Assistant Director of Economic & Urban Development Program Planning

Overview

 

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Move Forward with us! At NJ TRANSIT, you’ll join us in transforming the third-largest transportation agency in North America. We are committed to delivering safe, reliable service that gets our customers to their destinations on time- and we’re looking to hire talented folks with a commitment to excellence. 

Summary:

Assistant Director of Economic and Urban Development Program Planning is the designated owner of the NJ TRANSIT’s Capital Plan portfolio of projects and oversees the necessary economic and planning activities to ensure capital projects and programs are developed and assessed consistent with local, state, and federal goals. The assistant director will play a key role in coordinating the agency’s portfolio of projects and programs where capital investment planning intersects with local development opportunities and goals. The assistant director will play a key role in managing the development of capital projects that requires additional coordination with internal and external stakeholders, municipalities and/or Counties in the urban planning process to drive outcomes that are mutually beneficial such as Transit Oriented Development (TOD). The Assistant Director provides oversight and review in the development of benefit cost analysis (BCA)s and business case reports and will be responsible for providing technical documentation and data to support grant applications and funding requests.

The assistant director will be responsible for coordinating the vetting and review of proposals for new projects and programs that are public facing and/or intersect with local development goals and help maintain a project intake and development process for projects in complex development contexts. The assistant director will be expected to help coordinate with partners such as the New Jersey Economic Development Corporation (EDC). The assistant director will be tasked with maintaining the agency’s business case methodology and developing documentation and funding requests for new TOD projects and programs. The Assistant Director is also responsible for providing expertise in urban planning and stakeholder engagement for capital projects and will be a key supporting agent to project managers with robust stakeholder engagement scopes.

Roles and Responsibilities:

Manages the intake and project development process for future projects and programs driven by local and community goals. Develops Capital Plan documentation as necessary to reflect project and program progress.
Monitor, plan and identify opportunities to link future capital investments economic development opportunities.
Prepares scope, schedule, and budgets for capital investments, initiatives, and projects in close coordination with operating groups and internal/external stakeholders to ensure new projects and programs meet local, state, and federal goals. Develops technical language and visualizations for grant opportunities.
Directs the development and progress of socioeconomic assessments and studies to develop business cases for major projects and programs. Develop GIS maps, technical language, and other grant support documentation. 
Maintains the agency’s portfolio of public facing, community and local development-oriented projects and programs for the capital plan and coordinates efforts to ensure activities are consistent with their stated goals, scope, schedule, and budget. 
Manage the process for business case development to guide future planning and design efforts for a variety of transit projects.
Provide recommendations and consult on the development of the Capital Plan with a focus on the agency’s portfolio of public facing facilities and locations, local development goals, adjacent development activities, opportunities to improve public spaces, and the agency’s asset management and state of good repair database. 
Manages project development process to ensure projects and programs are closely aligned with operational constrains, agency and state goals. 
Serve as a technical advisor or a task lead for major capital projects requiring expertise in any of the following: urban planning, transit-oriented development, station and facility master planning, mobility planning, stakeholder engagement, business case analysis, and economic development.
Work closely with NJ TRANSIT’s Government and Community Relations group to develop strategies and approaches for implementing stakeholder engagement activities to progress capital projects and programs. 
Communicate capital investment strategies clearly and succinctly to technical and non-technical internal and external audiences.
Manage, review, and utilize academic and consultant capabilities to develop reports, evaluations, master plans, infrastructure plans, and other supporting documentation for the capital plan and for capital project development.
Maintains Capital Program’s database of GIS data related to localized developer plans, county and municipal master plans, urban development, community challenges, and other topics necessary for grant and program development. 
Coordinate with MPOs, FTA, NJ EDC, local communities, and other federal and state entities to identify funding sources and requirements for acquiring funding for major projects and programs. Develop scope of work for projects requiring urban planning activities, stakeholder engagement, socioeconomic analysis, and business case development. Supports the development of grant materials for projects and programs.
Studies and activities can include the following: Development of investment plans, master plans, and other efforts in coordination with local communities, partner agencies, and other key project stakeholders for public facing capital projects and programs. Studying and planning station improvements, TOD, and community coordinated investments. 
This Position Supervises:

Urban Planning Manager
Principal Urban Designer
Planning and Economics Research Manager
Principal Economic Associate
Education, Experience and Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in business, Engineering, Transportation, Economics, Architecture, Urban Planning, Public Policy or related field.
Six (6) years of experience working in fields related to any of the following: public transportation, economics, urban development, urban planning, urban design, master planning, federal programs, and transportation policy. 
Experience in developing strategies, plans, and designs related to transportation planning, urban planning, station master planning, economic analysis, and public realm improvements is required.
A Master’s degree preferred in Planning, Economics, Architecture, Engineering, or Public Policy which can substitute for two (2) years of experience.
Knowledge and Skills:

Demonstrated proficiency in spatial analysis tools including GIS.
Firm understanding of topics related to urban planning, stakeholder engagement, economic analysis, and socioeconomic analysis.
Ability to communicate and interact well with external agencies required External agencies may include state and local elected officials and decision makers at state and federal New Jersey State and municipal government, elected and other public officials, as well as federal or state agencies or authorities.
Demonstrated proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite or comparable applications, i.e., Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. 
Knowledge in using urban planning/architecture/engineering/design tools is preferred.
Demonstrated ability to work in a high profile, high pressure environment effectively.
Must have strong managerial skills to effectively direct staff of professional and technical employees.
Excellent written, oral, and presentation communications skills, with the ability to convey complex topics and policies succinctly.
At NJ Transit you will enjoy a competitive salary and excellent benefit package: 

Comprehensive Family Health Insurance – Prescription, Dental, Vision  
Flexible Spending Account  
Life Insurance  
Paid Leave  
401(a), 401(k) Retirement Plans – up to 9% employer contribution  
Tuition Assistance  
Qualified Transportation Expense Plan (QTE)  
 At NJ TRANSIT we support and depend upon the diversity of our staff. NJ TRANSIT is an Equal Opportunity Employer.