Principal, Inclusive Cities
Dallas, TX
Full Time
HR&A Advisors
Senior Executive
ABOUT US | HR&A Advisors, Inc. (HR&A) is an employee-owned company advising public, private, non-profit, and philanthropic clients on how to increase opportunity and advance quality of life in cities.
We believe in creating vital places, building equitable and resilient communities, and improving people’s lives.
From Brooklyn to Los Angeles, we have guided hundreds of clients in transforming real estate and economic development concepts, and public infrastructure, first into actionable plans then into job-producing, community-strengthening assets.
Our clients include real estate owners and investors, hospitals and universities, cultural institutions and philanthropies, community development organizations and governments.
HR&A has offices in Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Raleigh, and Washington D.C. We come from diverse backgrounds, have a breadth of lived experience, and share a passion for cities. We are former city officials, executive directors, planners, lawyers, architects, and economists.
Hear more about the HR&A experience from our employees.
Learn more about careers at HR&A on our website.
THE PRACTICE | HR&A’s Inclusive Cities practice translates the ideas of communities and their advocates into meaningful systems change within local government. Working with visionary clients from grassroots activists to elected city and county leaders, we leverage our deep understanding of government, knowledge of local and private economic forces, and analytical rigor to promote social and economic justice. We launch programs that center racial equity, advance social and economic justice, and inform policy. We work with local governments to define, evaluate, and implement processes and policies that actively promote inclusion and serve their constituents. We partner with communities so that they can be the most effective at using the levers available to them to make more equitable projects, neighborhoods, and cities.
To learn more about the Inclusive Cities practice and recent/current projects, visit https://www.hraadvisors.com/inclusive-cities/.
THE DALLAS OFFICE | The person in this role will work out of our Dallas office which is located in the East Quarter of Downtown Dallas. Opened in 2015, HR&A’s Dallas office anchors our services to diverse clients across Texas and the Southwest and has grown into a diverse and passionate team that collaborate with colleagues in Texas and across the country on some of the most consequential projects in the state and region. In just the last couple of years, HR&A has led or contributed meaningfully to the Texas Digital Opportunity Plan, implementation of the Ion Innovation District in Houston, visioning for Panther Island in Fort Worth, crafting of equitable TOD tools in Austin, real estate and innovation strategies for Dallas College, and analysis of the affordable housing gap in Dallas for the Child Poverty Action Lab. We serve public, private, and nonprofit clients across the state who are working to deliver some of the most creative, challenging, and transformative policies and projects.
The Dallas office is collegial, collaborative, and fun! You can read more about the first-hand experience of being part of HR&A’s team in Texas here.
ABOUT YOU | We are seeking a seasoned leader with experience managing significant initiatives that have strengthened a local government’s ability to address community needs to help lead projects within our Inclusive Cities practice, with a particular focus on deepening our impact in Texas and the Southwest.
The ideal candidate will bring:
The Principal will manage multiple projects in ways that support our clients in deepening the impact of their work; serve as a thought leader who supports the growth of the Inclusive Cities practice, with an emphasis on Texas and the Southwest; serve as a senior leader in the Dallas office, supporting and mentoring staff and building HR&A’s brand and presence in Texas; and build community so other employee-owners see the Dallas office and the Inclusive Cities practice as intellectual and professional homes within the company.
A core responsibility of the Principal will be managing the newest phase of HR&A’s long-standing engagement with the City of Dallas focused on developing the tools, systems, policies, and practices for City leadership and staff to implement the Equitable Economic Development Policy. Since mid-2021, HR&A has been working with executive leadership, elected officials, and staff across many departments to craft policies and programs, engage communities, and implement actions that advance the mission and vision of the Policy, which focused on addressing barriers to equitable development in Dallas. In 2024-25, HR&A’s work with the City is focused on historic and cultural preservation, housing tools and programs, small business and workforce capacity building, and community development functions. Contributing to our role as advisors and staff capacity, the Principal will manage day-to-day project delivery, client communication, and team coordination in close collaboration with multiple HR&A Partners and staff across several offices (including the Dallas office), engaging regularly with senior leaders inside and outside City Hall. Typically, Principals manage multiple projects and business development efforts concurrently. On each project, Principals are responsible for:
Responsibilities of the Inclusive Cities Principal in Dallas will also include:
COMPENSATION | The annual base salary range for this position is between $152,500 and $175,400. This role is also eligible for a discretionary year-end bonus. Where an offer falls inside this pay range is dependent on experience. We offer competitive compensation packages, based on qualifications and experience. We are an employee-owned company, meaning you will have the opportunity to benefit from the firm’s growth over time through participation in our Employee Stock Ownership Plan. Each year. The firm will contribute funds to this long-term wealth-building account and may make contributions to other retirement accounts. We also provide a comprehensive benefits package that goes well beyond coverage of 90-95% of healthcare premiums, including dental and vision coverage.
