Planning Specialist

State of Virginia • Fairfax County, VA

366d • $80,023 - $130,086

About The Position

NOVA VDOT is seeking a Planning Specialist to support NOVA District Regional Planning and project development efforts by coordinating with a variety of state, regional, and local agencies on transportation planning activities and programs. You will coordinate with staff and local and regional planning entities on District planning activities, and coordinate and implement long range plans in TIPs, STIPs and project development process. We are seeking someone with MPO level planning experience, project management skills, and computer skills.

Requirements

• Experience applying transportation planning principles, practices, and procedures.
• Knowledge of federal, state, local transportation planning/land use procedures, and policies.
• Skill in the use of computers and software applications.
• Skill and ability to positively interact with employees, citizens, and government officials.
• Demonstrated ability to apply transportation planning principles and practices to a variety of complex projects.
• Ability to plan, prioritize, coordinate and complete multiple assignments within scheduled timeframes.
• Ability to evaluate, develop, maintain innovative solutions for transportation planning and mobility initiatives.
• Ability to manage financial resources.

Nice To Haves

• A combination of training, experience, or education in Transportation Planning, Urban Planning, or related field desired.
• Certified Planner with American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) or PMP desired.
• Experience in long-range transportation planning to include forecasting, transportation studies and traffic analyses.
• Experience as liaison with diverse groups, e.g. government officials, special interest groups, citizens, etc.
• Experience using planning and traffic engineering software, e.g. Highway Capacity Software.
• Experience in supporting MPOs and other regional transportation entities on long-range transportation planning efforts to include TIPs, STIPs, and project development processes.

Responsibilities

• Support District Regional Planning section with coordination on the development of long-range plans, TIPs, STIPs and project development processes.
• Support the District's MPO planning programs through representation on boards and committees as VDOT's representative.
• Serve as liaison in assigned planning matters.
• Research and review databases and tools to support project and program management efforts.
• Provide technical assistance and guidance to district staff, state, regional and local governments to meet FHWA and VDOT goals and objectives.
• Assist with logistics for annual public meetings and support for internal and external training opportunities.
• Manage and participate in transportation planning studies including corridor and multimodal studies.
• Manage locally administered projects, Strategically Targeted Affordable Roadway Solutions (STARS) Program, and Project Pipeline studies.
• Assist with the SMART SCALE prioritization program.
• Collect and analyze data and provide recommendations for transportation planning initiatives.
• Provide thorough reviews of comprehensive plans, traffic impact studies and proposals for transportation facilities and services to ensure VDOT guidance and policies.
• Support District PIM section and project development by coordinating planning efforts with programming and project development activities.
• Respond to public inquiries.
• Attend meetings and prepare notes to share with staff.

Benefits

• Excellent health and life insurance
• Pre-tax spending accounts
• State funded Short- and Long-Term Disability
• Paid holidays
• Vacation
• Tuition assistance
• Free wellness programs
• State retirement plan with options for tax-deferred retirement savings including employer matching

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Industry: Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees