community groups.
Strategic thinking with the ability to connect long-range institutional goals to pragmatic, phased implementation plans.
High level of organization and attention to detail when managing multiple projects, deadlines, and reporting requirements.
Negotiation and influencing skills to advocate for planning priorities within shared governance environments.
Problem-solving mindset with experience in conflict resolution and consensus-building.
Adaptability and resilience in fast-changing higher-education environments facing budget constraints and evolving program needs.
Collaborative team player who can build cross-functional relationships with facilities, academic units, and external partners.
Ethical judgement and discretion when handling sensitive institutional data and confidential planning scenarios.
Customer-service orientation toward internal university clients, balancing technical rigor with responsiveness.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Urban Planning, Architecture, Civil Engineering, Landscape Architecture, Construction Management, Geography, Public Administration, or a closely related field.

Preferred Education:

Master's degree (MUP, MS in Urban Planning, Architecture, MBA with facilities emphasis, or similar) or advanced certification in higher education planning or facilities management.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Urban & Regional Planning
Architecture or Landscape Architecture
Civil/Structural Engineering
Construction Management
Public Administration or Higher Education Administration
Geographic Information Science (GIS)
Real Estate Development or Facility Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

3 to 8 years of professional planning or facilities-related experience, with increasing responsibility for complex projects and stakeholder coordination.

Preferred:

5+ years of progressive experience in campus planning, higher education facilities planning, or municipal planning.
Demonstrated track record of leading master plans, space inventories, capital requests, and enrollment-driven planning initiatives.
Professional certifications such as AICP (American Institute of Certified Planners), LEED AP, PMP, or equivalent are highly desirable.
Experience working within shared governance and academic environments, including interaction with faculty, deans, trustees, and government agencies.