What does an associate planner do?
The duties of an associate planner depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around performing research and analysis to develop suitable plans for a particular project, devising strategies to optimize procedures, and managing budgets and schedules. Moreover, an associate planner may also perform support tasks such as organizing and filing documents, reaching out to clients through calls or correspondence, arranging meetings and appointments, liaising with external parties, and updating databases, ensuring quality and accuracy.
Associate planner responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real associate planner resumes:
- Guide production planning activities ranging from developing and revising production schedules, forecasting trends and customer demand, and managing logistics.
- Prepare GIS maps of subject sites, existing land uses, and redevelopment potential within municipal boundaries.
- Direct inbound or outbound logistics operations, such as transportation or warehouse activities, safety performance, or logistics quality management.
- Enter activity codes in P6, validate information in P6 to ISO-to insure accuracy & accountability.
- Liaise with manufacturing and QA personnel to prioritize production line and final product testing.
- Develop the Primavera P6 project schedules to ensure the operational readiness of facility.
Associate planner skills and personality traits
We calculated that 8% of Associate Planners are proficient in Project Management, Gross Margin, and Historical Data. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Leadership skills, and Communication skills.
We break down the percentage of Associate Planners that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Project Management, 8%
Key contributor and project management leader involved with community planning initiatives, zoning matters, and professional presentations.
- Gross Margin, 6%
Assisted in the creation of sales plans for Inventory, Gross Margin and price adjustments through analysis of current market trends.
- Historical Data, 6%
Provided buying partners factual analysis based on historical data/trends while also presenting buying pattern information.
- GIS, 5%
Prepared GIS maps of subject sites, existing land uses, and redevelopment potential within municipal boundaries.
- Community Development, 5%
Served as the economic and community development coordinator for Wade Associates contracts.
- Regional Planning, 5%
Established interpersonal relationships with Department of Community Affairs & Regional Planning Council staffs, Code Enforcement Officers and Development Services personnel.
Most associate planners use their skills in "project management," "gross margin," and "historical data" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential associate planner responsibilities here:
Analytical skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for an associate planner to have is analytical skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "urban and regional planners analyze information and data from a variety of sources, such as market research studies, censuses, and environmental impact studies." Associate planners often use analytical skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "assist in housing element update and provide data to consultant to perform eir. "
Leadership skills. Many associate planner duties rely on leadership skills. "urban and regional planners must be able to manage projects, which may include overseeing tasks and planning assignments.," so an associate planner will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways associate planner responsibilities rely on leadership skills: "provided direction, focus and leadership to production control. "
Communication skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of associate planners is communication skills. This skill is critical to many everyday associate planner duties, as "urban and regional planners must be able to communicate clearly and effectively because they interact with colleagues and stakeholders, prepare research reports, give presentations, and meet with a wide variety of audiences, including public officials, interest groups, and community members." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "interpreted county regulations and assisted with the writing of the telecommunication plan and various community master plans. "
The three companies that hire the most associate planners are:
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Compare different associate planners
Associate planner vs. Urban design consultant
An urban design consultant is in charge of many projects, and so they have to oversee tasks and plan assignments. They are skilled in creating interior design solutions, space planning, sketching, and product selection. They have to analyze information and data gotten from market research studies and censuses. They also have to do presentations and prepare reports.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, associate planner responsibilities require skills like "project management," "gross margin," "historical data," and "regional planning." Meanwhile a typical urban design consultant has skills in areas such as "urban design," "landscape architecture," "cad," and "adobe photoshop." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Urban design consultants earn the highest salaries when working in the telecommunication industry, with an average yearly salary of $63,199. On the other hand, associate planners are paid more in the government industry with an average salary of $60,706.On average, urban design consultants reach higher levels of education than associate planners. Urban design consultants are 26.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Associate planner vs. Urban renewal manager
An urban renewal manager has a multitude of roles he/she performs in the organization he/she finds himself in. They conduct detailed economic and statistical analysis of market trends. They also develop initiatives to support pricing, brand positioning, and other marketing communications efforts. They may have to design and develop commercial strategic platforms for development planning. They may also need to hire and train new staff.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real associate planner resumes. While associate planner responsibilities can utilize skills like "project management," "gross margin," "historical data," and "gis," urban renewal managers use skills like "salesforce," "crm," "on-time closure," and "saas."
In general, urban renewal managers achieve similar levels of education than associate planners. They're 2.8% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Associate planner vs. Housing grant analyst
When it comes to planning an internship, an intern's duties will depend on the directives of supervising staff or a manager. Typically, an intern's responsibilities will revolve around performing clerical tasks such as processing documents, producing reports and presentations, responding to calls and correspondence, and managing schedules. There are also instances where an intern must share ideas and insights, attend meetings, maintain records, update databases, and assist staff in various tasks while under more experienced colleagues' supervision.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from associate planner resumes include skills like "project management," "gross margin," "historical data," and "gis," whereas a housing grant analyst is more likely to list skills in "provide technical assistance," "grants management," "affordable housing," and "appeals. "
Housing grant analysts earn the best pay in the education industry, where they command an average salary of $55,298. Associate planners earn the highest pay from the government industry, with an average salary of $60,706.When it comes to education, housing grant analysts tend to earn similar degree levels compared to associate planners. In fact, they're 0.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Associate planner vs. Planning internship
Types of associate planner
Updated January 8, 2025
