Transit Planner

Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority•St. Petersburg, FL

22h

About The Position

Advance the mission and goals of PSTA by supporting the development of thoughtful and technically sound plans and projects. Conduct planning and project development activities for transportation projects under the direction of PSTA Planning staff. Provide staff support in the development, analysis, implementation, and community engagement of the agency’s transit planning programs, projects, and grants. This position will report to the Planning Manager and supports transit planning, route analysis, service development, scheduling and other data related studies and activities.

Requirements

Education: Bachelor’s Degree required, preferably in Planning, Community Development, Public Administration, or similar. Master’s Degree preferred.
Experience: 2 years of planning-related work experience with a bachelor’s degree.
License Requirement: Must possess or obtain and maintain a valid Florida driver’s license.
This position requires knowledge of the planning field, tools, concepts, and the use of planning best practices. Applicants with knowledge of, and experience with, transit and transportation planning processes including long range planning, systems planning, land use policy, cost/benefit analysis, travel demand model data usage, and/or geospatial data analyses and data presentation are preferred.
Communication skills, including strong writing and presentation skills, are a requirement of this position. Preferred applicants will have writing and formal presentation experience. Ability to analyze complex data using GIS, databases, and spreadsheets is also required.
Applicants must be able to demonstrate ability to work within a collaborative team environment and be comfortable providing assistance to multiple project managers. An ability to work across diverse departments and disciplines with respect, tact and professionalism is required. Successful candidates should also demonstrate their ability to be thoughtful, conscientious, organized, creative and passionate.

Nice To Haves

Transit/transportation planning experience, which may include internships. Experience in ESRI ARcGIS Pro and Adobe Illustrator. AICP Certification, or the desire to achieve certification.

Responsibilities

Support development of the Transit Development Plan and annual updates, including mapping, spatial analysis, document review, comparative route analysis, peer system review, and authoring of some components.
Assist in the development of PSTA’s Title VI Program and LEP program. Assist with Title VI analysis related to major service changes.
Support PSTA’s resiliency and sustainability program and related initiatives. Includes authoring sustainability related planning documents and reports, analyzing progress toward goals, and identifying new initiatives.
Participate in transportation and land use planning projects led by other municipalities or agencies, including the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and Forward Pinellas (the Pinellas County Metropolitan Planning Organization).
Analyze, evaluate, and prepare written comments on transportation studies, environmental impact reports, land use studies, and any documents or reports that are relevant to the Authority’s present and future operation.
Process and analyze demographic, economic, land use, transportation and spatially referenced data for use in transportation planning studies. Present data and analysis in a cohesive, consistent format, with thoughtful and clear interpretations and conclusions.
Research current transportation related topics, policies, and “best practices” and document/present findings.
Support development of FDOT, Federal Transit Administration (FTA), and other discretionary grant proposals. Includes tasks such as authoring grant narratives, analyzing and compiling related data, and budget development.
Engage in quality control activities and peer work reviews with team members in the Planning Department.
Provide support and analysis for innovative projects (e.g. Mobility as a Service, Autonomous Vehicles, etc.).
Attend and present at industry conferences (Florida Public Transit Association (FPTA), American Public Transportation Association (APTA), American Bus Benchmarking Group (ABBG), and others as needed.
Perform other professional duties as assigned.
Assist in efforts to align PSTA service with community needs, including conducting outreach activities, preparation and implementation of route surveys, and other data collection to identify needs.
Participate in the planning of service modifications/improvements, including transit centers, park and rides, or bus bays development and implementation.
Analyze route performance through the application of qualitative and quantitative performance standards. Develop maps and reports to support analysis.
Assist in developing corridor-specific transit service plans including estimation of ridership and capital/operating costs.
Provide planning data, including GIS data, to other divisions and departments. Ensure accurate data is integrated into development of services changes and planning documents.
Assist with the development and compilation of statistical reports for staff, management, and outside agencies.
Assist with amenity related planning projects, including bus stop consolidation, art in transit projects, and shelter deployment planning. Coordinate with local jurisdictions and other departments on amenities.
Assist with planning activities associated with capital improvement project development and environmental analysis including bus rapid transit and transit/intermodal center projects. Assist in evaluation of project costs and benefits, and development of project justification.
Assist with local jurisdiction site plan review and development of recommendations on transit improvements for the site.
Assist PSTA’s public outreach team with presentations and events.
Monitors agency and public comments and policies regarding plan development and integrate as appropriate into PSTA plans.
Provide PSTA documentation and data as requested to representatives of other agencies and develop responses to requests for information as appropriate.
Represent PSTA at county, district, state, federal, and public meetings as assigned including Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC), Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC), and Planners Advisory Committee (PAC)
Compile documentation to track department performance scorecard metrics.
Engage in quality control activities and peer reviews with team members in the Planning, Marketing & Communications, Project Management, and other PSTA departments.