Kounkuey Design Initiative (KDI) is a team of diverse urbanists—landscape architects, urban planners, communityorganizers, and engineers—united by our shared commitment to building equity, justice, and resilience incommunities through design. A BIPOC- and woman-led firm that was founded in 2006, KDI comprises 50 professionals working from four offices: Los Angeles, Eastern Coachella Valley, Nairobi, and Stockholm.
Job Description
KDI is expanding its portfolio of landscape architecture and is seeking a Landscape Architecture Coordinator to join our growing team of 20+ staff in Los Angeles, CA. This is a great opportunity for a creative, highly motivated early career professional to work on exciting new projects to advance equity and support community-driven development. The position is based in our Los Angeles office, and will involve periodic travel to our projects in the Eastern Coachella Valley (ECV), and other areas of California. The Landscape Architecture Coordinator will work closely with the KDI’s Planning and Community teams, local low-income communities ofcolor, government officials, and other stakeholders to support a wide range of projects and types of work, such as:
- Equity-focused design of a wide range of sites, from vacant lots to large parks in L.A. and the EasternCoachella Valley
- Design, documentation, and construction of community parks, historic cultural sites, streetscapes,and ecologically significant sites.
- Research and project development on topics such as green schoolyards, gender equity, and climatechange adaptation in low-income communities of color.
- Community engagement, including helping to develop events, activities, and materials; and helping tomanage and facilitate in-person and virtual events.
Roles and Responsibilities
- Support the design of projects, including generating ideas and creating plans
- Create site renderings, illustrations, and 3D models for a variety of scales and design types
- Assist with CAD drawing set creation for schematic through construction documentation
- Facilitate meetings, workshops, and presentations with community stakeholders, ensuring inclusiveparticipation and feedback.
- Support KDI’s commitment to social impact by aligning project work with larger community needs anddevelopment goals.
Qualifications
- Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture
- 2-4 years experience with landscape architecture projects
- Comfortable leading or supporting community workshops
- Experience meeting deadlines, managing multiple tasks, and taking initiative to solve problems
- Strength in design communication, including graphic, written, verbal, and collaboration skills
- Strong commitment to social justice
- Excellent skills in Adobe CS, Rhino, and AutoCAD
- Driver’s license required; must be willing and able to travel by car to meetings, events, etc.
- Fluency in Spanish preferred
Location + ScheduleThis is a
salaried, full-time, in-person position (with flexible schedule options – 9/80 or traditional schedule).
Estimated start date: 2 March 2026
Salary: $75,000 to $80,000
Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, 401k with matching, Paid Time Off
How to ApplySend electronic copy of cover letter, resume, and work samples/portfolio to lajobs@kounkuey.org with Subject heading: Landscape Architecture Coordinator: Your Name
We are a woman-led, bipoc-led practice committed to recruiting and retaining a team that reflects thecommunities we partner with. We prioritize inclusion, transparency, collaboration, courage and rigor. All qualifiedapplicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their race, color, religion, ancestry, nationalorigin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status or medical condition (including AIDS, and cancer-related medical condition). We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminalhistories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of LosAngeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance.