Strategic Corridors Program Manager (Principal Analyst)

Sacramento Area Council of Governments•Sacramento, CA

12d•Hybrid

About The Position

SACOG is seeking a self-starting team player who enjoys collaborating as well as working on their own. The Strategic Corridors Program Manager (Classification: Principal Analyst) will lead the ongoing development of the new Strategic Corridors program, including policy and priority initiatives, innovative funding strategies for regional priority projects, and coordination across teams within SACOG and agency partners. This role is responsible for defining the scope, priorities, and outcomes of the Strategic Corridors program, including how corridor investments support Blueprint implementation, regional mobility goals, and performance-based planning. SACOG has just adopted the region’s updated Metropolitan Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy (MTP/SCS), known as the 2025 Blueprint, and has focused agency program areas towards implementation and alignment with key Blueprint outcomes. For the Strategic Corridors program, this includes safety, efficient movement of people across the region, maintenance of existing assets, and leveraging regional and local funding sources for transportation infrastructure needs. To advance this, the Strategic Corridors Program Manager will act as a creative and technical leader for SACOG’s corridor-based planning work that requires big-picture thinking for the transportation network, including the ability to navigate competing regional priorities, strategically approaching projects across all modes, and problem solving with a diverse set of stakeholders and agencies. Priority areas for the program include (but are not limited to) safety-focused planning, Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) strategy and implementation, comprehensive modal coordination, and congestion reduction/management strategies (including pricing). The Strategic Corridors Program Manager (Principal Analyst), will supervise staff and oversee a variety of planning activities on the Transportation Team; collaborate and coordinate across groups within SACOG; and must foster a collaborative team environment. This position will be required to work collaboratively with a variety of external partners, including local municipalities, regional transportation agencies, and state and federal transportation entities. This position will report to SACOG’s Director of Transportation and is the highest non-management classification at SACOG.

Requirements

Demonstrated experience with general transportation planning and corridor planning.
Strong understanding of state and federal funding sources and programs, including state SB1 programs.
Understanding of equitable and inclusive planning principles in transportation decision-making.
Demonstrated experience facilitating projects involving numerous organizational stakeholders as well as an interest in finding compromise when faced with conflicting perspectives.
Experience managing complex, multi-agency transportation planning, including balancing technical quality, timelines, and stakeholder coordination.
Ability to make presentations before various boards and/or committees in an effective and concise manner.
Ability to provide leadership and technical guidance as a subject matter expert and advisor.
Demonstrated supervisory experience leading, mentoring, and assigning work to professional staff.
Demonstrated experience balancing deadlines, technical quality, and staff coordination.
Ability to provide clear guidance in developing and translating work into decision-ready information, including staff reports, presentations, and memos.
Education equivalent to graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with major coursework in Transportation/Urban Planning, Public or Business Administration, Political Science or related field.
Five (5) years of full-time progressively responsible program management work in transportation planning, transportation funding and/or transportation grants, including at least one (1) year of project lead and/or supervisory experience.
Experience must include responsibility for leading multi-disciplinary teams or supervising staff, managing multiple concurrent projects or programs, and exercising independent judgment in resolving project, technical, budget, schedule, or stakeholder issues.
Possession of, or ability to obtain, a valid California Driver’s License by time of appointment due to travel requirements throughout the six-county region.

Nice To Haves

A visionary, creative, and innovative approach to program management, development and implementation.
Ability to work with a network of external partners and manage multiple stakeholders, including a strong ability to develop trust and relationships.
Strong organizational skills, including time management, ability to set priorities, and ability to anticipate critical deadlines.
Adaptability and flexibility, and the ability to work in a fast-paced environment with competing requirements, deadlines and priorities.
Dedication to collaboration across SACOG teams, elected officials, and key regional stakeholders.
Ability to work independently and critical thinking skills, including the ability to make effective decisions amidst uncertainty.
Effective and clear communication skills.
Strong understanding of the Sacramento region’s unique and diverse communities, and the various agency landscape.
Well versed in the region’s challenges and policy setting.
Master’s degree in a related field
Five years of progressively responsible program management experience, and 2 years of project lead and/or supervisory experience.

Responsibilities

Manage and oversee of data collection and analysis, and use to assist in development of transportation planning priorities and policy.
Interpretate and communicate trends identified through performance monitoring and analysis, including explaining causal factors, key drivers, and implications for policy, investment, and program decisions.
Provide clear direction to technical staff and ensure work products are translated into decision-ready information, including staff reports, presentations, and policy recommendations.
Guide, manage, and oversee general planning assistance, including reviewing and commenting on studies; leading external coordination meetings; and collaborating and providing input into the larger agency efforts, including policy development and updates of the MTP/SCS (or 2025 Blueprint).
Lead and coordinate SACOG quarterly partner meetings across the 6 counties.
Review program and project status, progress and deliverables, and provide status reporting and monitoring.
Manage multiple concurrent projects and program initiatives, including coordinating multidisciplinary teams, managing consultant contracts, developing scopes, schedules, and budgets, and resolving technical, schedule, and stakeholder issues using independent judgment.
Engage with high-level managers and officials inside and outside of SACOG, on matters of high visibility to SACOG and the region, including representing SACOG positions, facilitating alignment across jurisdictions, and navigating competing regional priorities.
Provide recommendations to the SACOG management and executive leadership teams regarding program and project priorities.
Supervise multiple staff, including oversight of technical work product from SACOG staff, partner organizations, and consultant teams.
Exercise direct and general supervision over assigned team members.
Represent SACOG at external meetings with partner agencies, state agencies, elected officials, and regional stakeholders.