Email Job to a Friend

Department: System Development
Reports to: Chief Strategy Officer
Status/FLSA: Full-time, Exempt
Salary Range: $78,000 - $85,000 Annually
Benefits: Competitive benefits package

SUMMARY
The Planning Manager advances the mission and goals of CAT through the development of thoughtful and technically sound plans and projects. The Planning Manager leads, directs and coordinates Agency’s planning activities, project development (up to A&E/design), develops and coordinates grant funded programs, researches and develops funding sources and strategies to accomplish Agency goals and objectives, prepares short, long and strategic plans for the Agency and ensures compliance with Federal, State and local regulatory requirements. Also, leads, directs and coordinates Agency’s planning and implementation of service changes, while assisting in the preparation of short, long and service plans and service-related reporting requirements for the Agency.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: The following duties are standard for this position. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the classification if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment for this classification.

• Develops projects and identifies programs, policies and funding strategies to deliver them, including grant funding, Public/Public and Public Private Partnerships (PPP).

• Prepares grant applications, reports, and amendments according to required formats and submits to applicable funding agency.

• Prepares reports, policies and documents to ensure the Agency complies with the various rules and regulations that are the conditions of receiving the grant funding.

• Responsible for the preparation and maintenance of reporting data used in the planning process, including data utilized for Transit Improvement Plans (TIPs) and five-year capital improvement programs.

• Responsible for leading and conducting significant planning projects and studies such as strategic plans, short and long-range service plans, zero emission bus deployment plans and various other planning projects as needed.

• Works with private and public agencies such as Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPO) Federal Transit Administration (FTA), school districts, private businesses, developers, etc., to accomplish the objectives of the Agency.

• Represents Agency at various public meetings as required.

• Responds to requests and gives presentations to the Board of Directors, public, various advisory groups and other local, state, and federal agencies as required.

• Assists with the Agency budget preparation and the development of funding strategies.

• Leads the development of the annual service plan and the annual Transit Development Plan (TDP).

• Leads the analysis and evaluation of operational and financial data to assess transit service performance.

• Leads the development of recommendations to best match transit service supply and demand and optimize the transit network to maximize ridership within the operational and financial constraints and goals of the Agency. This includes design of route and/or schedule and stop changes system-wide for incorporation into Agency plans and budgets.

• Responsible for coordinating agency-wide implementation of three service changes per year (plus any special changes as required), for both directly operated and contracted services, including schedule changes, route changes, the associated optimum vehicle and operator scheduling and rostering, and the production of all required documentation to support the operator bidding and daily operations and fleet maintenance functions, as well as coordination with Marketing for the dissemination of relevant information to staff, riders, and the community. Must also coordinate the provision of GTFS file and ITS database for each service change from the ITS vendor.

• Directs the analysis of bus stop (and associated amenities) placement, usage and operations in accordance with the Bus Stop Design Guidelines Manual.

• Develops plans for a safe, efficient, and effective network of bus stops across the Agency’s service area.

• Responsible for the preparation and submittal of required transit operating data reporting, including National Transportation Databases (NTD) and APTA, as well as leads the preparation, submittal, and follow-up review of the Agency’s NTD annual report.

• Responsible for leading and conducting significant planning projects and studies such as Strategic Plans, Comprehensive Operational Analysis, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Triennial Title VI update, and CAT’s Service and Bus Stop Design Guidelines.

• Oversees the review and analysis of responses to transit service-related customer service comments.

• Leads planning related tasks to support the transition to zero emission buses.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION:
Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in planning, business, public administration or a related field; Master’s Degree is preferred.

EXPERIENCE:

• Five (5) years of relevant experience in transportation planning or urban planning, preferably in public transit.

• Three (3) years of management/supervisory experience or an equivalent combination of training and experience. Familiarity with transportation systems is highly desirable.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience working in the public transportation industry

• Comprehensive knowledge of public transit operations

• Project Management Experience

• Experience identifying and making customer experience improvements

• Experience developing and analyzing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Experience participating on committees and making Board presentations,

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE & DUTIES
Thorough knowledge of the principles, standards, and practices of transportation planning and modelling, and comprehensive knowledge of transit service along with statistical research methods, policy development, and strong research methods and techniques.

• Excellent analytical, budgeting, verbal and written communication skills for preparing reports and making presentations to decision makers and the ability to deal tactfully and effectively with employees, the general public, governmental officials, professional and technical persons as well as making presentations at public meetings.

• Sound judgment and highly developed management, organizational and interpersonal skills as well as problem-solving skills related to analytical and quantitative methods.

• Thorough understanding of the relationship between land use and transportation.

• Understanding of how active transportation interacts with transit.

• Skill and experience in complex analytical and/or modelling procedures, and cost-benefit analyses.

• Ability to manage complex, multi-disciplinary projects and to carry out special studies completed in a timely fashion.

• Knowledge of applicable Federal, States and Local laws, rules and regulations related to transit including National Transit Database (NTD), Americans with Disabilities Act of 1992, and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

• Experience working with municipal and regional transportation issues including coordinated planning through a Metropolitan Planning Organization.

• Knowledge of fiscal and human resources policies and legislation/regulations regarding safety, employment, etc.

• Knowledge of FTA grant programs such as 5307, 5303, etc., as well as experience working with the FTA grant portal TRAMS.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS – Ability to read and comprehend instructions and write full reports and correspondence for the public and for a technical audience. The ability to effectively present information one-on-one and in small group situations to customers, clients, and other employees of the organization is necessary. English required, additional language capacities are an advantage.

REASONING SKILLS – Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of operational variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

COMPUTER SKILLS – Knowledge of basic office equipment and personal computers. Familiarity with software programs such as Microsoft Office, to include Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, etc. Experience working with specialized transportation, and/or Geographic Information System (GIS) software is an advantage.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS – AICP, PE or PMP or equivalent designations would be preferred. Researches, assembles, analyzes and presents data. Initiates and directs system-planning studies to improve transit services. Develops service strategies involving new types of service, operating approaches, and technologies.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES – Directly supervises Planning Staff including hiring/termination, planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems.

DISCLAIMER STATEMENT: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so qualified. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an “at will” employment relationship.

EXTERNAL APPLICANTS - APPLY ONLINE at www.catchacat.org and click on the Careers link to complete the application process for the position.

INTERNAL APPLICANTS - APPLY ONLINE through the Employee Self Service and login with your credentials to complete the application process.

EOE M/F/D/V

A drug-free workplace