About Urban

Careers
Benefits and Opportunities

Supporting Work-Life Balance

Urban is committed to supporting the physical, emotional, and financial well-being of our staff through a robust benefits package that includes the following:  

  • generous paid time off, including nine federal holidays  

  • medical (including prescription), dental, and vision insurance and access to a health advocate 

  • health care and dependent care flexible spending accounts 

  • employer-paid group life and disability insurance  

  • 403(b) retirement plan participation immediately upon hire, and generous employer contribution after six months of service and 500 hours, with immediate vesting 

  • one-on-one retirement planning advice  

  • wellness programs, including personal finance coaching and an Employee Assistance Program 

  • twelve weeks paid parental leave benefit

  • educational assistance for undergraduate and graduate degree programs 

  • pretax transportation and parking options  

  • telework  

  • free on-site gym 

  • bicycle parking 

Delivering Continuing Learning and Development

We provide numerous learning programs, resources, and professional development opportunities to our staff throughout the year, including in the following topics: 

  • research methods and tools, including ArcGIS, Stata, R, SAS, community engaged methods, and statistical methodologies 

  • communications strategies, including data visualization, media relations, and storytelling 

  • proposal development, fundraising, and building bodies of work 

  • supervision, management, and leadership  

  • diversity, equity, and inclusion 

  • budgeting for projects and proposals 

  • leveraging internal systems, including JAMIS Prime, Salesforce, and Workday  

Providing Pathways for Growth and Advancement

Urban’s compensation philosophy reflects a total rewards approach grounded in competitive pay, comprehensive benefits, meaningful work, workplace flexibility, and staff advancement and recognition. Our well-defined career ladder demonstrates job titles, different positions, and how employees can move up and/or across the organization—as well as what skills and knowledge are required to do so. This structure provides a clear and transparent foundation for all Urban employees to grow, advance, and be rewarded for their contributions.  

Advancing Workplace Equity and Inclusion

We offer opportunities for Urban staff to find support and camaraderie, and to voice concerns about and solutions to diversity, equity, and inclusion issues at Urban. These include a mentorship program and our trusted advisors—staff members who provide a safe space for colleagues to seek guidance on workplace concerns and experiences. We also provide the following affinity groups, which give employees opportunities to come together, celebrate, discuss, and reflect on their identities and interests: 

  • African American/Black 

  • Asian American and Pacific Islander 

  • Disability (employees with disabilities, and caregivers of and advocates for people with disabilities) 

  • International (foreign-born employees and those who identify as global citizens) 

  • Latinx 

  • Middle Eastern and North African 

  • Junior Staff 

  • Rainbow Alliance

  • Women at Urban