City of Boulder, CO - Transportation and Mobility Director

The City of Boulder is hiring a Transportation and Mobility Director to manage and develop its municipal mobility system. The role involves strategic oversight of transportation infrastructure, collaboration with city leadership and community members, and leading a diverse team. Responsibilities include establishing departmental goals, managing budgets, and ensuring service delivery aligns with sustainability and equity. The position requires active participation in emergency response and fostering a culture of safety and innovation.
The City of Boulder is seeking a forward-thinking and adaptable Transportation and Mobility Director to lead and oversee the planning, development, and management of a world-class municipal mobility system and department team. This position is responsible for the strategic direction and operational oversight of Boulder's transportation infrastructure, ensuring the City’s network supports safe, efficient, and sustainable travel across all modes. Reporting to an Assistant City Manager, the Transportation and Mobility Director is a key partner for city leadership and collaborates with the City Council, Transportation Advisory Board, Planning Board, regional partners, and community members to drive initiatives that reflect Boulder’s values and inclusive approach to urban mobility.

The Transportation and Mobility Director is responsible for establishing and implementing departmental goals, objectives, and strategies across critical service areas, including Transportation Policy, Planning, Operations, Maintenance, and Capital Project Engineering. The position is instrumental in leading a diverse team of engineers, planners, and technical staff, ensuring effective coordination and alignment with the City’s Sustainability, Equity, and Resilience Framework and Citywide Strategic Plan. The Director also oversees the development and implementation of the department’s plans and operating and capital budgets, working to allocate resources effectively and manage revenue to support key projects and services.

In addition, this position serves as a primary liaison and resource for the City Council and other advisory bodies, promoting communication and fostering productive relationships that advance Boulder's transportation priorities. The Director routinely collaborates with other city departments, ensuring an integrated approach to citywide initiatives and community engagement. The role includes emergency response responsibilities, where the Director leads the department’s participation in incident preparedness and acts as a critical leader during natural or human-caused events impacting and requiring transportation.

As a departmental leader, the Director is responsible for maintaining high standards of service delivery and accountability, including overseeing performance evaluations, providing training, and ensuring adherence to city policies. This role promotes a culture of safety, innovation, and inclusivity within the team, taking proactive steps to support employee development and operational efficiency. The Director’s commitment to sustainable practices and continuous improvement is vital to advancing Boulder’s vision for a resilient and adaptive mobility system that meets both current and future needs.

The Priorities
• Provide leadership support to Council priorities aligned with the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) focused on the Core Arterial Network (CAN), ensuring a safe, equitable, and reliable mobility system.
• Collaborate with the team to realize Boulder’s Vision Zero Action Plan. Maintain focus on the goals of eliminating crashes resulting in serious injuries and fatalities, reducing other types of crashes, improving travel comfort and safety, enhancing community engagement and awareness of Vision Zero, and improving data and transparency.
• Partner with the Airport Manager and lead discussions regarding the future operations of Boulder Municipal Airport with a continued emphasis on incorporating sustainability principles and aligning with our climate commitment.
• Collaborate with the CFO on a long-term financial strategy for the Transportation and Mobility department. Identify new revenue streams in preparation for future transportation initiatives.
• Serve as an active champion for our ongoing work to advance racial equity. Through your leadership, promote respect for diversity, equity, and inclusion as a key organizational value and crucial component of the decision-making process.

The Successful Candidate

A strategic thinker with a multidisciplinary approach, the Transportation and Mobility Director is energized by the opportunity to create a safe, accessible, and sustainable multimodal transportation system that connects people with each other and where they want to go. With a one-city mentality, the Director embraces a collaborative, open problem-solving environment and routinely invites others to share ideas, leading to decision-making in the best interest of the whole city.

A thoughtful convener and community builder, the Transportation and Mobility Director recognizes the importance of relationships and partnerships at all levels and navigates political, community, and multi-sector relationships with skill. They bring a demonstrated history of collaboration with boards, commissions, councils, regional and agency partners, and community groups. The Director is a humble leader who embraces vulnerability and centers the community in decision-making. The successful candidate listens for intention and is an effective communicator who values the diversity of thought and the lived experiences of others to deliver solutions and achieve desired results. They strive to cultivate diversity, advance equity, and practice inclusion in all of their work.

The Transportation and Mobility Director possesses extensive knowledge and experience in applying current engineering principles, practices, and procedures to municipal infrastructure and service delivery, with the ability to adapt these practices to meet the needs of a changing future. The successful candidate is a creative, agile, and results-oriented problem solver who anticipates change and demonstrates situational leadership. With broad expertise in municipal transportation and a focus on safety, the Director excels in advancing innovative projects, programs, and designs while ensuring the City has the processes and resources in place to maintain the existing system and service levels.

The Director genuinely encourages and supports collaboration and employs a leadership style that invites participation and gathers input. The successful candidate leads and empowers staff while promoting a people-centered, forward-thinking culture that embraces change for the better. The Transportation and Mobility Director actively nurtures an open and welcoming environment that continues to advance Boulder’s resilience and racial equity work while maintaining a commitment to innovation and service excellence.

