Senior Transportation Planner (TPS4)

State of Washington; Anacortes (WA); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible hybrid work

Paid holidays

Tuition assistance

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) in the Northwest Region – Mount Baker Area seeks a Senior Transportation Planner to lead community engagement for Complete Streets pre-design efforts and coordinate with internal and external partners. The role involves developing work plans, data analysis, and facilitating meetings while shaping multimodal strategies for current and future growth.

The successful candidate will manage land use coordination, maintain an annual work program,

Qualifications

• Experience leading or supporting community engagement initiatives aligned with HEAL Act.
• Strong understanding of how transportation, land use, housing, and environment interact in planning settings.
• Ability to evaluate techniques and data, identify trends, and make well-supported recommendations for WSDOT.
• Experience collaborating on multi-disciplinary teams to complete planning analyses.
• Ability to communicate complex transportation data clearly to diverse audiences.
• Demonstrates a growth mindset and service orientation.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement inclusive community engagement plans and strategies for multimodal projects.
• Coordinate and oversee community engagement activities.
• Travel to engagement events and meetings multiple times per week.
• Develop annual work program for monitoring land use and transportation policy plans and implementation.
• Independently review and coordinate on land use, transportation, and development regulations.
• Organize and facilitate comments and testimony to support WSDOT policies with partners.
• Collect and analyze transportation, land use, socio-economic, and environmental data.

Skills

Community Engagement

Equity Integration

Multimodal Transportation

Land Use Knowledge

Planning Analysis

Collaboration

Data Visualization

Growth Mindset

Service Orientation

Tools

Microsoft Office

Adobe InDesign

ArcGIS

Job description

About WSDOT

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is a multimodal agency with a global reputation for excellence. Our dedicated workforce plans, designs, builds, and operates an integrated transportation system that safely and efficiently moves people and goods throughout the state. In addition to maintaining over 20,000 lane miles of state highway and 4,100 bridges, WSDOT leads an award-winning Active Transportation Plan, manages the world's longest floating bridge, and operates the largest ferry system in the nation!

The Opportunity

WSDOT is currently seeking a skilled planning professional to serve as the Senior Transportation Planner in our Northwest Region - Mount Baker Area (MBA) office. This position will serve as the Community Engagement Lead supporting MBA Complete Streets Pre-Design efforts with the Project Engineering Offices, special studies, corridor development plans, the HEAL Act and other department planning functions as assigned. Key responsibilities will involve developing work plans, community engagement plans, analyzing data, developing reports, and organizing and facilitating meetings with internal/external partners.

This position will also lead MBA’s work in coordinating land use/transportation decisions and community engagement in the region to help shape multimodal transportation solutions and strategies as communities and the state plan work to accommodate the region’s current and future growth. As MBA’s land use specialist, this position is responsible for developing and implementing an annual work program for monitoring land use action, transportation study progress, and projects of local and regional planning jurisdictions and agencies. This position will involve coordination with WSDOT Headquarters and other WSDOT Regions to address the statewide multimodal transportation plan, highway corridor analysis and studies and other planning efforts as assigned. This position requires independent judgment and the ability to manage multiple projects under tight time constraints as well as working with internal and external stakeholders, technical staff and tools to identify short-term and long-term needs and alternatives to make recommendations consistent with WSDOT’s mission, vision and goals.

What to Expect

Among the varied range of responsibilities held within this role, the Senior Transportation Planner will:

• Develop, coordinate and implement inclusive community engagement plans and strategies to support a variety of multimodal planning and Complete Streets project delivery needs.
• Strategize, prepare, coordinate and oversee community engagement activities.
• Travel to community engagement efforts, meetings and events will be required multiple times per week during some project phases and will involve traveling to the location.
• Develop and implement an annual work program for monitoring local, regional and state jurisdictions’ and agencies’ land use and transportation policy plans and implementation progress.
• Independently review and provide technical assistance and coordination on land use, transportation and development regulations.
• Organize and facilitate oral and written comments and testimony to support WSDOT policies and procedures with internal and external partners and subject matter experts.
• Collect and analyze transportation, land use, socio-economic, environmental, and other data.

