Summary: Under general supervision, is responsible for learning to monitor, coordinate, and conduct transportation planning activities of average difficulty, and performs related work as required.
Distinguishing Features: This is the trainee level classification in the TDOT Planning Specialist series. An employee in this classification will learn to perform transportation planning duties. An incumbent may be assigned to work in any area of transportation planning and will learn to participate in the varied development, monitoring, and coordination of transportation planning projects. This class differs from the TDOT Planning Specialist* in that an incumbent of the latter performs at a working level.
*An applicant appointed to this flexibly staffed class will be reclassified to TDOT Planning Specialist* after successful completion of a mandatory one year training period; inadequate or marginal performance during the training period will result in automatic demotion or termination.
Work Activities
Making Decisions and Solving Problems:
- Learns to evaluate multimodal transportation improvement options to alleviate apparent and potential deficiencies and make a recommendation to resolve the potential issue.
- Collaborates with engineers, planners, and policy makers to research, analyze, or resolve transportation issues.
Processing Information:
- Learns to prepare various multimodal planning documents such as planning work programs, long range plans, corridor studies, transportation planning models, and other planning documents.
- Learns to conduct studies through compilation, analyses, projections and other data to develop local, regional, and state planning projects and programs.
- Learns to translate or convert project descriptions into data characteristics that can be utilized in planning tools.
Analyzing Data or Information:
- Learns to analyze current conditions, such as socio-economic trends, land use, traffic data, and economic development plans, in rural or metropolitan areas to determine impacts to the transportation system.
- Learns to analyze traffic volumes, crash rates, and other data to identify safety and multimodal transportation system deficiencies.
- Learns to determine impact of various legislative proposals upon planning processes and configures financial structure and availability of funds for various and local transportation systems.
Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information:
- Learns to estimate the scope of services and specifications, including cost, resources, time, and quantities during the contract development process and the purchase of technical tools/equipment.
- Learns to estimate revenue for plan and development of work program to meet fiscal constraints.
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events:
- Reads planning documents, contracts, standard drawings, guidelines, and schematics to identify impacts the design and plans will have on the transportation system.
Training and Teaching Others:
- Learns to create and/or conduct agency-specific and specialized training for agency employees and external business partners to comply with departmental, state, and federal laws, rules, regulations, guidelines, processes, and procedures, facilitating change and improving initiatives.
Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings:
- Learns to review and monitor the progress of planning studies, projects, and other activities identified and described in adopted planning work programs.
- Learns to review and monitor planning contracts to ensure that contractual obligations are clear, the work program is understood, schedules are met, and the budget is accurate.
- Learns to review and monitor studies conducted by local and urban planners by attending local planning committees, reviewing organizational agreements and other appropriate documentation of activities.
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others:
- Learns to interpret a variety of rules, regulations, policies, procedures, and documentation for internal and external business partners to facilitate understanding, enhance communications, and ensure compliance.
- Learns to assist external and internal partners in preparing various multimodal planning documents by reviewing documentation and providing guidance on the planning process and data-driven needs, including Federal, State, and local regulations.
- Learns to advise of and translate federal and state trends, regulations, and/or best practices to inform external partners and general public in the decision making process.
Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others:
- Learns to resolve conflicts between business partners and agency employees according to departmental, state, and federal laws, rules, regulations, guidelines, processes, and procedures to develop an action plan for resolving the issue.
- Maintains a respectful and productive work environment to minimize disputes and facilitate performance.
- Acts in the best interest of the department to resolve conflict with external partners while maintaining a professional relationship.
Communicating with Persons Outside Organization:
- Conducts and facilitates meetings as a Departmental representative by offering technical assistance and other support to local planners, engineers, and administrators to ensure compliance with Federal and State regulations.
- Creates and disseminates basic information packages, including but not limited to resource guides, policy manuals, and educational programs, for use in public information campaigns regarding transportation and land use coordination.
- Coordinates with departmental representatives to draft correspondence in response to public comments and/or inquiries.
Provide Consultation and Advice to Others:
- Learns to serve as a liaison between the department and local agencies, regional planning commissions, metropolitan and rural planning organizations, and the general public and provides assistance in developing and meeting local, regional, and statewide transportation goals.
