Transportation Planner II, Connecting to Transit

King County (WA)•Seattle, WA

36d•Hybrid

About The Position

This position is open to all King County Employees and the General Public. Learn how Metro connects you with what matters. Metro Transit has an exciting career service opportunity in our Market Innovation section within Metro's Mobility Division. The Connecting to Transit team is hiring one Associate Transportation Planner (Transportation Planner Il). This team member will support the planning, development, and implementation of customer-facing programs and projects that increase the number and quality of options that King County residents have to access transit. The Connecting to Transit (C2T) team works within Metro and with regional partners to deliver safe and convenient connections to transit through capital projects, programs, and partnerships. C2T programs and investments grow ridership, connect people to opportunities, and support an integrated regional transportation network. This recruitment will be used to fill 1 Career Service position. In addition, this selection process may be used to generate an eligibility pool for future Career Service, Term Limited Temporary, and Special Duty Assignment vacancies that may occur in this classification within the Mobility Division. The eligibility pool will be retained for 12 months from the date of posting and may be used at the discretion of the hiring authority. About Research & Innovation workgroup and Connecting to Transit team: The Research & Innovation (R&I) workgroup partners to drive smart innovation scaffolded by strong evidence, so that Metro's investments and solutions are durable, deliver meaningful outcomes for people and places, advance agency goals, and-where possible-reduce costs. This mission helps Metro and the traveling public navigate an evolving transportation landscape by advancing strategic research and evaluation, exploring new connections to transit, and expanding mobility options. This team of researchers, planners, and innovators focuses on using evidence to guide decisions, developing new mobility concepts, and improving access to transportation. The Transportation Planner II will join the Connecting to Transit team. Connecting to Transit is a team of five that is responsible for managing programs and services that help people connect to and from transit service, including the Safe Routes to Transit Program, managing and reimagining Metro's park-and-rides as multimodal mobility hubs, and serving as access to transit subject matter experts to support capital planning and design projects. The Associate Transportation Planner (Transportation Planner II) will support administration and implementation of C2T initiatives under the guidance of the C2T Program Manager and Sr. Transportation Planners. Work tasks will include administering Metro's on-demand bike locker program, coordinating responses customer communications, administering grant dollars related to Safe Routes to Transit investments both at Metro's facilities and in coordination with jurisdictional partners, and working with agency and community partners to implement mobility hubs, park and ride activations and other multimodal investments that connect people to transit. This is an outstanding opportunity for a high-performing individual to secure an entry-level planning role with one of North America's premier public transit agencies.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in Urban Planning, Transportation, Engineering, Landscape Architecture, or related field, OR any equivalent combination of experience and education that provides the applicant with the skills, knowledge, and abilities required to perform the work
At least two (2) years of work experience in a related field
Experience in working collaboratively with internal and external partners
Experience in managing and prioritizing a diverse workload to accomplish tasks on defined timelines and in a fast-paced environment
Demonstrated oral communication, technical writing and visual communication skills showing the ability to effectively translate and interpret technical information to non-technical audiences
Experience using GIS, Adobe Suite, Remix, Excel, Power BI, CAD and other relevant programs to conduct planning analysis and design documentation
Proficient in MS Office, particularly MS Teams, Outlook, Word, and PowerPoint

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in planning (Land Use, Urban, Regional, Transportation, Environmental), Public Administration, Engineering or closely related field, or an equivalent combination of experience and education
Three or more years of increasingly responsible experience in public transportation and/or multimodal transportation planning and design
Experience using an equity and social justice lens in transportation planning and managing projects
Familiarity, established relationships and/or experience coordinating with internal teams at Metro, transportation agency partners and community-based organizations
Experience collaborating with community members in inclusive, equity-forward engagement processes that often touch sensitive topics
Strong working understanding of how transit planning and integration interacts with land use, sustainability, active transportation, safety, public health and environmental justice
Proficiency in project management strategies, including meeting facilitation, agenda-setting and follow-up, and using Microsoft Teams and SharePoint for optimal project management and team coordination
Proficient in ArcGIS and other geospatial analysis software, data and customer information visualization and storytelling using Adobe Suite (i.e., Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop), and data analysis, management, and presentation, including advanced MS Excel analysis and visualization using PowerBI or ESRI dashboards
Strong understanding of government processes and procedures, including regulation, policy development, grant funding administration, and capital planning

Responsibilities

Serve as a deputy project manager or task lead for C2T-led initiatives, including coordinating and communicating directly with internal and external partners
Support the C2T Program Manager and Sr. Transportation Planners by completing project management, analysis, visualization, and coordination tasks
Support the planning, implementation, and evaluation of transit access programs, projects, and policy recommendations in line with King County's goals
Conduct analysis, planning, and performance monitoring of access to transit conditions and services
Prepare and present clear, accessible written and visual information to a variety of internal and external workgroups, project teams, and partners
Support inclusive community engagement efforts related to mobility hubs, Safe Routes to Transit investments and park-and-ride activations, among other partnerships
Manage customer communications related to park-and-rides and bike parking
Coordinate with other teams at Metro, including participating in initiative-specific project teams
Complete supporting documentation for grant spending and capital project delivery milestones

Benefits

Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage options: King County provides eligible employees with options, so they can decide what's best for themselves and their eligible dependents
Life and disability insurance: employees are provided basic coverage and given the opportunity to purchase additional insurance for both the employee and eligible dependents
Retirement: eligible King County employees may participate in a pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems and a 457(b) deferred-compensation plan
Transportation program and ORCA transit pass
12 paid holidays each year plus two personal holidays
Generous vacation and paid sick leave
Paid parental, family and medical, and volunteer leaves
Flexible Spending Account
Wellness programs
Onsite activity centers
Employee Giving Program
Employee assistance programs
Flexible schedules and telecommuting options, depending on position
Training and career development programs