Transportation Planning and Policy Director - Portland, United States - ASSOCIATION OF METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATIONS, INC.

Description

Metro is dedicated to shaping a better future for the greater Portland region. Our work benefits the lives of the people who live here, today and tomorrow. We offer a highly competitive compensation and benefits program. Learn more about the benefits Metro offers.
At Metro, we collaborate with partners to shape a vibrant, equitable region where all people can thrive. Through planning, policies and community investments we help guide growth in ways and places that support this vision.

Metro's Planning, Development and Research (PD&R) department is the steward of the Greater Portland region's 2040 Growth Concept, a vision for how to sustainably accommodate growth and change over the long term while retaining the quality of life, access to nature, economic competitiveness, and equitable opportunities that make this region a good place to live and work.

The department integrates planning, partnership, research, funding, and implementation tools to advance the 2040 vision.

As a regional government with an elected Council, Metro works to realize a broad range of goals through policies and plans adopted by the Metro Council.

Regional policies implement state land use planning laws (including managing our region's Urban Growth Boundary) as well as federal rules.

Metro is the federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Greater Portland region and is responsible for the allocation of federal funding to projects and partners.

PD&R works closely with cities and counties across the region to meet federal and state land use and transportation planning requirements.

In addition to planning and policy work, PD&R administers multiple investment programs that provide resources that help local communities advance equitable development in the region.

Finally, the department includes Metro's nationally regarded research, modeling and data teams. These groups work closely with internal programs as well as providing services to external partners.

The result of this multi-disciplinary structure and integrated approach is a unique workplace providing regional and national leadership in regional planning, governance, investment, and innovation.

Metro's Planning, Development and Research Department is recruiting a full-time Transportation Planning and Policy Director to guide our work in creating a safe, accessible, equitable transportation system in service to a healthy, economically vibrant region.

The director will supervise managers in two sections of the department:
Regional Planning and Resource Development.

The Regional Planning section guides policy development and long-range planning activities while the Resource Development section leads programming of federal transportation funds and regional transportation system and demand management programs.

Both sections collaborate closely with other parts of the department, including the Investment Areas team that helps deliver major regional projects.

As the Transportation Planning and Policy Director, you will:

• Lead ambitious, innovative transportation solutions, planning and policies that support the Metro Council's strategic targets of addressing transportation needs, reducing greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions, building a resilient economy, and housing for all.
• Provide strategic and dynamic leadership and management for the region's federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), including long term and day-to-day oversight of the Regional Planning and Resource Development sections that make up the MPO division of PD&R, working closely with each manager to integrate work programs, budgets, and teams into coordinated MPO strategy.
• Maintain a broad and diverse network of external relationships with other key public agency, community and business partners.
• Interact regularly with the Metro Council and other local, regional, and state elected officials, including staffing Metro Council members on transportation planning, policy and project issues.
• Promote respect for diversity, equity and inclusion as a key organizational value through leadership and decision-making process.
• Balance regional political pressures that reflect a wide range of different viewpoints.
• Play a lead role in staffing and managing Metro's high-profile transportation committees, including the Joint Policy Committee on Transportation (JPACT) and the Transportation Policy Alternatives Committee (TPAC).
• Participate in department budgeting, reporting, strategic planning, and other executive management efforts.

Prepare and deliver presentations to a wide variety of audiences, including Metro Council and other elected officials, business and community groups, professional peers, stakeholder advisory committees, international delegations, conferences, and training events.

• Act as primary liaison to our federal and state partners at the US Department of Transportation and the Oregon Department of Transportation to coordinate federal funding requirements, oversee MPO allocations and direct grant funds within Metro.
• Provide leadership and convene regional transportation agencies to coordinate competitive federal funding requests and help position them for success.
• Collaborate with the PD&R Director, Deputy Director and other managers to integrate transportation planning and policy work into the broader department work program and pursue funding for shared project, planning and research opportunities.
• Provide strategic communication leadership for Metro's transportation planning and policy.
• Provide leadership for staff professional development, teamwork planning, and program innovation; help managers and staff identify technical, communication, and resource needs to deliver project and program outcomes.
• Build a diverse and inclusive staff with opportunities for leadership succession.
• Ensure continued federal certification of the MPO program including compliance with funding program requirements; advocate for Metro's interests in federal and state MPO revenue allocation processes.
• Participate in transportation planning and MPO activities at the national level to stay current on emerging issues and identify opportunities for program improvement and innovation.
• Collaborate closely with and provide guidance to Metro's Research, Modeling and Data teams and other Metro departments for transportation-related programs and needs.

