Metropolitan Planning Executive Director

Start Date: TBD  Compensation: $91,747.53 - $131,734.08 Annually

General Description/Information

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS/KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
Lead, direct, and supervise BHCMPO staff including assigning and monitoring work, prioritizing work, training staff, making suggestions for performance adjustments, determining disciplinary actions, and evaluating staff performance
· Develop a highly productive goal-oriented team culture, rooted in mutual respect and the pursuit of job satisfaction, with strong elements of well thought-out succession planning.
· Directly administers all aspects of the BHCMPO Budget and exercises control over expenditures to include budget planning, projecting, documenting, reporting and analysis.
· Prepares, executes, and administers contractual documents and agreements. Oversees RFP/RFQ processes, ensuring highly effective and legally compliant contractual selections.
· Prepares, submits, and monitors Federal and State grant funds and funding allocation to ensure funds are expensed in accordance with grant agreements, ADOT contracts, and federal and state laws.
· Effectively manage projects and planning studies, ensuring reasonable adherence to established timelines, costs, goals, and objectives.
· Develop and facilitate a strong BHCMPO grant portfolio, through direct grant preparation, guiding BHCMPO employees in pursing grants, and coordinating with partner organizations’ grant writing resources.
· Cultivate strong respect-based working relationships with employees, and members of partner organizations. Promote collaborative working relations that result in mutually beneficial work products and outcomes.
· Attend a broad range of transportation and transit related meetings and conference in-person or virtually when appropriate. Utilize these meetings and conferences to build a strong knowledge base and network of contacts throughout the transportation and transit industry.
· Reviews and interprets complex planning documents.
· Conducts research and prepares written communication and reports regarding projects and activities.
· Manages public transportation planning and studies.
· Conducts Executive Board, Technical Committee, and other public meetings in conformance with Arizona Open Meeting laws, producing highly effective outcomes.
· Oversee the development/updating of all federal and state required MPO documents including the Unified Planning Work Program approved by ADOT and FHWA, Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program, Public Participation Plan, Title VI Plan, the Long-Range Transportation Plan, and any other required work products.
· Performs other job-related duties as assigned.
 

Responsibilities/Duties

KNOWLEDGE OF:
· Organizational leadership principles and techniques.
· Supervisory best practices and related human resources standards and requirements.
· MPO, ADOT/State Highway Department, Federal Highways Administration, and Federal Transit Administration regulations, policies, and procedures.
· Transportation funding sources.
· Grant research, applying, and administration concepts and principles.
· Land use planning.
· Principles, practices, tools, and techniques necessary for specialized areas of transportation planning.
· FTA programs, rules, regulations, and compliance requirements.
· Federally funded transportation programs.
· Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and specific applications to public transportation.
· Principles and practices of financial management and budgets.
· Applications used to analyze and monitor transit programs, preparation of reports, spreadsheets, and databases, and development of web-based customer information.
· Business English, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and composition.
· Clerical office practices and procedures.
· Research techniques and report writing.
· Current Microsoft Office software.


SKILLS IN:
· Database maintenance.
· Developing and organizing work programs.
· Problem-solving and implementing creative solutions.
· Effectively organizing and coordinating work programs and meetings.
· Communicating effectively verbally and in writing and communicating orally in a face-to- face setting and by telephone with the public and employees.
· Establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with employees, other agencies, and the public.
· Organization and adherence to detail.


ABILITY TO:
· Analyze administrative problems and provide solutions and maintain a high level of knowledge of the principles and practices of MPO planning, federal
and state law and regulations and programs pertaining to planning activity.
· Plan, assign and review the work of others and to ensure that BHCMPO documents are processed in a timely manner.
· Exercise critical thinking and refer to regulatory and professional standards in making decisions.
· Propose and implement changes to protocols, policies, and practices.
· Identify priority concerns and develop and implement appropriate responses.
· Build and maintain stakeholder relationships.
· Think critically and collaborate with stakeholders in strategic planning.
· Develop and maintain effective working relationships with associates, employees of other departments, representatives of other organizations, County officials, and the public.
· Keep the Executive Board informed of key operating issues affecting the organization.
· Remain current in knowledge required to perform assigned duties.
· Handle confidential matters and maintain discretion always.
· Act with courtesy, tact, and diplomacy.

Qualifications/Requirements

EDUCATION:
Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration, Engineering, Urban/Rural Planning, Transportation Planning, or a related field. Master’s degree is preferred.

EXPERIENCE:
A minimum of four (4) years of relevant experience in planning, capital improvements, and/or project planning and management equivalent combination of directly related work experience and education may substitute for the degree requirement on a year-per-year basis.