Location: Wheaton, MD

Transportation Planner III/II

Salary: $67,614.00 - $121,955.00 Annually

Closing: 5/29/2023

Description
Are you a passionate transportation planner with a desire to impact future generations? If so, the Montgomery County Planning Department is where you want to be! We are currently seeking an experienced, motivated, and thoughtful Transportation Planner II/III with strong transportation and master planning experience to join one of the nation's premier planning agencies and help shape Montgomery County for the 21st century. As part of the Downcounty Division, which covers the land area in Montgomery County inside the Beltway, this position is an opportunity to solve problems unique to the most urban parts of Montgomery County, such as planning comfortable bike infrastructure, increasing pedestrian comfort/accessibility, planning for bus rapid transit, and developing new approaches to getting around our communities safely and efficiently!

Montgomery County Planning Department is part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC). For 95 years, M-NCPPC has had a national reputation for excellence in planning, and today serves a culturally diverse population of over one million people on the border of Washington, D.C. in Montgomery County. We provide county-wide planning functions including long range planning, as well as reviews of development applications in diverse built environments of downtown urban districts, suburban communities, and agricultural areas. We have pioneered nationally modeled programs in agricultural preservation, inclusionary housing, and transit-oriented design. To learn more about who we are and what we do, we encourage you to watch this brief video here and visit our website at www.montgomeryplanning.org.

The selected candidate must have strong oral and written communication skills, experience preparing and presenting master plan transportation recommendations for difficult and complex planning projects, prioritizing competing deadlines, and communicating directly on technical transportation planning and land use issues with a diverse group of constituents, such as county residents, development teams, public officials and other County and State agencies. Basic technical knowledge should include best transportation demand management practices, a thorough understanding of Vision Zero principles and strategies, long-range multi-modal planning experience, and the ability to read and interpret roadway design, land use plans and master plans, and traffic studies. Fieldwork and meetings outside of core work hours are required.

Examples of Important Duties

• Develops recommendations to expand and enhance roadways, bikeways, trail and pedestrian facilities, and transitways, while applying multimodal and Vision Zero planning principles, through master plans.
• Coordinates and conducts transportation field observations, analyzes data, and conducts research to develop transportation recommendations for master plans;
• Coordinates with incorporated municipalities, county and state transportation agencies, such as the Montgomery County Department of Transportation, the Maryland State Highway Administration, and the Maryland Transit Administration, and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
• Participates in community meetings and explains transportation issues and recommendations to the public;
• Serve as an internal expert on panels, committees, and task forces and may propose planning and transportation policies and updates to sector and master plans or the county’s Comprehensive Plan in response to a variety of complex transportation policy and land-use issues;
• Assess transportation related impacts for a multimodal review of existing conditions for long-range planning, including adequacy of transportation circulation and network, transit, pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicular safety, and compliance with the County's regulations;
• Prepare detailed reports, presentations and staff reports on recommendations for sector and master plans, transportation projects/initiatives, multimodal policies, among others; Represent the Department's positions at public hearings before the County Council and the Montgomery County Planning Board; and
• Respond to inquiries from the general public on local and regional transportation questions and concerns.
• Prepares will-written, accurate, concise, and clearly understandable reports and other documents.

As the Transportation Planner II, you will perform the duties above, with assistance from peers and your supervisor. The Transportation Planner II will have some experience drafting master plan recommendations, possess general knowledge of the master plan and regulatory processes, will be familiar with reviewing transportation studies, but will likely require more supervision and feedback to complete tasks.

As the Transportation Planner III, you will perform the duties above, but more independently and under more general direction. The Planner III will be expected to lead development of the transportation section with recommendations for master plans, including coordination with Planning Department staff and staff from county and state transportation agencies for technical and policy analyses and decisions. In addition, the selected candidate will have considerable experience drafting master plan recommendations, possess proficient knowledge of the master plan and regulatory processes, experience reviewing transportation studies, and considerable experience and knowledge in multi-modal and Vision Zero planning and design principles.

Minimum Qualifications
Planner II:
Bachelor’s Degree in Transportation, Planning, Geography, Architecture, Parks and Recreation, Urban Design, Engineering, Environmental Science, Public Policy, Economics or any related field. Two (2) years of progressively responsible professional level planning experience related to specific area of assignment such as transportation planning An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted, which together total four (4) years. Valid driver’s license (depending on area of assignment) in accordance with both State and Commission rules and regulations. Driver’s license must be unencumbered by restrictions, revocations, suspensions, or points that could limit the employee’s ability to drive Commission vehicles or perform driving duties required by the position of assignment.

Planner III:
Bachelor’s Degree in Transportation, Planning, Geography, Architecture, Parks and Recreation, Urban Design, Engineering, Environmental Science, Public Policy, Economics or any related field. Four (4) years of progressively responsible professional level planning experience related to specific area of assignment such as transportation planning or urban planning. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted, which together total eight (8) years. Valid driver’s license (depending on area of assignment) in accordance with both State and Commission rules and regulations. Driver’s license must be unencumbered by restrictions, revocations, suspensions, or points that could limit the employee’s ability to drive Commission vehicles or perform driving duties required by the position of assignment.

How to Apply
All applicant must submit an application to www.mncppc.org/jobs for consideration.