Attributes for Success:

• Interest in and experience with transportation and land use planning as tools to make people's lives better.
• Ability to absorb complex technical information and translate it into strategic action planning and simple messages that resonate with people.
• Strong communicator who is comfortable with public presentations and facilitating controversial conversations.
• Ability to build and maintain positive relationships with partners who have different opinions and life experiences.
• Empathetic listener with the ability to engage and inspire a diverse range of staff.
• Values-based leader who can articulate the principles that guide their practice.
• Ability to engage staff and managers across the department/agency and build trust.
• Strongly committed to Metro's DEI strategy and building a more diverse PD&R team.
• Budget development and management skills.

Leadership and Program Management:

• Experienced project or program manager who understands how to effectively pace multiple projects with overlapping deadlines.
• Ability to take highly complex issues and formulate a long-term strategy.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to develop realistic timelines when working across teams.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the demonstrated ability to build teams and gain trust working in a dynamic and demanding environment.
• Lead people, projects, and resources to achieve objectives and goals.
• Awareness and ability to communicate effectively to senior leadership and elected officials about politically sensitive projects and issues.
• Cultivate and maintain positive and effective working relationships with staff, jurisdictional partners, community members and community partner organizations.
• Analyze and evaluate operations, develop, and implement corrective actions.

Diversity and inclusion:

At Metro, we're committed to hiring a workforce representative of the communities we serve, recognizing that a diverse workforce strengthens our organization.

We invest in employees by supporting equitable and inclusive hiring practices, employee policies and training programs.

TO QUALIFY

We will consider any combination of relevant work experience, volunteering, education, and transferable skills as qualifying unless an item or section is labeled required.

Please be clear and specific in your application materials on how your background is relevant.

• Bachelor's degree in the assigned program area or a related field, AND
• Seven to ten years' specialized experience or operational management in area of responsibility; OR
• Any combination of education and experience that provides the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties and responsibilities of the position.

This is a flexible/hybrid position.

While work from home is acceptable for part of the week, as a critical team leader the Transportation Planning and Policy Director is expected to be in the office part time according to department requirements, and travel to Metro work sites, conferences, and other locations to provide support to site-based Metro employees, conduct meetings, or collaborate with internal and external stakeholders.

Residency in Oregon or Washington is a requirement for employment.
If this statement is true for you, then you may be ineligible to apply:

If I was terminated for cause during any of my employment with Metro, or resigned in lieu of termination, I understand I may be ineligible for rehire for a minimum of 3 years.

Like to have qualifications:
You do not need to have the following preferred qualifications/transferable skills to qualify. However, keep in mind we may consider some or all of the following when identifying the most qualified candidates.

Your transferable skills are any skills you have gained through education, work experience, including the military, or life experience that are relevant for this position.

• Experience managing transportation projects and programs in a local or regional government setting.
• Experience or degree in related fields including economics, law, business or government relations.
• Professional or lived experience improving equity outcomes in procedures, programs and/or evaluation tools, ideally in a government organization.
• Experience procuring and managing government contracts.

COMPENSATION AND REPRESENTATION

Based on the Oregon Pay Equity Act requirements, Metro's internal equity review process, and the candidates' qualifications, the appointment will typically be made between $150,091 and $173,749 annually.

The full salary range for this position is $150,091 – $191,558 annually.
This position is not eligible for overtime and is non-represented. It is classified as a Program Director (Download PDF reader). Classification descriptions are typically written broadly and do not include the specific duties and responsibilities of the positions.

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