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Community Planner - Federal Transit Administration

Who: Office of Planning and Program Development, Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Region V, Chicago

What: This office is responsible for the oversight of state/local planning and programming activities leading up to and including the award of all grants related to all FTA programs. You will also be responsible for assisting in the administration of regional activities related to project development. Project development activities include assisting grantees and other local and State agencies in compliance with FTA, state and metropolitan planning regulations, and compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Responsibilities include:
  • Provides assistance to State and local transportation agencies during planning and program development processes. 
  • Promotes FTA initiatives, such as intermodalism, access to jobs, intelligent transportation systems, transit-oriented development, livable communities, innovative finance and New Starts program. 
  • Reviews Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Programs (TIP) and reviews and recommends approval of State Transportation Improvement Programs (STIP), in coordination with FHWA. 
  • Reviews Transportation Improvement Programs for air quality conformity, coordinates with FHWA and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as necessary, and makes recommendation on air quality conformity to the Regional Administrator. 
  • Provides assistance to grantees in the development of environmental assessments and environmental impact statements, and reviews those documents for compliance with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and FTA program requirements. Recommends approval or disapproval of environmental findings. 
  • Analyzes grant applications for planning, capital and operating assistance in accordance with all FTA requirements including the provision of all necessary documentation for approval, rejection or other action. 
Qualifications: The ideal candidate for this position has experience in applying transportation planning principles and practices to national transportation programs and has knowledge and experience with transportation and related laws and regulations.
You must have completed a full 4-year course of study at an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in community planning or a related field such as urban affairs, architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, sociology, geography, economics, political science, or public administration that included at least 12 semester hours in the planning process, socioeconomic and physical elements of planning, urban and regional economic analysis, and development finance, from an accredited college or university.
OR
You must have a combination of education and experience--courses equivalent to a major in one of the above disciplines, or a combination of related courses totaling at least 24 semester hours in any combination of the above disciplines of which at least 12 semester hours were in the planning process, and socioeconomic and physical elements of planning, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
The quality of the combination of education and experience must be sufficient to demonstrate that the applicant possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform work in the occupation, and is comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of a full 4-year course of study with a major in the appropriate field. In addition to courses in the major and related fields, a typical college degree would have included courses that involved analysis, writing, critical thinking, research, etc. These courses would have provided an applicant with skills and abilities sufficient to perform progressively more responsible work in the occupation. Therefore, creditable experience should have demonstrated similarly appropriate skills or abilities needed to perform the work of the occupation.
Specific experience qualifications vary depending on the grade at which you are requesting consideration.

Find experience information, application information, and the entire job posting online here.