The Principal Planner performs highly complex professional planning duties in support of studies and projects, and serves as project manager for large-scale, complex studies and projects while leading teams of other professional staff and consultants.  These projects can include major capital expansion efforts through which Valley Metro utilizes the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Grant (CIG) program.  The Principal Planner will also serve as an Agency resource on land use planning and economic development.

Valley Metro is a Drug Free Workplace and an Equal Opportunity Employer.  

#Capital Investment Grant Programs #CIG #Planning #PublicTransportation #Transit #FTA

Minimum Qualifications & Requirements

 

• Bachelor's Degree in Geography, Urban Planning, Transportation Engineering, Sustainability, or a related field 
• Five (5) years of transportation planning experience
• Three (3) years of applicable experience/knowledge of the Federal Transit Administration Capital Investment Grant Program, and associated regulations and processes, including ADA and Title VI/Environmental Justice
• Three (3) years of land use and/or economic development planning experience
• Or an equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential duties listed

Desirable:

Master's Degree  
AICP designation

Human Resources reserves the right to call only the most qualified applicants to the selection process.
 
Background Investigation: 
Employment is contingent upon the results of a background check.  
 
Licenses and Certifications:
Valid Driver's License.

 

Examples of Duties / Knowledge & Skills

 

The statements listed below describe the general nature and level of work only. They are not an exhaustive list of all required responsibilities, duties, and skills. Other duties may be added, or this description amended at any time. 

• Serves as project manager for a variety of complex high-capacity transit projects (Preliminary Engineering and Environmental Phase of the project) and transit planning studies (feasibility studies and alternative analysis).
• Prepares and oversees the preparation of FTA’s CIG readiness items and project rating templates. 
• Provides guidance on land use planning principles surrounding existing high-capacity transit and planned future corridors.
• Assists the Agency in economic development evaluations and reporting as related to high-capacity transit projects.
• Requires thorough knowledge of the Federal Transit Administration Capital Investment Grant Program, and associated regulations and processes, including ADA, and Title VI/Environmental Justice.
• Writes scopes of work and independent cost estimates for projects.
• Supervises complex work of consultants, and other transit planning staff; may supervise student interns or junior level staff.
• Reviews and approves invoices and monitors budgets. Performs complex analyses, evaluation of findings, and identification of significant or controversial issues.
• Prepares requests for proposals, project reports, board memos and white papers of a highly complex nature.
• Develops staff recommendations on complex projects.
• Leads and represents the agency in efforts to align agency service and projects with community needs.
• Provides highly complex planning data to other divisions and departments, making decisions about how date is most appropriately used.
• Designs methods for ensuring accurate data are integrated into agency planning activities.
• Provides complex financial analyses and estimates costs related to plan implementation.
• Attends meetings, serves on committees; makes complex presentations and proposals to internal agency staff, technical working groups, member agency committees; supports and leads public meetings as needed.
• Prepares and relays complex agency information at public meetings; presents reports for review and action to applicable committees and the Board of directors.
• Facilitates public input processes, summarizes and reports feedback and makes recommendations for incorporation of feedback.
• Serves in a leadership role to project planning teams comprising other Valley Metro staff, local government staff and consultants.
• Requires basic knowledge of NEPA and associated requirements.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

 

Knowledge of:

• Capital planning principles
• Transit planning principles and practices
• Land use planning principles and practices
• Economic development planning principles and practices
• GIS concepts
• Federal Transit Administration Capital Investment Grant Program(s), associated regulations, and processes including ADA and Title VI/Environmental Justice 
• Statistical, data and financial analysis principles and methods
• Survey methods
• Report preparation methods
• Public and stakeholder involvement techniques
• Customer service principles
• Reading and interpreting maps and plans
• Environmental concepts and principles
• Land use concepts and principles
• Detailed knowledge of regulations and laws governing public transportation
• Detailed knowledge of federal and state grant programs for public transportation
• Transportation modeling techniques
• Principles of economic development
• Principles of transit-oriented design
• Principles of project management

Skill in:

• Conducting complex transit studies and research
• Analyzing, evaluating, and identifying complex transit issues
• Providing positive customer service and issue resolution techniques
• Writing to preparing a variety of business correspondence and reports
• Work is performed with considerable independence within established policies, procedures and practices. 
• Using a computer and related software applications
• Developing and making complex presentations
• Speaking in public
• Coordinating activities between multiple departments
• Communicating in order to interact with coworkers, supervisor, and the general public at a level sufficient to exchange or convey information and to receive work direction.
• Comprehending and solving complex transportation problems
• Compiling highly complex data, analyzing findings and identifying highly complex issues
• Reviewing and providing feedback on plans and reports
• Intermediate GIS skills preferred
• Identifying, developing and performing complex capital/facilities, service or environmental planning
• Supervising and monitoring the complex work of consultants
• Basic supervisory skills
• Managing projects
• Preparing transportation models

 

Physical Demands / Work Environment

 

Physical ability to perform office and related work, including operating computers and stamina to sit for extended periods of time; vision to read printed materials; and hearing and speech to communicate in person or over the telephone. Accommodations may be made for some of these physical demands for otherwise qualified individuals who require and request such accommodations.
 
Sedentary Work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally and all other sedentary criteria are met.

About Valley Metro

Founded in 1983, Valley Metro was created to build and operate a regional public transportation network; in 2008, Valley Metro Rail opened with 20 miles, the largest light rail starter line in FTA history. The agency is led by two Boards of Directors consisting of elected officials from 19 cities and towns, as well as Maricopa County, who sets the policy direction of the organization. We are supported by 400 employees, and thousands of contractors and financed by local, regional and federal funds, fares, and advertising. We serve 34 million riders on fixed-route bus and rail in FY23. Across a 525 square mile service area, Valley Metro provides 40 million revenue miles via 100 bus routes, 30 miles of light rail, three miles of streetcar and 280 vanpools. We are also building 20 more miles of transit, totaling $3 billion, to create a 50-mile high capacity transit system by 2030.

Connections working at Valley Metro