General Information
Senior Planner
DEPARTMENT: Planning & Development
REPORTS TO: Director of Planning & Development
CLASS: Administration
JOB SUMMARY
Under general direction, plans, organizes, and participates in the most complex and difficult work of professional transportation planners related to the development of transportation plans, studies, projects, and programs for the BJCTA and its member agencies; plans, develops, implements, and manages complex planning projects; directs the work of a major planning program; develops and completes technical assessments, written project analyses, and performs highly complex technical writing and organization assignments, including presentations to the BJCTA board, committees, and outside parties; provides professional advice and assistance to the public on transportation planning projects, studies, and programs; completes applications for grants; provides highly complex professional assistance to the Director of Planning, Executive Director, and the public in areas of expertise; performs related work as required.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS
1. Plans, organizes, and participates in a wide range of routine to highly complex transportation plans, programs, projects, and studies.
2. Serves as project lead on transportation planning and development projects, which includes overseeing application and plan review, coordination with project applicants and agencies, background research, environmental review, preparation of public notices and staff reports, scheduling meetings and hearings, and monitoring project implementation to verify conformance with approved plans, grant conditions, and mitigation measures.
3. Manages, reviews, and presents complex transportation planning studies; conducts site and policy background research to obtain information for the preparation of staff reports, correspondence, memoranda, policy and procedure documents, and presentations to management or governing bodies; reads, interprets, analyzes, and explains a wide variety of technical documents, studies, and practices, and performs highly complex technical writing and organization assignments.
4. Participates in the development of policy recommendations, implementing actions and financial estimates; coordinates the budgetary oversight of transportation funding requirements to local jurisdiction.
5. Conducts service performance financial effectiveness analysis on system, route, service level, trip, segment, and stop levels to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of the current service network.
6. Compiles information for a variety of studies and reports; researches, analyzes, and interprets transportation, social, economic, population, and land use data and trends; develops and implements recommendations; prepares written reports on various Senior Planner transportation planning matters; develops, implements, and administers major portions of the countywide transportation plan.
7. Researches, collects, records, analyzes, interprets, and summarizes statistical and demographic information; prepares spreadsheets and establishes and maintains a comprehensive database.
8. Prepares staff reports, presentations, project information and status, and program financial information to various committees, community groups, and professional organizations about BJCTA’s transportation projects and programs.
9. Maintains data sources along with timely and accurate monthly and annual reporting for National Transit Database (NTD) reporting for Fixed route, paratransit, and Bus Rapid Transit.
10. Assists with Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) and Economic Development initiatives.
11. Assists with the planning and conducting of passenger surveys.
12. Develops and implements long- and short-term program initiatives and plans.
13. Performs other duties similar in nature and level as assigned.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
Supervision: None.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Education and Experience:
Bachelor’s degree/Master’s degree in Urban Planning/Public Administration, and any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be:
Equivalent to graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with major coursework in transportation, urban, or regional planning, transportation/traffic engineering, or a closely related field and five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in transportation and/or transit planning or professional experience in planning, zoning, and related activities, or two (2) years of experience equivalent to an associate transportation
planner. Experience with complex technical writing and organization assignments and the development of presentations is required.
Certificates and Licenses:
➢ Possession of, or ability to obtain, a valid Alabama Driver’s License by time of hire.
➢ Certification from the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) is desired. BJCTA will support planners seeking AICP certification.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES
1. Knowledge of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and ability to use for land use planning and analysis as well as ability to prepare, analyze, and interpret spatial data.
2. Knowledge of planning theories, principles, and practices relating to transit projects.
3. Knowledge of travel demand forecasting models and application in transit ridership forecasting and analysis.
4. Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, PowerPoint, and database programs such as Access and Excel spreadsheets
5. Ability to use analytical and statistical techniques and software such as SPSS to draw and present clear and informative conclusions from data.
6. Organize and prioritize a variety of projects and multiple tasks in an effective and timely manner; organize own work, set priorities, and meet critical time deadlines.
7. Knowledgeable of CAD/AVL and how it works.
8. Ability to present information to executive management, public groups, and/or board of directors.
9. Ability to apply descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing, contingency tables, regression, optimization demand elasticities, and gravity model as a part of transportation service analysis.
10. Knowledge and application of survey design principles, implementation, and analysis.
11. Ability to establish and maintain effective professional working relationships with external and internal entities.
12. Knowledgeable of Transit Planning Software systems.
13. Theories and methods related to transportation planning, travel forecasting and capacity, environmental issues, and implementation strategies.
14. Grant application, preparation, and administration.
15. Knowledgeable of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).
16. Ability to work a flexible schedule.
BJCTA is a Drug-Free/Smoke-Free Workplace and an Equal Opportunity Employer.
