SENIOR MANAGER, TRANSPORTATION PLANNING (SPECIAL PROJECTS)

About the Department

Oversees, manages, and executes work activities that may have broad organizational-wide impact in an assigned organizational unit and manages the work of assigned staff and consultants on related projects.

Recruitment Timelines: Interviews are projected to be scheduled for the week of February 2, 2026. These dates are subject to change. We encourage you to monitor your governmentjobs.com profile and emails for the latest updates. 

Position Duties

• Manages complex transportation planning, implementation, funding, and analytical projects and programs
• Leads and facilitates development of strategies, processes, and policies
• Develops, negotiates, and executes major cooperative and service agreements, Memorandums of Understanding, and interagency funding plans to include scopes of work, financial plans, schedules, and contracts with other agencies and private developers
• Provides technical support and policy guidance to management on Metro plans, programs, and projects
• Applies, develops, and evaluates analytical, quantitative, and statistical tools and their results
• Represents Metro and makes presentations before various public/private audiences
• Participates and takes a leadership position in committees, forums, interagency task forces, and/or technical advisory groups
• Coordinates with municipal partners and ensures compliance with relevant policy guidelines and regulations
• Supports the acquisition processes and consultant contracts; manages schedules, staffing, technical deliverables, and budgets from the end user/business unit perspective
• Develops, forecasts, and monitors budgets for plans, programs, and projects
• Evaluates proposed legislation for impact on specific plans, programs, and projects
• Evaluates the costs, benefits, and risks of alternative funding plans, programs, and projects
• Prepares comprehensive reports, correspondence, and cost estimates
• Manages and coordinates the work of staff and/or consultants
• Guides work plan, staff, resource allocation, and stakeholder engagement strategy to advance implementation of pilot projects and to implement Metro's Vision 2028 Strategic Plan
• Coordinates with municipal partners to pilot new initiatives and to implement Metro's Vision 2028 Strategic Plan
• Communicates and implements safety rules, policies, and procedures in support of the agency's safety vision and goals; and maintains accountability for the safety performance of all assigned employees

May be required to perform other related job duties

Minimum Qualifications

A combination of education and/or experience that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the essential functions of the position. Additional experience, as outlined below, may be substituted for required education on a year-for-year basis. A typical combination includes:

Education

• Bachelor's Degree in Urban or Transportation Planning, Civil or Transportation Engineering, Business, Public Administration, Political Science, Urban Design, Public Policy, Finance, or a related field; Master's Degree in a related field preferred

Experience

• Six years of relevant experience or three years supervisory-level experience in transportation planning, project management, urban design, transportation system design and research, travel simulation and demand modeling, transportation finance, operations planning, or a related area; two years of relevant management-level experience preferred; some positions in this class may require specialized experience in area of assignment

Certifications/Licenses/Special Requirements

• A valid California Class C Driver License or the ability to utilize an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job-related essential functions preferred

Preferred Qualifications
Preferred Qualifications (PQs) are used to identify relevant knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) as determined by business necessity. These criteria are considered preferred qualifications and are not intended to serve as minimum requirements for the position. PQs will help support selection decisions throughout the recruitment. In addition, applicants who possess these PQs will not automatically be selected.

 The following are the preferred qualifications:

• Experience preparing presentations, spreadsheets, and summaries
• Experience leading operations visits and coordination at field locations
• Experience leading senior level meetings and task forces
• Experience preparing operational and service-related documents

Other Qualifications

Knowledge of (defined as a learned body of information that is required for and applied in the performance of job tasks)

• Applicable local, state, and federal laws, rules, and regulations governing transportation policies, funding, and planning for a public agency
• Theories, principles, and practices of project and program management, transportation and land use planning, and regulations, contracts, and funding
• Financial, analytical, statistical, and reconciliation methods and practices
• Organization and processes of local, regional, state, and federal government, including legislative and funding processes and policies
• Political, socioeconomic, and environmental issues that influence transportation
• Modern management theory
• Applicable business software applications

Skill in (defined as the proficient manual, verbal, or mental utilization of data, people, or things)

• Managing the activities of a major transportation mode, project, or program
• Managing projects effectively
• Determining strategies to achieve goals
• Conducting studies, research, and analyses
• Understanding complex planning concepts
• Analyzing situations and issues, identifying problems, recommending and implementing solutions, evaluating outcomes, and making course corrections
• Exercising sound judgment and creativity in making decisions and solving complex problems
• Preparing reports and correspondence
• Establishing and implementing relevant policies and procedures
• Communicating effectively orally and in writing
• Interacting professionally with various levels of Metro employees, outside representatives, and the public
• Writing and editing documents for diverse audiences, including complex and technical documents; and translating complex concepts into easy to understand terms
• Mediating and negotiating
• Managing multidisciplinary professionals to achieve goals
• Managing procurement contracts and negotiating
• Building consensus and support around new concepts and innovations

Ability to (defined as a present competence to perform an observable behavior or produce an observable result)

• Work independently or in teams
• Think and act independently
• Compile, analyze, and interpret complex data
• Negotiate consensus solutions
• Promote and build support for innovation with internal and external stakeholders
• Effectively navigate complex political, controversial, and challenging subjects to build consensus and achieve desired outcome
• Understand, interpret, and apply laws, rules, regulations, policies, procedures, contracts, budgets, and labor/management agreements
• Represent Metro before the public
• Make financial decisions within a budget
• Supervise, train, and provide expert technical assistance to assigned staff
• Read, write, speak, and understand English

Special Conditions

• This job specification is not to be construed as an exhaustive list of duties, responsibilities, or requirements
• The physical demands described are representative of those that must be met by the employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job
• Metro provides reasonable accommodation to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions
• This classification is at-will and the incumbent serves at the pleasure of the hiring authority when classified as an Intermittent, Emergency, Annuitant, or Temporary employee, is assigned to the Office of Inspector General (OIG) or Board Clerk's Office, and/or reporting directly to the LACMTA Board of Directors
• Contributes to ensuring that the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) policies and programs of Metro are carried out

Working Conditions

• Typical office situation
• Close exposure to computer monitors and video screen

Physical Effort Required

• Sitting at a desk or table
• Operate a telephone or other telecommunications device and communicate through the medium
• Type and use a keyboard and mouse to perform necessary computer-based functions
• Communicating through speech in the English language required

KP

Metro Los Angeles is the major operator of bus and rail service.