Qualifications

A minimum of eight (8) years of progressively responsible experience as a senior manager in transportation and multi-modal management. Direct experience overseeing innovative, sound, local government transportation that includes transportation planning, project management, operations, and maintenance is essential, as is experience leading the design and administration of municipal/civil engineering projects. Prior experience and knowledge working with an airport are beneficial. Experience in a complex organization working within an environmentally sensitive and/or university community is ideal. Experience with budget preparation, costing of services, revenue collection management and reporting, and fee analysis is required.

A bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline is required, with a master’s degree preferred. A valid Colorado driver’s license (or the ability to obtain one) and an acceptable motor vehicle record are required.

Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they can perform every job description task. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may come from a less traditional background. The City will consider any equivalent combination of knowledge, skills, education, and experience to meet minimum qualifications. If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to think broadly about your background and skill set for the role.

Inside the City of Boulder

The City of Boulder believes in a future with equitable access to health, prosperity, and fulfillment, where the community adapts and thrives in response to emerging, sometimes urgent, social, economic, and environmental challenges.

The Sustainability, Equity, and Resilience Framework guides budget and planning processes by providing consistent goals necessary to achieve Boulder’s vision of a great community and the actions required to achieve them. Building on a legacy of innovation, Boulder cultivates a creative spirit in order to adapt and thrive in the changing climate.

Boulder continuously works to provide service excellence for an inspired future through our core values:

Customer service: We are dedicated to exceeding the expectations of our community and our co-workers by demonstrating consistent and professional service with a solution-oriented approach.

Respect: We champion diversity and welcome individual perspectives, backgrounds, and opinions. We are open-minded and treat all individuals with respect and dignity.

Integrity: We are stewards of the public’s trust and are committed to service that is transparent and consistent with city regulations and policies. We are honorable, follow through on our commitments, and accept responsibility.

Collaboration: We are committed to organizational success and celebrate our shared dedication to public service. We believe community collaboration and the sum of our individual contributions lead to great results.

Innovation: We promote a forward-thinking environment that supports creativity, calculated risks, and continuous improvement. We embrace change and learn from others in order to deliver leading-edge service.

Workplace Culture

The City of Boulder believes that a diverse workforce, individual lived experiences, and an inclusive environment add quality and perspective to the services provided to the public. Therefore, the organization intentionally strives to develop and maintain a diverse workforce that values and embraces differences among employees.

An important component of the City’s culture and environment is Boulder’s Leadership Philosophy: We believe each of us is a leader. We are motivated by the opportunities to make a positive difference in our community. Our greatest results are achieved when we:
• Create a respectful, trusting, and supportive environment.
• Rely on, invest in, and celebrate each other’s perspectives, skills, talents, and accomplishments.
• Consult and collaborate with each other to make timely and quality decisions.
• Share responsibility for and learn from the process and outcomes of a creative culture.

Structure of Local Government

Boulder operates under a council-manager form of government. The elected City Council sets policies, and the Council-appointed City Manager implements them. The Council also appoints the City Attorney and Municipal Court Judge.

The City Council consists of nine members: an elected mayor and eight members elected at large (one of whom serves as the mayor pro tem). Council members can serve up to three terms.

With a 2025 budget of $589.5 Million, the City of Boulder is served by 1,539 standard employees. Robust city services are provided through numerous departments and divisions.

Inside the Transportation and Mobility Department

The Transportation and Mobility Department is dedicated to travel safety in and around Boulder as well as maintaining existing infrastructure. The top priority of the department is improving the quality of life in Boulder by planning, maintaining, and managing public investments.

With a 2025 budget of $67.9 Million and 98.85 FTEs, Transportation and Mobility is dedicated to building a people-first transportation system where everyone of all mobility levels can get where they need to go safely and efficiently. Walking and rolling are great ways to experience Boulder’s beautiful outdoors – in fact, Boulder features more than 150 miles of bike-friendly infrastructure and is consistently rated as one of the most bike- and pedestrian-friendly cities in the country.

The City strives to create a sustainable transportation system that reduces negative impacts on Boulder’s natural environment, whether through electrifying our local bus fleet, supporting walkable neighborhoods, or building multimodal infrastructure that makes it easy and convenient to choose non-vehicular modes of travel. Boulder is also a Vision Zero City, working to eliminate all serious injuries and fatalities caused by traffic crashes through safe street design.

Transportation and Mobility Programs include:
• Administration is responsible for managing divisions and providing budgetary and administrative support and assistance to the overall department. Additionally, this program provides guidance on division work processes to operate smoothly and efficiently as a department.
• Planning encompasses the department's programming and policy work by encouraging Boulder to design and use the multimodal system, including transit, and the operation of the transportation demand management system. This group also oversees the City’s progress toward meeting the goals of the 2019 Transportation Master Plan.
• Operations ensure a safe and efficient multi-modal transportation system, including the operating and maintaining of appropriate infrastructure and traffic control, including signage, pavement markings, and traffic signals.
• Maintenance includes the maintenance, operations, and repairs to city streets, bike paths, medians, underpasses, and contracted maintenance for state highways. This workgroup also responds to emergencies and maintains mobility through weather-related events.
• Airport consists of airport operations, repair, and renovation of associated city buildings, grounds maintenance, pavement upkeep and repairs, fueling system maintenance, snow removal, planning and management of all Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) projects, and natural resource management at the Boulder Municipal Airport.

The Boulder, Colorado Community

Boulder, Colorado, is just 30 minutes northwest of Denver, where the plains meet the Rocky Mountains. Tucked i...