HOW TO APPLY | HR&A is committed to attracting and retaining a talented, diverse, and high performing team of professionals dedicated to solving the challenges of urban life. Women, people of color, members of the LGBT community, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply.
To apply, click here. Please submit your cover letter and your resume as a single PDF document. Applications without this requested cover letter will not be reviewed.
As part of our ongoing work to build a hiring system that mitigates bias and is based on candidate merit and performance, we ask that you submit a version of your resume and essay that has your school information removed. Please list your degree, e.g., B.A. Economics; however, remove all references to undergraduate and graduate schools you have attended.
All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to their race, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, marital status, medical condition, veteran status, or any other basis as protected by federal, state, or local law.
For more information, please contact us at [email protected].
We believe in creating vital places, building equitable and resilient communities, and improving people’s lives.
From Brooklyn to Los Angeles, we have guided hundreds of clients in transforming real estate and economic development concepts, and public infrastructure, first into actionable plans then into job-producing, community-strengthening assets.
Our clients include real estate owners and investors, hospitals and universities, cultural institutions and philanthropies, community development organizations and governments.
HR&A has offices in Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Raleigh, and Washington D.C. We come from diverse backgrounds, have a breadth of lived experience, and share a passion for cities. We are former city officials, executive directors, planners, lawyers, architects, and economists.
Hear more about the HR&A experience from our employees.
Learn more about careers at HR&A on our website.
THE PRACTICE | HR&A’s Inclusive Cities practice translates the ideas of communities and their advocates into meaningful systems change within local government. Working with visionary clients from grassroots activists to elected city and county leaders, we leverage our deep understanding of government, knowledge of local and private economic forces, and analytical rigor to promote social and economic justice. We launch programs that center racial equity, advance social and economic justice, and inform policy. We work with local governments to define, evaluate, and implement processes and policies that actively promote inclusion and serve their constituents. We partner with communities so that they can be the most effective at using the levers available to them to make more equitable projects, neighborhoods, and cities.
To learn more about the Inclusive Cities practice and recent/current projects, visit https://www.hraadvisors.com/inclusive-cities/.
THE DALLAS OFFICE | The person in this role will work out of our Dallas office which is located in the East Quarter of Downtown Dallas. Opened in 2015, HR&A’s Dallas office anchors our services to diverse clients across Texas and the Southwest and has grown into a diverse and passionate team that collaborate with colleagues in Texas and across the country on some of the most consequential projects in the state and region. In just the last couple of years, HR&A has led or contributed meaningfully to the Texas Digital Opportunity Plan, implementation of the Ion Innovation District in Houston, visioning for Panther Island in Fort Worth, crafting of equitable TOD tools in Austin, real estate and innovation strategies for Dallas College, and analysis of the affordable housing gap in Dallas for the Child Poverty Action Lab. We serve public, private, and nonprofit clients across the state who are working to deliver some of the most creative, challenging, and transformative policies and projects.
The Dallas office is collegial, collaborative, and fun! You can read more about the first-hand experience of being part of HR&A’s team in Texas here.
ABOUT YOU | We are seeking a seasoned leader with experience managing significant initiatives that have strengthened a local government’s ability to address community needs to help lead projects within our Inclusive Cities practice, with a particular focus on deepening our impact in Texas and the Southwest.
The ideal candidate will bring:
- Exceptional critical thinking skills, a deep curiosity about the challenges and opportunities involved in local governance, and a commitment to proactively address and advance economic justice and racial equity.
- Substantial project management experience, with at least 10 years of relevant work experience, with at least five of these years in a leadership role managing a team.
- Experience working on or leading fast-paced, collaborative teams, including scoping, structuring, creating, and reviewing deliverables, and producing high-quality, on-time results.
- Expertise in local government operations and policy, with an understanding of core local government functions (such as developing and adopting a budget, procurement, or regulatory authority) and how they impact communities, real estate projects, businesses, and other ‘clients’ of government, and how these functions can be improved to be more effective and equitable.
- Deep knowledge of one of the policy areas on which the Inclusive Cities practice focuses, with knowledge of effective practices that promote economic justice and racial equity within the policy area.
- A strong local network, with demonstrated creditability among regional public, philanthropic, business, and/or community-based organizations.
- Experience directly supporting executives and high-level decision makers, with a track record of developing analysis and recommendations to support them in making well-informed and impactful decisions.
- Fluency in how political and power dynamics shape policy outcomes, with experience working directly with community members and their advocates to inform local government’s policies and practices.
