Principal – Inclusive Cities

ABOUT US |   HR&A Advisors is an employee-owned advisory firm working at the intersection of government, philanthropy, and the built environment to advance equitable growth and quality of life in cities.  

Over the past decade, HR&A has increasingly partnered with city governments, public authorities, and philanthropic institutions to address some of the most complex challenges facing urban communities—ranging from economic recovery and housing affordability to public finance, governance reform, and community wealth-building. Our work helps public leaders translate policy goals into implementable strategies, align capital with public purpose, and deliver outcomes that matter in people’s daily lives.  

Across the U.S. and internationally, we support public-sector clients and their partners—community-based organizations, anchor institutions, and mission-aligned private capital—at moments of transition and opportunity. HR&A has offices in Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Raleigh, Washington D.C., and the Bay Area. Our team includes former city officials, public-sector executives, planners, economists, lawyers, and development professionals who bring lived experience inside the institutions we advise.  

Hear more about the HR&A experience from our staff.    

Learn more about careers at HR&A on our website here.     

THE PRACTICE | HR&A’s Inclusive Cities practice works with cities, counties, philanthropies, and community partners to translate community priorities and political opportunity into durable systems change. Leveraging analytic rigor and meaningful community engagement, we work with partners inside and outside of government to disrupt traditional economic development processes, build greater political power for marginalized communities, increase public accountability, and institutionalize mechanisms for more just and equitable cities. 

A growing focus on our Inclusive Cities practice focused on ending the homelessness crisis. Wesupport local government leaders to make bold changes to how homelessness is governed, helping to launch and design significant new prevention and re-housing programs, and building robust new performance oversight systems that allow local government leaders to better understand needs and more effectively direct public investment to programs that are working. We also directly support community organizations to design programs, policies, and financing approaches that will help end homelessness for specific populations. 

THE ROLE | HR&A is seeking a Principal in our Los Angeles office or Remote with a once a month travel require to the Los Angeles Office to play a critical role in serving clients in our Inclusive Cities practice and helping to grow our work to prevent and reduce homelessness. We are seeking candidates who have played a leadership role in local government, specifically those who have designed new systems, strategies and approaches that better meet the needs of community members who have historically been left out or left behind; successfully navigated the local government budget and legislative processes; and managed complex, multi-partner implementation.  

The Principal will: 

• Run complex projects for our clients inside and outside of government; 

• Help expand our work  to new cities and counties across the country; and, 

• Contribute to the firm’s overall culture and impact. 

While a Principal’s scope varies based on focus areas, the expertise they bring, and business cycles, a Principal typically leads 4–8 concurrent projects; manages 2–10 staff and external subconsultants per engagement; works directly with organizational leaders, mayor’s offices, and agency leadership to guide strategic decision-making; and leads or co-leads proposals that generate new work and expand HR&A’s brand recognition. Project examples include helping a City design, implement, and measure the impact of a new program or strategy intended to prevent or reduce homelessness; helping a newly-elected City or County leader to translate their campaign promises into implementation plans and recruit the talent they need to deliver on community priorities; advising a philanthropic partner on how to structure a significant new investment strategy to help local governments better understand and deliver on community priorities; and conducting a cost effectiveness analysis of a region’s investments in homelessness response.   

The right candidate will also bring a desire to leverage their own networks and experiences to design new projects and help new clients see the ways in which we can help them promote economic justice, collaborative governance, housing security; and responsive service delivery in their communities.   

Principals are considered leaders within the practice and the firm and are also expected to contribute to our collective knowledge and mentor younger staff.  

This role is an opportunity to do urgently needed work in cities and counties across the country. 

WHAT YOU WILL DO:  

• Serve as the day-to-day project lead for public-sector, philanthropic, and non-profit clients, ensuring work is grounded in political, fiscal, and operational realities. 

• Lead complex client engagements from scoping through delivery, managing budgets, timelines, and multidisciplinary teams to produce clear, actionable analyses and support implementation that will improve how homelessness response is delivered. 

• Translate policy goals into executable strategies, including program design, governance frameworks, capital strategies, and implementation roadmaps. 

• Oversee rigorous analysis and deliverable production, maintaining high standards of clarity, accuracy, and usefulness for senior decision-makers. 

• Manage and mentor project teams, providing direction, feedback, and support while fostering a culture of rigor, inclusion, and respect. 

• Engage directly with senior public-sector and philanthropic leaders, supporting decision-making through developing structured options and implementation-focused guidance. 

• Actively support business development by cultivating client relationships, contributing to proposals, and identifying opportunities aligned with the Inclusive Cities practice and its growing focus on ending homelessness. 

• Help define the direction and priorities of HR&A’s work to end homelessness, including refining methodologies, strengthening public-sector advisory capabilities, and supporting HR&A’s growth. 

EXPERIENCE REQUIRED | 

• 12+ years of relevant experience.  

• Leadership experience in government, in which you have led program design and implementation, with a strong understanding of local government operations, budgets, and decision-making processes. 

• Expertise in policymaking in homelessness response; physical and behavioral health systems; criminal legal system reform; workforce development, etc.  

• Demonstrated track record of effectively engaging public-sector leaders, philanthropy, community-based organizations, and civic institutions and helping partners move toward a specific goal. 

• Experience navigating local government’s political, regulatory, and operational processes to move work from ambition to implementation. 

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to evaluate trade-offs and design actionable strategies. 

• Excellent writing and presentation skills, tailored to policymakers, funders, and institutional leaders. 

• Experience engaging communities in trust-building, non-extractive ways. 

• Demonstrated commitment to racial and economic justice, collaborative leadership, and public service. 

• Graduate degree in public policy, law, or related fields preferred   

HYBRID WORK POLICY | HR&A fosters a collaborative and flexible work environment through our hybrid work policy. Employees work from the office at least three days a week, which allows individuals the freedom to balance their professional and personal lives while maintaining a strong connection to their teams. For remote employees, in-office attendance expectations will be determined at the discretion of studio management based on business and team needs. 

COMPENSATION | The annual base salary range for this position is between $155,600 and $184,260. 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 cover letter 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].