Director of Policy and Planning

Boston-Region-Metropolitan-Planning-Organization; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 125,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work schedule

Professional development

Job summary

The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization seeks a Director of Policy and Planning to lead the agency’s policy and planning divisions, shaping the long‑range plan, investment program, and annual work plan. The role reports to the Executive Director and serves on the leadership team.

The ideal candidate brings deep planning knowledge, strong collaboration skills, and a commitment to transparent public service across regional stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Master's degree required with at least eight years in transportation planning or public management.
• Experience managing, mentoring, and evaluating staff.

Responsibilities

• Lead long-range planning, transportation investment programming, policy development, and board activities.
• Provide strategic policy guidance to leadership, staff, and the MPO board.
• Mentor staff and promote cohesive, high‑performing teams.
• Ensure compliance with federal and state planning requirements.

Skills

Transportation planning principles

Leadership

People management

Budget management

Interpersonal communication

Transparency

Time management

Microsoft Office

Education

Master’s degree in planning, engineering, public policy, public management, or related field

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) seeks a Director of Policy and Planning to join the leadership team of a regional agency with a roughly $10 million annual planning budget to carry out comprehensive, multimodal, transportation planning. The Director of Policy and Planning serves as a member of the agency’s leadership team and reports to the Executive Director. This division-leading role sets the vision for the teams responsible for the agency’s core required policy and programmatic work, including its long-range plan, transportation investment program, and annual work plan. This role also provides strategic policy and planning guidance to executive leadership, staff, and the MPO board. As a member of the leadership team, the director contributes to agency-wide strategic planning, organizational priorities, policies, resource decisions, and overall management. The preferred candidate for this position will be a passionate, civic-minded leader with a deep understanding of and passion for planning that improves people’s lives. The candidate must be enthusiastic to help shape transportation policy and investment in a complex metropolitan area.

• Lead and promote the agency's federal requirements process including alignment with federal and state statutes, rules, guidance, requirements, and policies.
• Support and mentor staff in a manner that builds cohesion across teams and strengthens the vision for agency culture.
• Lead and support the managers responsible for long-range planning, transportation investment programming, policy development, board and committee activities, and related federal planning requirements (MPO Activities and MPO Planning and Policy teams).
• Promote high-quality research, analysis, and writing with teams through efficient processes within and across teams.
• Identify and advance best practices and innovation in implementing MPO work.
• Strengthen board engagement and support informed board decision-making by fostering productive relationships among board members, leadership, managers, and staff.
• Serve as point person on civil rights matters, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Massachusetts Civil Rights Act, and Americans with Disabilities Act.
• Collaborate with other directors and managers to manage allocation of staff resources to prioritize work that is consistent with the agency’s vision and goals.
• Champion and serve as leadership team liaison to the Ideas Group, the agency’s internal working group focused on advancing agency cultural goals related to participation, dignity, and respect for all employee perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences.
• Build and maintain effective relationships with federal, state, regional, municipal, and community partners to advance coordinated policy and planning.
• Lead, develop, and empower a multidisciplinary team of managers and staff, fostering collaboration, accountability, professional growth, and high-quality performance.

While the following sections describe required and desirable qualifications, candidates who believe that their particular experience and skills fulfill the requirements are encouraged to apply.

• Knowledge of transportation principles, long-term planning, and capital investment planning
• Ability to lead through collaboration and emotional intelligence
• Experience in personnel management, including supervision, mentoring and training, conflict resolution, and performance evaluation
• Experience developing budgets and managing resources
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills to be able to engage with all levels of staff, colleagues, board members, and the public
• A commitment to transparency and public service
• Excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or related software
• A master’s degree in planning, engineering, public policy, public management, or a related field with at least eight years of experience in transportation planning or public management, with progressively more responsible managerial experience for five of those years

Additional highly desirable skills and qualifications include:

• Familiarity with MPOs and transportation in the Boston Region
• Deep knowledge of federal and state laws, regulations, and requirements that govern MPOs and the 3C planning process
• Knowledge of civil rights requirements and best practices as they relate to the provision of the MPO’s services, plans, programs, and activities
• Experience in working with or managing boards

This is a full-time position and the starting salary range is $125,000-$135,000 annually, contingent upon qualifications and experience. The agency offers excellent Massachusetts state employee benefits; a flexible, supportive work environment; and a commitment to ongoing professional development.

Additional Information

The Boston Region MPO is a public agency made up of a passionate group of transportation planners, analysts, modelers, programmers, and engineers working to address the Boston region’s transportation challenges. The agency’s deep transportation knowledge is an essential asset to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), regional transit authorities, cities and towns within the region, as well as other agencies and stakeholders.

The agency has a hybrid schedule, combining time in the office with remote work. Employees must reside within a commutable distance from the Boston Region MPO office, which is located in downtown Boston, in a transit-oriented and bicycle-friendly area.

Candidates must have legal authorization to work in the United States and a valid driver’s license and/or the ability to arrange transportation to meetings in different parts of the region. A Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) check must be completed if the position is offered. However, a criminal record is not an automatic bar to employment.

The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) is the fiduciary agent and legal employer of the Boston Region MPO staff. Both organizations are Equal Employment Opportunity employers that take pride in the diversity of their workforces and encourage all qualified persons to apply. MAPC participates in the E-Verify system to confirm employment eligibility. MAPC and the Boston Region MPO may consider sponsorship on a case-by-case basis.