We are seeking a senior public transit planner and project manager. This person will lead interesting and consequential projects, help attract new business, and develop a public profile as a leader on transit issues. This person may become part of our senior management team and will have many opportunities to guide the firm’s direction.
If you are passionate about the power of public transit to improve communities; want to be part of shaping our growing firm’s culture and strategy; and are looking to challenge yourself professionally by managing important and complex projects, we would like to meet you.
Our firm is known for leading major bus network redesigns. In addition, we also work on long range transit plans; zero-emission bus fleet impacts on transit service plans; public-facing transit cartography; training and workshops for policymakers, agency staff, and advocates; and we provide a range of professional and policy advice. We are interested in expanding into adjacent fields within the larger frame of public transit, depending on the skills and interests of the person we hire. This is a great opportunity to take a leading role in a unique and innovative firm at a time when it’s growing and changing.
This job requires prior experience managing public transit planning projects. This could include management of projects in service and network planning; scheduling and operations; paratransit and demand-response planning; corridor planning; cartography and wayfinding; and transit finance.
We would like to hire someone either based in or willing to relocate to Portland, Oregon. However, we also encourage applications from qualified candidates who want to work out of our Arlington, Virginia office, and to applications from qualified candidates who would want to work remotely in any other location in the United States. A candidate not in Portland or Arlington should expect a higher level of travel, because occasional trips to our offices will be required in addition to travel required by clients.
Applicants who do not want to be based in Portland or Arlington must have experience in consulting.
This listing will remain open until filled. We will be reviewing applications as we receive them. You can expect an initial response to your application within two weeks.
Applicants who do not want to be based in Portland or Arlington must have experience in consulting.
This listing will remain open until filled. We will be reviewing applications as we receive them. You can expect an initial response to your application within two weeks.
If you have any questions about this position and whether you should apply, please write to hiring@jarrettwalker.com; we will endeavor to respond within 3 business days.
We are looking for a project manager and transit planner. This role includes:
- Being the client’s primary point of contact on assigned projects.
- Directing the work of teams including our staff and subcontractors.
- Making decisions about how to approach each project’s work within the context of the agreed scope, budget, and timeline.
- Coming up with creative solutions to problems in transit planning and communications.
- Facilitating workshops and training sessions with clients, project stakeholders, elected officials and community advocates.
- Preparing clear and attractive reports and presentations.
- Networking with potential clients and following business development leads.
- Responding to RFPs and building teams with partner firms.
We work throughout North America and sometimes overseas, so travel may be a significant part of the job. You should be prepared to travel on a regular basis, in the range of 3 to 5 days per month on average.
Salary compensation will be based on experience, skill level, cost of living in your home area, and desired level of work. For a 40-hour per week position, annualized starting salary may range from $95,000 for a candidate meeting minimum requirements, up to $160,000 per year for a seasoned professional who brings an extensive network of prior clients and connections. Successful past hires have often received raises of 10% or more by the end of their first year of employment.
Our benefits program includes:
- Gold-level medical and dental insurance.
- Disability insurance (short- and long-term).
- A 401(k) program with employer contributions.
- Paid medical leave, accrued at a rate of 1 hour per 30 hours worked, or about 8.5 days per year.
- Paid time off starting at 19 days per year, with one additional day per year for each year of service. Paid time off includes both vacation time and holidays, but there are no restrictions on when it can be taken.
- Very flexible work hours. Our staff work anywhere from 30 to 40 hours a week depending on their needs, and are compensated accordingly. We also have a flexible policy on unpaid leave, for employees who have used all their paid time off.
- Flexible work location. New staff work in our office with us during a training period, but we offer flexibility on the specific days and times involved.
- Employer-paid transit passes, or a monthly contribution to the costs of local transit fare, depending on your home area.
- Reimbursement for application fees for the TSA PreCheck and Global Entry programs.
Employees based in Oregon will also qualify for up to 12 weeks of paid family leave starting in September 2023, as part of the Paid Leave Oregon program.
The successful candidate must meet the following minimum requirements:
- At least five years of relevant professional experience in transit planning or an adjacent field. This could be in service planning and analysis; corridor planning; transit scheduling; demand-response planning; paratransit planning; transit agency management; transit finance; or transit policy. Related fields that may also be applicable include urban design, development planning, bike/ped planning, and other forms of transportation planning, but you would need to demonstrate (a) expertise that we can market to transit agency clients, (b) commitment to transit planning as a primary career goal.
- At least one year of experience managing projects, either in consulting or government agencies. Consideration will also be provided for management of complex non-profit and advocacy efforts.
- Excellence at writing and conceiving visualizations for a non-technical audience.
- Excellence in public speaking, including situations where you must answer unexpected questions and objections.
- Experience in communicating to a wide variety of audiences, including people of many different backgrounds.
- Evidence of independent and creative problem-solving.
- Full fluency in written and spoken English.
- Legal authorization to work in the United States, or the ability to obtain such authorization without requiring an employer-sponsored visa.
- If you are applying to be based remotely – not in Portland or Arlington – at least one year of prior consulting experience is mandatory.
In addition, any of the following are also desirable:
- Professional level fluency in a language other than English (speaking and writing).
- Experience and success mentoring junior staff.
- Evidence of ability to attract clients through your own skills and experience.
- Familiarity with transit service and market analysis techniques.
- Experience facilitating group decision processes, including of staff, stakeholders, and/or formal boards, councils and committees.
- Experience in teaching or training.
- Experience with business management tasks.
- Evidence of the ability to deliver compelling presentations and/or public speech.
- Familiarity with our firm’s approaches to transit, combined with a readiness to engage critically with these ideas and help us sharpen and/or evolve them. If you have not encountered our work before, we suggest reading at least the introduction to the book Human Transit and some of the articles in the “Basics” section of Jarrett Walker’s blog, humantransit.org.
- Availability to be based in Portland, Oregon.