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Full-Time Associate Planner, PACE Suburban Bus - Arlington Heights, IL (Chicago NW Suburbs)

ASSOCIATE PLANNER (3 YEAR FULL-TIME POSITION)
PACE SUBURBAN BUS, ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, ILLINOIS

Job Category:   Associate Planner
Position:            Assist Pace staff in the planning portion of the posted stop program (see Job Description below).
Salary:                Annual salary in low $50s + complete benefits + a Pace/CTA riding pass for 3 years.

WHAT IS PACE?  Pace Suburban Bus is a public transportation agency which plans and operates fixed route, ADA, paratransit and ride share services in a 3500 square mile area of Northeastern Illinois (see webpage www.pacebus.com for more information about Pace).  Pace is one of the largest transportation agencies in North America in service area and operates nine garages in six counties and serves 280 communities.

WHERE IS PACE LOCATED?  Pace headquarters is located at 550 W. Algonquin Road in Arlington Heights, Illinois which is 25 miles northwest of downtown Chicago near the I-90 (Jane Addams Tollway) Arlington Heights Road exit and is also served by public transit (Pace Route 606 operates all day service between the Rosemont CTA Blue Line rapid transit station and Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg with a stop at Pace headquarters).

JOB DESCRIPTION: 
Please note that this is only a three-year position with full benefits but may be renewed depending on performance and funding availability. This person will be responsible for assisting a cross-functional Pace team in transitioning all of Pace’s bus stops from flag stops (where buses stop anywhere along the route) to posted stops only in order to speed up service.  Specific duties include doing an analysis of ridership activity by stop using electronic data as well as reviewing population densities near all stops and producing aerial maps for each stop.  Based on this information, the Planner will make recommendations for relocating stops. The position will be based at Pace headquarters in Arlington Heights.  This will be a full-time office job with occasional field work with the posted stop team to review potential stop relocations.  The work day is 8.5 hours per day Monday through Friday from 8am – 4:30pm (includes a 30-minute unpaid lunch). On the job training will be provided.  Other planning duties as assigned.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS:
The candidate we seek must have a Bachelor’s Degree in either Urban Planning or Transportation Planning.  A Master’s Degree in Urban Planning or Transportation Planning would be desirable but not necessary.  Also, some knowledge or background in engineering would be useful. The candidate must have 1 year of experience in transportation planning at a transit agency; excellent communication and interpersonal skills; be literate in the use of Arc Map/GIS, Excel, Word, Outlook, Power point and Google maps. The candidate must have a good work history and possess a valid driver’s license in good-standing in order to use staff cars for occasional field work. The preferred candidate will have an engaging personality, possess excellent analytical skills, have a passion for transit planning, must be a quick learner and work fast, be able to multi-task without being affected by pressure, be able to work well with cross functional teams or independently, have total follow through and able to complete projects successfully according to deadlines.

HOW TO APPLY:  Send an email with the following two documents in Word or in pdf format:
1.) Attach a well-written and concise cover letter which clearly states how the candidate’s employment background and education matches the position requirements & job description.  This should be 1-page only.
2.) Attach a current resume which includes your GPA for each Degree and the email/phone of two references who know your work and are willing to be contacted by Pace.

Send both documents to:  Bob Huffman, Manager of Service Planning at Robert.Huffman@pacebus.com.

Pace will contact the top finalists to arrange a pre-screening phone call and the top three candidates will then be invited to Pace headquarters for a final interview or if the candidate is not in the Chicago area, an interview can be arranged via Skype teleconference.  Do not complete an application until the finalists are instructed to do so. If you have any questions about the position, you can send those to Bob Huffman at the above e-mail address.  No phone calls are accepted during the interviewing process.