Qualifications

To be considered for this opportunity, the following competencies are required:

• Community Engagement & Equity Integration: Experience leading or supporting community engagement initiatives consistent with the HEAL Act. Ability to develop inclusive community engagement plans that integrate community feedback into project development and delivery.
• Multimodal Transportation & Land Use Knowledge: Strong understanding of how transportation, land use, housing, infrastructure, community design, climate, mobility, and environmental considerations interact within local, regional, and statewide planning settings.
• Planning Analysis & Problem-Solving Skills: Ability to evaluate techniques and data, identify trends, evaluate potential impacts and implications for WSDOT, and make well supported recommendations.
• Collaboration and Facilitation: Experience working collaboratively on multi-disciplinary teams to complete planning-related analyses or studies. Strong ability to work effectively with internal and external partners.
• Data Interpretation & Visualization: Ability to communicate complex transportation or technical data clearly through written, visual, and verbal methods to diverse audiences.
• Growth Mindset: Actively demonstrates a commitment to learning and growth.
• Service-Oriented: Takes action to meet the needs of others.

It is preferred that qualified candidates also demonstrate:

• Complex Stakeholder and Public Engagement Leadership: Experience designing and leading complex stakeholder, partner agency, Tribal, community, or public engagement strategies associated with transportation planning, project delivery, or policy initiatives.
• Professional Planning: Experience reviewing, developing, or supporting comprehensive plans, housing, land use, transportation elements, municipal codes, land use applications, environmental review documents, or local implementation guidance.
• Comprehensive Planning Knowledge: Ability to understand and apply Washington’s Growth Management Act, State Environmental Policy Act, comprehensive planning requirements, regional transportation planning frameworks. Ability to apply or learn Washington-specific planning requirements and guidance in state, regional, or local planning contexts.
• Technical and Design Tools: Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Adobe InDesign for professional document and visual material design, and ArcGIS for mapping, spatial analysis, and data visualization in support of community engagement and planning efforts.

Important Notes

• This recruitment may also be used to fill additional positions per business needs.
• This position offers flexible/hybrid remote work options with in-person events occurring regularly during key project stages.
• In addition to base salary, employees may be entitled to other forms of compensation depending on the type, duties, or location of the position. For union-represented positions, more information on other forms of compensation can be found in the applicable Collective Bargaining Agreements. Information on other compensation types for non-represented positions can be found in Chapter 357-28 of the Washington Administrative Code.
• WSDOT does not use the E-Verify system, therefore we are not eligible to extend STEM Optional Practical Training (OPT). For more information, please visit www.uscis.gov

Why WSDOT

• Work-Life Balance - We offer flexible work schedules that allow you time for your life outside of this excellent opportunity.
• Paid Leave - In addition to 12 paid holidays, full‑time employees may earn up to 25 paid vacation days per year!
• Tuition Assistance - Permanent employees have several options for assistance with education expenses, including tuition reimbursement programs, government discounts at participating colleges throughout the state, and eligibility for federal student loan forgiveness.
• PlanFor Your Future - WSDOT offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes a variety of healthcare options. Employees also have a choice of state retirement programs, and much more. Go to State Benefits for more information.

Check out this video to learn more: Why WSDOT?

WSDOT is an equal opportunity employer. We value the importance of creating an environment in which all employees can feel respected, included, and empowered to bring unique ideas to the agency. Our diversity and inclusion efforts include embracing different cultures, backgrounds and viewpoints while fostering growth and advancement in the workplace. All persons, regardless of race, ethnicity, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, and/ or gender identity, are encouraged to apply. Persons with disabilities needing assistance in the application process, or those needing this job announcement in an alternative format may contact the recruiter listed.