TPO Transportation Planner – Administration and Finance

Central Pines Regional Council; Durham (NC); Hybrid; USD 71,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Central Pines Regional Council seeks a Transportation Planner – Administration and Finance to support Triangle West’s financial, operational, and regulatory responsibilities. The role covers budgeting, grant administration, procurement, and UPWP development, working with CPRC and host agency staff.

The successful candidate will handle invoicing, reimbursements, compliance documentation, and preparation of administrative reports while coordinating with partners and local governments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field and 2+ years of professional experience.
• Experience in grant administration, budgeting, invoicing, and reimbursement requests.
• Experience with procurement and contract administration.
• Strong Excel skills; Power BI and data visualization experience.

Responsibilities

• Support annual budget preparation and quarterly/annual reporting.
• Track budgets, expenditures, invoices, encumbrances, and reimbursements.
• Prepare grant invoicing and reimbursement requests.
• Provide procurement and contract administration support.
• Maintain financial and administrative records and documentation.
• Assist with audits, compliance reviews, or reimbursement documentation.

Skills

Initiative

Organization

Collaboration

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor’s degree in related field

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Power BI

ERP systems

Job description

Who We Seek

The successful candidate is a self-starting team player who enjoys collaborating with others as well as working independently. The ideal candidate takes initiative, is highly organized, and can manage multiple administrative and financial tasks with accuracy and professionalism.

This position plays an important role in supporting Triangle West’s administrative, financial, and regulatory responsibilities. The successful candidate will help coordinate budget-related work, grant and UPWP documentation, invoicing and reimbursements, procurement support, compliance documentation, and other core administrative functions. This role requires strong organizational skills, attention to detail, sound judgment, and the ability to work effectively with internal staff, partner agencies, and host agency administrative staff.

The TPO’s office, based in Durham, NC, operates under a flexible, hybrid work policy. This position is housed at Central Pines Regional Council (CPRC), is supervised by the TPO Operations Manager, and works closely with the Executive Director and CPRC administrative staff.

Our Organization

The Research Triangle of North Carolina is one of the fastest growing areas of the country. Triangle West is the regional transportation planning agency in the western Triangle. Triangle West is responsible for planning and programming all modes of transportation including highways, public transit, freight, bicycles, and pedestrians.

We are forward-thinking; our work is regionally based, but community focused. We provide training, support and mentorship to develop our staff. We formulate and implement plans that will improve life quality and reflect our member communities’ collective vision.

Position Summary

The Transportation Planner – Administration and Finance is part of a dynamic team and provides technical and administrative support for Triangle West’s financial, operational, and regulatory responsibilities.

Typical duties include supporting the Operations Manager and Executive Director with regulatory compliance, procurement, grant applications, UPWP development and amendments, budget tracking, grant invoicing and reimbursements, and preparation of administrative reports and supporting documentation.

Responsibilities may include:

• Supporting Unifies Annual Work Program development, amendments, and related documentation
• Assisting with annual budget preparation and quarterly, annual, federal, and state reporting
• Tracking budgets, expenditures, invoices, encumbrances, and reimbursements
• Preparing and coordinating grant invoicing and reimbursement requests
• Providing procurement and contract administration support
• Maintaining financial and administrative records and supporting documentation
• Supporting audit readiness, compliance monitoring, and documentation review
• Coordinating with CPRC administrative and finance staff on invoices, reimbursements, and related records
• Assisting with invoice review, coding, tracking, reconciliation, and financial documentation support
• Preparing professional reports, presentations, and other administrative materials
• Communicating and coordinating effectively with agency partners, local governments, transit providers, consultants, stakeholders, and the public as needed to support Triangle West administrative and operational functions
• Supporting organization meetings and outreach events with preparation, documentation, technology
• Assisting other staff as needed with the organization’s public presence, including online platforms.
• Occasional attendance at in-person and remote daytime and evening meetings is required.

Education and Experience

A bachelor’s degree and at least two years of professional experience in a relevant field, including urban or regional planning, transportation planning, civil or transportation engineering, public administration, public policy, business administration, finance, accounting, or a closely related field; or an equivalent combination of education, graduate study, and directly related work experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with grant administration, budgeting, invoicing, reimbursement requests,
• Experience with procurement and contract administration
• Experience preparing supporting documentation for audits, compliance reviews, or reimbursement requests
• Strong Microsoft Excel skills; PowerBi and/or other data visualization experience

preferred

• Experience with accounting, budgeting, ERP, or financial management systems
• Experience working with public agencies, boards, committees, or intergovernmental organizations
• Strong document management, recordkeeping, and organizational skills
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines and maintain a high level of accuracy and attention to detail

Starting Salary & Benefits

Hiring Range: $71,156 - $74,713

Employee will be eligible for a 5% increase after serving a 6-month probation period.

Benefits: CPRC offers a generous benefits package including

• paid vacation and sick leave
• NC Local Government Retirement System
• 5% 401(k) employer contribution
• employer-paid health, dental, vision, and life insurance
• health spending account
• flexible spending account for child/dependent care expenses
• and flexible schedules and hybrid work environment

Our Host Organization

Central Pines Regional Council is a member-driven organization serving as a leading resource to connect communities and enhance their strategic priority outcomes through regional policy, collaboration, and technical assistance at the local, regional, and state level. Learn more about CPRC’s vision, mission, organizational principles, core values, and strategic focus areas at Central Pines Regional Council’s website.

While we have a flexible work environment that allows for hybrid work arrangements, we do not believe that this role can be served by an employee who does not live within a reasonable commute from our offices in Durham, North Carolina.