- Notifies supervisory personnel of possible violations and/or best practices of departmental, state, and federal laws, rules, regulations, guidelines, policies, and procedures.
Scheduling Work and Activities:
- Schedules personal workload to ensure timely processing and account for current workload.
- Learns to schedule work of project team and/or consultants to ensure timely processing and completion of work.
Developing Objectives and Strategies:
- Learns to recommend strategies and objectives for assigned program areas to enhance performance and improve organizational efficiency.
- Participates in the development and/or implementation of the Department's Long Range Plan and strategic goals.
Coaching and Developing Others:
- Learns to educate internal and external business partners on departmental, state, and federal laws, rules, regulations, guidelines, processes, and procedures process to facilitate accurate and timely submission of documentation.
Thinking Creatively:
- Learns to develop public involvement tools to increase transparency in departmental activities.
- Learns to implement creative solutions to unique problems as they arise.
- Learns to develop process improvement suggestions to streamline workflow and/or improve process cycle times and accuracy.
Interacting with Computers:
- Utilizes software, such as geographic information software, data collection, analytic or scientific software, to create planning documents.
- Utilizes office productivity software, including but not limited to word processing programs, spreadsheet programs, presentation software, web-based programs, instant-messaging programs, and search engines.
- Utilizes digital camera and other data-recording equipment to record information and transfer files to centralized storage locations.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates:
- Communicates through written format to send notifications of special events, memos, and letters to internal business partners.
- Presents and facilitates presentations to internal business partners to provide program recommendations, industry trends, and other information.
- Conducts and/or attends meetings with internal business partners to gather project information and status updates and to disseminate information.
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships:
- Networks with internal and external business partners to ensure open dialogues exist and to facilitate coordination and unified effort.
- Learns to act as a liaison with internal and external business partners and other organizational representatives to ensure accurate and timely processing of information and deliverables.
Documenting/Recording Information:
- Documents, stores, and maintains appropriate information in electronic databases and/or physical form as required ensuring accurate information is recorded.
- Documents information provided during meetings and training when serving as the agency representative to ensure accurate information is disseminated to others.
Developing and Building Teams:
- Shares information and job knowledge with team members to ensure cross-trained staff has proficiency to complete workload in case of absence.
- Works with other team members to gather additional perspective by soliciting advice and brainstorming to complete work or resolve issues.
Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment:
- Learns to create specifications, instructions, or technical manuals to provide description and proper usage of software or data gathering tools.
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards:
- Participates and reviews in rural, metropolitan, and statewide planning initiatives to ensure that the planning process meets or exceeds applicable Federal, State, and local requirements or best practices.
Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others:
- Learns to coordinate with local and state planners, consultants, engineers, and transit managers in presenting recommended plans for review and comment by the public and the various planning committees.
Getting Information:
- Learns to research plans, policies, specifications, procedures, guidelines, rules, regulations, and laws related to transportation and land use using physical and/or electronic sources to assist with conflict resolution, problem solving, and/or decision making.
- Contacts the general public, persons in other departments and/or divisions, representatives, elected officials, and outside organizations for the purpose of furnishing or obtaining information.
- Learns to collect field data by research or observation, such as a traffic counts, access control, and turning movements to specify existing conditions.
Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People:
- Learns to review and evaluate project proposals by scoring responses based on the scope of services requested.
- Learns to review, evaluate, and document consultant work to ensure requirements, budget, and schedule are met and work is completed as specified.
- Participates in the certification or review of planning processes for Metropolitan Planning Organizations, Rural Planning Organizations, and transit agencies.
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge:
- Reviews current departmental, state, and federal information sources to identify relevant changes in policies, procedures, rules, regulations, and best practices to ensure staff is knowledgeable of the latest systems.
- Completes required training events to learn new procedures, ensure continual learning, maintain current knowledge of the field, and increase job proficiency.
Performing Administrative Activities:
- Completes status reports for submission to management.
- Prepares, mails, and tracks correspondence to internal and external business partners.
- Maintaining informational files and paperwork as required.
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work:
- Organizes and prioritizes personal, team, and/or consultant workload using calendars, lists, and other facilitators to ensure timely and accurate completion of work.
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