Principal Planner, Active Transportation—Planning, Policy & Partnerships

Under the supervision and direction of the Assistant Director, Active Transportation & New Mobility, specific assignments and responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following: 

Plan/Policy Development and Updates

• Develop or update major active transportation plans including, but not limited to, the MTC Regional Active Transportation Plan, MTC Regional Active Transportation (AT) Network and the Bay Trail Gap Closure Implementation Plan (BTGCIP)
• Manage and update MTC’s Complete Streets Policy and Checklist
• Oversee compliance and evaluation of MTC’s Complete Streets Policy and Checklist
• Implement actions identified in MTC’s Active Transportation Plan 
• Support internal coordination for MTC’s Transit-Oriented Communities Policy, Vision Zero, Transit Priority Policy, and the regional Active Transportation Program

• Participate in select local, state, and regional active transportation project or policy-level working groups
• Advance pedestrian and bicyclist data collection, count studies and standardization
• Convene MTC’s Active Transportation Working Group (ATWG), comprised of local agency partners, public health professionals, transportation advocates, and private sector participants from the transportation and mobility sectors

Bay Trail Planning & Coordination

• Conduct Bay Trail outreach and partner engagement and respond to Public Information Requests
• Update the Bay Trail Strategic Plan, Bay Trail Equity Strategy, and Bay Trail Needs, Operations & Maintenance Assessment (NOMA)
• Lead new Bay Trail planning efforts including, but not limited to, Sea Level Rise & Adaptation Planning for the Bay Trail and multi-modal trail access studies
• Lead Bay Area Trails Collaborative (BATC) coordination and Friends of the Bay Trail group

• Manage a variety of large, complex, and high-visibility projects, initiatives, strategies, and studies related to assigned area of responsibility
• Research, strategically identify, and pursue available active transportation funding sources to underwrite projects to close key active transportation and trail gaps
• Conduct research on a wide variety of topics, evaluate alternatives, make sound recommendations, and prepare effective technical staff reports
• Prepare work program authorizations, scopes and funding plans, including allocating and balancing resources using staff and consulting services
• Lead, coordinate, and confer with local agencies and other jurisdictions on active transportation and trails policy development, joint studies, funding agreements and grant applications related to active transportation and trails
• Prepare talking points, briefings, presentations, or other communications materials for executives
• Evaluate team progress on programmatic work and deliverables
• Participate in grant program evaluations such as Regional Measure programs and regional Active Transportation Program
• Lead the preparation, evaluation, and monitoring of the annual work element budget

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES

Knowledge of:

• Principles, practices and techniques of active transportation and trails policymaking, planning, design, and development;
• Best practices, guidelines, and standards for street design including, but not limited to, NACTO and AASHTO;
• Understanding of design, economic, environmental, and other factors which impact active transportation and trails project planning and implementation;
• Principles and practices of program development, implementation and evaluation;
• Principles and practices of research, data collection, data analysis and interpretation, and report preparation;
• Relevant Federal, State, and local policies, procedures, rules, codes, and regulations governing transportation planning & engineering, including environmental impact assessment and related regulatory processes;
• A strong understanding of policy and program approaches to advance a fair, just, and inclusive transportation system; 
• Principles and practices of budget preparation, public sector procurement, contract negotiation, and administration.

Skills and Abilities

• Plan, direct, select, supervise, train, motivate and evaluate the work and performance of professional and technical personnel and consultant teams;

• Excellent management and decision-making skills as applied to the development, analysis and evaluation of programs, policies, and operational needs of the agency;

• Effective written and verbal communications skills to support the preparation and presentation of transportation plans, studies and reports in a clear and concise manner for diverse audiences—including excellent presentation and public speaking skills;
• Independently organize and manage competing priorities and simultaneous projects involving cross-functional project teams in an effective and timely manner and in a fast-paced working environment, occasionally delivering on short timelines;

• Builds and maintains effective, positive and harmonious working relationships with a variety of internal and external stakeholders, community groups, government agencies, and the general public related to assigned functions, programs, and/or projects;
• Analyze, interpret, summarize, and present administrative and technical information, data, and recommendations in an effective manner;

• Entrepreneurial spirit and strong leadership aptitude to encourage, motivate, inspire, and challenge colleagues and partners to equitably enhance walking and biking in the Bay Area for all ages and abilities;

• Strategic and political acumen, tact, initiative, prudence, and independent judgment to quickly assess risks and opportunities and to navigate working with elected officials.