Principal Planner-Transit

Job Description

Salary: $74,000 to $85,000

As Central Ohios regional council, MORPC is an association of cities, villages, townships, counties, and regional organizations and serves rural, suburban, and urban areas. We take pride in bringing communities of all sizes and interests together to collaborate on the best practices and plans for the future of our growing region. We do this through a variety of programs, services, projects, and initiatives all with the goal of improving the lives of our residents and making Central Ohio stand out on the world stage.

One of Central Ohios greatest strengths is the diversity of our communities, and to best serve our region, MORPC assertively values diversity and inclusion and strives to reflect those values in our team, our work, and our positive impact for the region. Our work progresses when our team can draw on a wide range of individual experiences and backgrounds, and when each member is open to learning from the experiences of others, both internally and externally. As an equal opportunity employer, we fully support all applicable state and federal laws and regulations and do not discriminate against applicants for employment or employees because of race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, national origin, sexual orientation, sex or gender, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, medical conditions, age, disability or other handicap, genetic information, marital/familial status, veteran status, military status, or income or status with regard to public assistance in any aspects of our personnel policies, working conditions, or hiring and recruitment.

To create and nourish a workforce as diverse as the Central Ohio region, MORPC encourages members of groups traditionally underrepresented in local government and professional positions to apply for our open career opportunities.

MORPC recognizes the value of a healthy work/life balance for our team members and as such, we provide a variety of benefits to promote that balance. Eligible employees receive a free system-wide transit pass and discounted access to other alternative transportation modes to provide options for commuting to work. MORPC encourages opportunities for career advancement through generous tuition and professional development incentives, leadership programs, and participation in local and national organizations. For eligible permanent positions, MORPC also offers flexible schedules and remote work options as well as paid time off and holidays. MORPC employees may also be eligible for excellent health, vision and dental insurance, employee assistance programs, employer paid short-term & long-term disability coverage, employer paid life insurance in the amount of $50,000 coverage, participation in the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System, plus two Deferred Compensation Plans that employees can opt into for additional retirement funding.

Examples of Duties:

The Principal Planner position is responsible for managing core planning and development functions as assigned, including a wide variety of professional and technical analysis, reporting, and compliance activities in accordance with transit, mobility, and transportation demand management activities. Work includes responsibility to prepare important plans and reports that are supplemental to the agency's Metropolitan Transportation Plan. Position activities include coordination with external and internal stakeholders in ensuring information is accurate. Work requires applying a wide range of technical and professional transit and urban planning knowledge to work activities, which include funding existing systems and new transit options in Central Ohio. The position will manage planning projects that include contractors, consultants, and internal employees for the Mobility team.

Typical Qualifications: Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Knowledge of the principles, best practices, and techniques of transportation planning and engineering.

Effective communication skills (both written and verbal) demonstrated experience in qualitative and quantitative research methods, strong statistical and analytical skills, and an understanding of various data collection and visualization methods.

The ability to use phone, computer, and participate in meetings in person and virtually.

Oversee the 5310 Designated Recipient Program.

Monitor federal regulations to assure compliance with 5310 guidance.

Ensure the subrecipients are complying with all federal guidelines including Title VI

Lead evaluation of all 5310 applications.

Manage partnerships with ODOT and FTA Region 5.

Administer MORPCs DOT TrAMs reporting and user management.

Oversee the Transit Planner in development and administration of the 5310 programs.

Lead Interregional Connections and Passenger Rail Initiatives.

Assist in the development of interregional transportation projects.

Manage the intercity passenger rail program and long-range studies with Amtrak/FRA.

Monitor local, state, and federal laws towards mobility, safety, and funding guidance.

Manage and coordinate the development and operations of Transportation Demand Management and Mobility Management Programs.

Guide the development and implementation of the Transportation Demand Management Strategic Plan.

Oversee the Mobility Manager in the development of the Regional Mobility Plan (RMP) and Franklin County specific plans.

Participate in professional and leadership development opportunities.

Partake in the Ohio Public Transit Association (OPTA) and American Public Transportation Association (APTA).

Assist in strategic planning opportunities for the department.

Continually advance leadership skills.

Acceptable Experience and Training:

Completion of a bachelors degree in City and Regional Planning, Engineering, Economics, Public Administration, Political Science or comparable subject matter from an accredited college or university.

Applicants with additional accreditations and advanced degrees in appropriate fields of study are given preference in the application process.

A minimum of two years of related work experience is required.

Essential Functions:

Lead development of the LinkUS initiatives.

Monitor federal and state regulations to ensure compliance and consistency.

Lead project manager for the agency on all LinkUS initiatives.

Participate in public meetings and workshops to collaborate with local officials, agencies, districts, groups and the public to advance transit projects and programs.

Utilize existing plans including corridor concepts, MTP, and housing strategy to promote metrics and actionable items.

Assist with MPO Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) and CORPO Transportation Plan (CTP) related tasks relating to active transportation and safety.

Review local active transportation and safety planning activities and assist with identification of candidate projects.

Assist in strategy and project development as they relate to Active Transportation and Safety.

Assist with other tasks as needed for MTP & CTP development.

Guide County Connections Playbook Activities.

Coordinate with COTA on the development of a county connections playbook to support integrations with surrounding transit agencies and providers.

Assist in the development and maintenance of comprehensive transit plans, programs, and related studies.

Participate in the county meetings with stakeholders and the public to initiate feedback.

Provide project management to surrounding transit agencies to implement suggestions coming out of the playbook.

Assist in design, implementation and evaluation of passenger or public surveys.

Participate in system route analysis, identifying opportunities for system performance improvement.

Short- and long-range planning.

Assist in the development of the transit initiatives of the Metropolitan Transportation Plan.

Provide technical support for any transit and/or mobility initiatives in the Central Ohio region.

Ensure transit compliance with Transportation Improvement Program process.

Supplemental Information:

Excellent benefit package. MORPC is an EOE/AAP employer. Please apply online at or you may mail a resume to or complete an application at MORPC, 111 Liberty St., Suite 100, Columbus, OH 43215 ATTN: MD-1-25

Due to the high number of expected applicants, we cannot accept phone call inquiries.

Full-time

Hybrid remote