Transportation Planner

The Metropolitan Council's Transportation Services (MTS) Division is accepting applications for a Planner - Transportation.

We are the Metropolitan Council, the regional government for the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area. We plan 20 years ahead for the future of the metropolitan area and provide regional parks and trails, transportation, wastewater, and housing services. More information about us on our website.

We are committed to hiring and supporting a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve.

Metropolitan Transportation Services (MTS) conducts planning for the regional transportation system that includes highways, transit, aviation, freight, and bicycle and pedestrian connections. The Metropolitan Council is the region's federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization.

How your work would contribute to our organization and the Twin Cities region:
The Planner - Transportation plays a critical role in implementing our region's long range transportation plan by working toward reducing the transportation sector's contribution to climate change from our region and improving the resilience and sustainability of our transportation system. This position will lead the evaluation of proposed transportation project's lifecycle greenhouse gas and vehicle miles traveled (VMT) impacts utilizing existing methodologies and tools. The planner will work to improve these methodologies and tools over time in a cooperative fashion with internal and external stakeholders. This position will work cooperatively to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles within our region and lead planning for a more resilient and sustainable transportation system in our region. This position will lead conversations with our partners, learn from them and provide technical support related to these activities to our partners to aid them in their related efforts.

Notes: This position is eligible for a hybrid (both remote and onsite) telework arrangement. Candidate's permanent residence must be in Minnesota or Wisconsin. This posting will create a six-month eligibility list for current and future openings.

• Work with planners, researchers, and program administrators to help improve the Council's contribution to climate mitigation and resiliency within the transportation sector of the Twin Cities region.
• Evaluate the climate impact of proposed regional transportation projects for program evaluation and to support the state's required Greenhouse Gas Impact Assessment for highway expansion projects, which assesses both greenhouse gases and vehicle miles traveled (VMT).
• Continually learn best practices to be able to work with internal and external partners to make improvements to current climate impact evaluation methods and tools.
• Cooperatively plan for accelerated adoption of electric vehicles in our region including planning for public charging stations, public education and technical support needed by our partners.
• Help implement the new EV Charging application category of the Regional Solicitation (federal funding selection process), including project scoring, selection and contract administration.
• Lead the region's efforts to improve our transportation's resiliency and adapt to a changing climate.
• Convene conversations with partner agency staff toward coordinated efforts to address climate mitigation and resiliency within the transportation sector of our region.
• Make presentations to internal and external stakeholders to support a coordinated approach to climate mitigation and resiliency within the transportation sector.
• Provide expertise on climate mitigation strategies within the transportation sector for internal projects and with external stakeholders.
• Communicate, and document work and proposals, in several written forms including clear and complete emails, informal reports, and formal reports.
• Use spreadsheet tools for data analysis and work with data scientists when data analysis needs are more complex.

Any of the following combinations in completed education (degree with major coursework in city, urban, land use, or environmental planning; public administration; climate planning or analysis; geography; or related field) and experience (in a planning-related field that includes working with stakeholders, developing reports and presentations; reviewing technical information; conducting data analysis; using GIS and preparing maps, and climate related planning or analysis):

• High school diploma/GED with seven years of experience.
• Associate degree with five years of experience.
• Bachelor's degree with three years of experience.
• Master's degree with one year of experience.

• Experience applying knowledge of racial inequities resulting from the nation and region's history of policies and practices to your work.
• A demonstrated and applied knowledge of transportation's contribution to the nation, state, and/or region's greenhouse gases, and the component parts.
• A demonstrated and applied knowledge of a variety of transportation strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions including those that fall under vehicle miles traveled reduction and fuel type (especially electrification) umbrellas, and evaluation measures including effectiveness, costs, public health impacts, equity concerns and opportunities and other dimensions of evaluations.
• A demonstrated and applied knowledge of a variety of strategies toward a resilient transportation system, especially in fields of planning or analysis.
• Skills in GIS and geographic analysis for planning purposes.

• Knowledge of the Metropolitan Transportation Services planning group and how it relates to partner agencies such as state agencies, counties, cities, other divisions of the Met Council and others.
• Working knowledge of our existing methods and tools for evaluating the life cycle climate impacts of transportation projects, their weaknesses and constraints on improvements.
• Technical skills in MS Word and Excel, to draft reports cooperatively and perform technical analysis using spreadsheets.
• Ability to apply problem-solving techniques to a variety of areas within a given project.
• Ability to make clear oral presentations concerning work assignments.
• Ability to write cogent, concise, and well-reasoned reports and memos.
• Ability to communicate tactfully and clearly to a diverse audience of stakeholders, both verbally and in writing.
• Knowledge of the Council's roles in regional policy development and implementation, including the role of the 2050 Transportation Policy Plan, and the external policy work environment we work within including the state's Statewide Multimodal Transportation Plan.

• We offer the opportunity to make a difference and positively influence the Twin Cities metropolitan area.
• We encourage and support staff in contributing to a dynamic work culture that improves the Council's ability to serve the region.
• We encourage and support staff in bringing the full range of experiences and identities that define them to the workplace.
• We encourage our employees to develop their skills through on-site training and tuition reimbursement.
• We provide a competitive salary, excellent benefits, and a good work/life balance.

Union/Grade: AFSCME / Grade G
FLSA Status: Exempt
Safety Sensitive: No
Full Salary Range: $38.26 - $62.05 hourly / $79,580.80 - $129,064.00 annually

What your work environment would be:
You would perform your work in a standard office setting, including an option for hybrid work (on site and virtual). Work may sometimes require travel between your primary work site and other sites.

What steps the recruitment process involves:

1. We review your minimum qualifications.
2. We rate your education and experience.
3. We conduct a structured panel interview.
4. We conduct a selection interview.

Once you have successfully completed the steps above, then:

If you are new to the Metropolitan Council, you must pass a background check which verifies education, employment, and criminal history. A driving record check and/or physical may be conducted if applicable to the job. If you have a criminal conviction, you do not automatically fail. The Metropolitan Council considers felony, gross misdemeanor and misdemeanor convictions on a case-by-case basis, based on whether they are related to the job and whether the candidate has demonstrated adequate rehabilitation.

If you are already an employee of the Metropolitan Council, you must pass a criminal background check if the job you're applying for is safety sensitive, is a supervisory or management job, is in the Finance, Information Services, Audit, or Human Resources departments, or has access to financial records, files/databases, cash, vouchers or transit fare cards. A driving record check and/or physical may be conducted if applicable to the position.

IMPORTANT: If you make a false statement or withhold information, you may be barred from job consideration.

The Metropolitan Council is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action, and veteran-friendly employer. The Council is committed to a workforce that reflects the diversity of the region and strongly encourages persons of color, members of the LGBTQ community, individuals with disabilities, women, and veterans to apply.

If you have a disability that requires accommodation during the selection process, please email HR-OCCHealth@metc.state.mn.us.