Transportation Planner III (10157, Grade 28)

The Maryland National Capital Park is seeking a Transportation Planner III to lead transportation planning efforts in Montgomery County. The role involves reviewing development applications, coordinating with various agencies, conducting field observations, analyzing traffic studies, and participating in community meetings. Candidates should possess strong communication skills, knowledge of sustainable transportation, and the ability to provide recommendations on infrastructure design. This position allows for a significant impact on community development.
About the position

Are you an experienced transportation planner with a passion for transit-oriented development, active transportation, and sustainable mobility infrastructure? If so, the Montgomery County Planning Department is where you want to be! We are currently seeking a motivated Transportation Planner III for our Midcounty Planning Division. This is an opportunity to have a broad impact on the built environment, advocate for excellence, and shape future communities that cover the urbanizing communities of Montgomery County. The Transportation Planner III position requires strong oral and written communication skills; the ability to interact directly with the public and elected officials on technical transportation planning issues; knowledge of sustainable transportation planning and traffic engineering procedures; the capacity to read and interpret roadway design and land use plans, and to analyze traffic studies. The selected candidate must have strong technical writing skills and know intersection analysis procedures as well as transportation demand management best-practices. An understanding of development proposals in three dimensions and the ability to provide recommendations related to the design of streets, sidewalks, bicycle and parking facilities through comments, sketches, and precedents is required.

Responsibilities
• Lead the technical review of the transportation element of new development applications.
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• Coordinate with peers and leadership at County agencies, including the Department of Transportation and Department of Permitting Services, and peers and leadership in the Montgomery Planning Division of Countywide Planning and Policy.
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• Lead a team of staff on transportation mandatory referrals and right-of-way abandonment petitions.
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• Share and promote best practices for pedestrian/bicycle infrastructure policies, research and keep apprised of available bicycle and pedestrian funding sources, determine work items that are eligible for grant funding.
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• Coordinate and conduct transportation field observations, analyze data, and conduct research to develop transportation recommendations for master plans and planning studies with regards to active transportation and sustainable transportation design and infrastructure.
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• Coordinate complex, transportation planning and development review functions in high profile development areas.
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• Participate in or lead community meetings.
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• Review traffic studies, transportation plans, and intersection analyses based on Critical Lane Volume (CLV) based analysis methodology and delay-based Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) guidelines and computational procedures.
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• Serve as an internal expert on panels, committees, and task forces and propose planning and transportation policies and amendments to the Zoning Ordinance or Comprehensive Plan in response to a variety of complex transportation policy and land-use issues.
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• Assess transportation related impacts for development review projects, including adequacy of transportation circulation and network, transit, pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicular safety, and compliance with the County's Vision Zero goals.
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• Develop transportation related conditions of approval for development projects.
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• Prepare detailed reports, presentations and staff reports on complex transportation projects/initiatives, multimodal policies, among others.
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• Represent the Department's positions at public hearings before the County Council and the Montgomery County Planning Board.
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• Coordinate with incorporated cities, county and state transportation agencies, such as the Montgomery County Department of Transportation, the Maryland State Highway Administration, and the Maryland Transit Administration, and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
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• Work with the County to draft Transportation Mitigation Agreements and collect data and monitor the performance of traffic demand management programs.

Requirements
• Bachelor's Degree in Planning, Geography, Architecture, Parks and Recreation, Transportation, Urban Design, Engineering, Environmental Science, Public Policy, Economics or any related field.
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• Four (4) years of progressively responsible professional level planning experience related to specific area of assignment such as transportation planning, environmental planning or urban planning.
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• An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted, which together total eight (8) years.
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• Valid driver's license (depending on area of assignment) in accordance with both State and Commission rules and regulations. Driver's license must be unencumbered by restrictions, revocations, suspensions, or points that could limit the employee's ability to drive Commission vehicles or perform driving duties required by the position of assignment.

Nice-to-haves

Benefits
• Competitive salaries
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• Excellent benefits
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• Generous leave plans
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• Employee pension plan
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• Deferred compensation plan
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• Public service student loan forgiveness eligibility
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• Commuter stipend
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• Telework opportunities (up to two days a week)
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• Tuition assistance