Planning Manager

Lane Transit District • Eugene, OR

5d • Hybrid

About The Position

Under general direction of the Senior Director of Mobility Planning and Policy, the Planning Manager is responsible for leading a team of planners in the development and implementation of LTD's planning and policy agenda. This position manages a broad portfolio spanning long-range transportation planning, service planning, service policy, and interagency coordination. The Planning Manager serves as a senior subject matter expert and project director for major planning initiatives, tracks and programs updates to state and federally-mandated planning and policy documents, oversees consultant and contract management, and represents the District in regional and statewide planning forums.

Requirements

• A bachelor's degree in planning, public administration, or a related field from a recognized college or university.
• A minimum of three (3) years of related transit project management experience, or five (5) years of public sector experience managing planning studies/projects.
• Project management experience required with demonstrated experience at effectively managing complex, large-scale public projects.
• A minimum of three (3) years of supervisory or team lead experience.
• Microsoft Office Suite: Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint
• HASTUS or similar scheduling optimization software
• Remix or related geospatial visualization and analysis tools
• Transit Master (Bus Operations, Route Manager, Playback, Survey Tool, TM Planner)
• Power BI, Crystal Reports, and SQL
• GIS and spatial analysis tools
• Project management tools and document management systems
• Knowledge of Principles and practices of long-range transportation and transit planning, including federal and state planning requirements and funding programs.
• Knowledge of Transit service planning and scheduling methods, including operational and capacity analysis.
• Knowledge of Public sector management, including budget development, staff supervision, and organizational leadership.
• Knowledge of Federal and state transit regulations and compliance requirements, including Title VI, ADA, and NTD.
• Knowledge of Regional and statewide transportation planning processes and intergovernmental coordination.
• Ability to Lead and motivate a team of professional planners across complex, concurrent work programs.
• Ability to Track and manage a multi-project portfolio, balancing regulatory deadlines, organizational priorities, and team capacity.
• Ability to Provide meaningful technical oversight across both long-range planning and day-to-day service planning functions.
• Ability to Synthesize technical analysis and policy considerations into clear recommendations for senior leadership and the Board of Directors.
• Ability to Build and sustain effective partnerships with jurisdictional partners, consultants, and community stakeholders.
• Ability to Manage competing priorities and adapt to shifting organizational needs while maintaining quality and accountability.
• Ability to Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, to diverse technical and non-technical audiences.

Nice To Haves

• A master's degree in planning, public administration, or a related field from a recognized college or university.
• Demonstrated experience directing long-range planning processes, including managing consultants and facilitating public and stakeholder engagement.
• Direct experience in transit service planning, including scheduling, bid management, and service change implementation, sufficient to provide technical oversight of a service planning team.
• Experience in a public transit agency or metropolitan planning organization environment.
• Familiarity with FTA and ODOT regulatory requirements, including Title VI, NTD, and grant compliance.

Responsibilities

• Supervise, develop, coach, and evaluate a team of planners setting performance expectations, providing ongoing feedback, and supporting professional development.
• Assign and manage workload across team members to ensure effective execution of the department's project portfolio.
• Promote a collaborative, high-performing team culture consistent with LTD's organizational values.
• Participate in hiring, onboarding, and retention of Planning department staff.
• Maintain a current inventory of the Planning team's active and upcoming projects, ensuring appropriate resource allocation, schedule management, and alignment with organizational priorities.
• Track regulatory update cycles and compliance deadlines for state and federally-mandated planning and policy documents, and program the team's work accordingly.
• Coordinate with the Senior Director to sequence and prioritize the project portfolio in response to funding opportunities, Board direction, and interagency commitments.
• Ensure planning projects are executed in compliance with applicable federal and state requirements, including FTA, FHWA, and ODOT program requirements.
• Monitor federal and state regulatory developments affecting transit planning and policy compliance, and brief the Senior Director on implications for the team's work program.
• Serve as Project Director for major planning initiatives, overseeing scope, schedule, budget, stakeholder engagement, and consultant performance.
• Lead or coordinate the preparation of major planning documents, corridor studies, and service development frameworks in alignment with LTD's strategic direction.
• Represent LTD in MPO, regional, and statewide planning processes, including those related to the Regional Transportation Plan and related federal and state planning requirements.
• Coordinate with jurisdictional and agency partners on transportation and land use planning matters affecting transit.
• Provide direct oversight and technical leadership for the Service Planning team, currently consisting of two Senior Service Planners, with anticipated growth to three positions.
• Apply firsthand knowledge of transit service planning principles and methods to guide day-to-day work, review technical products, and ensure quality and consistency across service planning deliverables.
• Oversee the team's scheduling and bid management work, including operator and vehicle needs analysis, bid preparation, and implementation of operational service changes.
• Ensure timely and accurate execution of FTA-required service and fare change analyses, including Title VI equity analyses and triennial program submissions.
• Oversee management of bus stop and service infrastructure, including coordination with jurisdictional partners on stop placement and infrastructure issues.
• Support the integration of service planning work into broader planning and policy processes, including long-range planning, budget development, and Board reporting.
• Coordinate with Operations, Fleet, Finance, and Marketing to ensure service planning work reflects operational capacity and organizational priorities.
• Represent LTD on technical and policy committees at the regional, state, and national levels.
• Build and maintain effective working relationships with elected officials, planning directors, and senior staff at partner agencies.
• Lead or support grant development efforts, including identifying funding opportunities, preparing pre-applications, and coordinating with Finance on grant administration.
• Manage complex, multi-year planning projects involving consultant teams, public engagement, and interagency coordination.
• Develop scopes of work, negotiate contracts, monitor deliverables, and ensure compliance with procurement policies and contract terms.
• Prepare Board materials, staff reports, and public-facing documents for planning projects and policy actions.
• In coordination with the Senior Director, develop and manage the Planning team budget, including forecasting, expenditure tracking, and reconciliation.
• Identify and pursue grant and partnership funding opportunities to support the team's work program.
• Ensure cost-effectiveness and adherence to LTD procurement policies across team activities.
• This position currently has direct supervisory responsibility for four planning staff members: Senior Planner, two Senior Service Planners, and an Associate Planner. Responsibilities include hiring recommendations, performance evaluation, coaching, work assignment, and professional development support.
• This position adheres to procurement policies and procedures including managing contract compliance.
• This position also assists in the development, management, and reconciliation of the budget.

Benefits

• May work in a normal office environment and/or remote office as approved.
• Will sometimes be required to work and/or attend meetings or events in public and at all LTD locations.
• Travel within the metropolitan area is required.
• Occasional travel outside of the region may be required.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• Regular communication inside and outside the organization to exchange ideas and gather information that can be used to influence LTD decisions, policy, projects, or program design or management.
• Some degree of tact, negotiation, and/or confidentiality.
• Some decisions made will commit the organization.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior