MNLA’s New York City-based practice is seeking Landscape Designers with 1-3 years of experience to join our team!

About MNLA:

MNLA advocates for connected communities and purposeful ecological design solutions through thoughtful place-making and inspired transformation of landscapes. Our award-winning 30-person landscape architecture firm has worked to reinvigorate, heal, and mediate places for over a quarter century. Current projects include public open spaces and plazas, shorelines and piers, cultural institutions and historic sites, and campus planning and design.

Required Skills:

We are seeking highly motivated, enthusiastic, and committed candidates that demonstrate the following skills:

• Undergraduate or Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture or a related field from an accredited program.
• Strong written, graphic, and verbal communication and presentation skills.
• A highly organized self-starter that can thrive in a team environment with the ability to coordinate and collaborate both internally and with consultant and client teams
• Fluency in AutoCAD, Adobe Creative Suite, Rhino and other 3d modeling and visualization software.
• Demonstrated ability in a range of design phases and workflows, including iterative concepts to documentation sets and technical development.  
• Familiarity with both remote and in-person work models  

Preferred Qualifications/ Skills:

• A passion for plant material and urban ecology
• Enthusiasm for working with both public and private clients designing public spaces
• An interest in community-based design process 

MNLA invests in its employees and offers a competitive salary based on experience, annual professional practice allowances for continuing education and licensure, health insurance and FSA, and a 401k/Profit Sharing Plan. Our team engages in active mentorship at all phases of design from concept to construction.

This is a full-time position based in person at our New York City office for immediate hire.

Compensation range shall be $75,000-$86,000, commensurate with experience. MNLA is an equal-opportunity employer.

Please click through and complete the linked application form, including upload of letter of interest, resume with three references, and portfolio. No phone calls please.

East Side Coastal Resiliency was recently honored as Best in Competition in the 2026 AIANY and ASLANY Transportation + Infrastructure Design Excellence Awards!

This awards program celebrates exceptional design in transportation and infrastructure architecture by architects, landscape architects, and planners across the United States.

MNLA is thrilled to celebrate this award with our collaborators who designed and developed this project together, under the leadership of NYC Department of Design and Construction:

• AKRF
• BIG
• Boomi
• CH2MHill
• Fitzgerald & Halliday
• Hazen & Sawyer
• Hardesty & Hanover
• KS Engineers
• Munoz
• OFTN
• One
• Siteworks
• Wesler Cohen

MNLA proudly announces the elevation of Alexis Gagné, Dan Yannaccone, Johanna Phelps, and Martha Desbiens to the role of Principal. This progression marks a significant milestone in MNLA’s ongoing evolution by reflecting the firm’s commitment to cultivating a collaborative, values-driven practice and advancing the next generation of design leadership.

“This elevation represents both continuity and renewal,” said Founding Principal Signe Nielsen. “Each of these talented leaders embodies MNLA’s core principles of transformation, inclusivity, and advocacy. Their elevation reflects years of dedication to our clients, our projects, and our people—and I couldn’t be more confident in their collective ability to guide MNLA into the future.”

Since joining MNLA, each played pivotal roles in shaping the firm’s portfolio and culture:

• Alexis Gagné, LLA, ASLA, known for her thoughtful approach to urban landscapes, has led numerous high-profile projects and continues to advance MNLA’s mission to enrich public life in shared spaces through design that balances form, function, and community impact.

• Dan Yannaccone, LLA, ASLA, WEDG,has over two decades of expertise in resilient site planning and ecological design, guiding complex landscape concepts to fruition.

• Johanna Phelps, RLA, ASLA, WEDG, has designed and directed some of the firm’s most notable campus and institutional projects, steering teams toward innovative, contextually grounded solutions across various geographic markets. 

• Martha Desbiens, LLA, ASLA, WEDG, has been instrumental in expanding MNLA’s academic and healthcare practice, integrating environmental performance and design excellence to support learning, wellness, and community connection.

The four new principals join Nielsen, Molly Bourne, and Rob DeMarco in leading MNLA’s next chapter, building on the firm’s decades-long foundation of design excellence. Together, their collective direction ensures stability across the firm’s project portfolio and empowers teams to deliver transformative, human-centered landscapes.

MNLA’s leadership model emphasizes its ongoing dedication to advocacy and transformation through design principles that have guided the firm for more than three decades and continue to shape its approach to creating meaningful landscapes that serve people, place, and the planet.

In appreciation for their achievements, The Garden Club of America (GCA) welcomes five new honorary members for 2026. Since 1916, the GCA has recognized the extraordinary achievements of more than 400 honorary members in the fields of horticulture or conservation, or whose knowledge and interests align with the GCA purpose. With appreciation for her achievements, the GCA welcomes MNLA's Signe Nielsen as a new honorary member.

Founded in 1913, the GCA is a nonpartisan, issue-oriented advocate for a beautiful, healthy planet. It is a nonprofit national organization recognized for its leadership in horticulture, conservation, creative arts, historic preservation, and environmental protection. Its mission is to bring its 199 member clubs together to cultivate the bond among people, plants, and the environment. GCA member clubs collectively include nearly 18,000 members who devote energy and expertise to projects in their communities and across the United States.

MNLA is proud to share the recent release of "Moving FiDi-Seaport Forward," a plan led by New York City Economic Development Corporation and the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice.

This major resilience initiative that is shaping New York’s future is a comprehensive, long-term strategy to protect nearly one mile of waterfront from The Battery to the Brooklyn Bridge.

MNLA is honored to contribute to an initiative of this scale and importance - one that helps safeguard our city and its future generations. Read about the plan here.