- Proven ability to lead teams and strengthen organizations, marked by being innovative, collaborative, decisive, and known for getting things done.
- Quantitative expertise and the ability to interpret technical analysis to serve our clients, including an understanding of data’s limitations and a commitment to using it to quantify the ways in which inequity persists in cities and to project the impact of new policies, programs, and projects.
- An understanding of the fundamentals of real estate, public finance, and/or community development, and the ways that public-private partnership, economic development tools, and other levers of government can influence projects in equitable (or inequitable) ways.
- Exceptional writing and communication skills, including the ability to build a persuasive argument and effectively engage internal and external audiences.
- Strong interpersonal skills that reflect honesty, integrity, respect, inspiration, and teamwork.
- Strong project-level budgeting and financial management skills.
- Patience, a sense of humor, humility, and willingness to be a teacher and learner within the company.
- Ambition and creativity about new ways in which our company’s knowledge and expertise can be deployed.
The Principal will manage multiple projects in ways that support our clients in deepening the impact of their work; serve as a thought leader who supports the growth of the Inclusive Cities practice, with an emphasis on Texas and the Southwest; serve as a senior leader in the Dallas office, supporting and mentoring staff and building HR&A’s brand and presence in Texas; and build community so other employee-owners see the Dallas office and the Inclusive Cities practice as intellectual and professional homes within the company.
A core responsibility of the Principal will be managing the newest phase of HR&A’s long-standing engagement with the City of Dallas focused on developing the tools, systems, policies, and practices for City leadership and staff to implement the Equitable Economic Development Policy. Since mid-2021, HR&A has been working with executive leadership, elected officials, and staff across many departments to craft policies and programs, engage communities, and implement actions that advance the mission and vision of the Policy, which focused on addressing barriers to equitable development in Dallas. In 2024-25, HR&A’s work with the City is focused on historic and cultural preservation, housing tools and programs, small business and workforce capacity building, and community development functions. Contributing to our role as advisors and staff capacity, the Principal will manage day-to-day project delivery, client communication, and team coordination in close collaboration with multiple HR&A Partners and staff across several offices (including the Dallas office), engaging regularly with senior leaders inside and outside City Hall. Typically, Principals manage multiple projects and business development efforts concurrently. On each project, Principals are responsible for:
- Working closely with the Partner to understand the client’s objectives and the context within which they work.
- Working closely with the Partner to define the opportunity for impact and proposed strategic and analytic approach to supporting the client.
- Developing proposals and pitch materials, and supporting the Partner in negotiating contracts, to solidify an agreement between the client and HR&A.
- Creating proactive work plans, onboarding project team members, developing assignments and supervising all of the project team’s work, and managing project budgets – all in service of delivering high-quality work that positions our client to make the impact they seek.
- Developing and maintaining strong partnership with the client, providing strategic guidance to support them in leveraging HR&A’s work to make the impact they seek.
Responsibilities of the Inclusive Cities Principal in Dallas will also include:
- Close partnership with Partners in the Inclusive Cities practice and in the Dallas office to support the growth and development of their work.
- Represent HR&A and the Inclusive Cities practice externally at events and in professional associations.
- Develop and manage tools and methodologies that support the growth of the Inclusive Cities practice and upend traditional approaches to economic development such that the company’s overall work and other practice areas are enriched.
- Engage in internal companywide activities that advance HR&A’s commitment to Anti-Racism.
- Train and mentor staff across the company, especially in Texas.
COMPENSATION | The annual base salary range for this position is between $152,500 and $175,400. This role is also eligible for a discretionary year-end bonus. Where an offer falls inside this pay range is dependent on experience. We offer competitive compensation packages, based on qualifications and experience. We are an employee-owned company, meaning you will have the opportunity to benefit from the firm’s growth over time through participation in our Employee Stock Ownership Plan. Each year. The firm will contribute funds to this long-term wealth-building account and may make contributions to other retirement accounts. We also provide a comprehensive benefits package that goes well beyond coverage of 90-95% of healthcare premiums, including dental and vision coverage.
HOW TO APPLY | HR&A is committed to attracting and retaining a talented, diverse, and high performing team of professionals dedicated to solving the challenges of urban life. Women, people of color, members of the LGBT community, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply.
To apply, click here. Please submit your cover letter and your resume as a single PDF document. Applications without this requested cover letter will not be reviewed.
As part of our ongoing work to build a hiring system that mitigates bias and is based on candidate merit and performance, we ask that you submit a version of your resume and essay that has your school information removed. Please list your degree, e.g., B.A. Economics; however, remove all references to undergraduate and graduate schools you have attended.
All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to their race, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, marital status, medical condition, veteran status, or any other basis as protected by federal, state, or local law.
For more information, please contact us at [email protected].
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