Senior Manager – Multimodal Planning

About Houston-Galveston Area Council 

The Houston-Galveston Area Council is one of the largest regional planning commissions in the country with a diverse service area of 13 counties and more than 7 million people. We are the pulse of our region addressing issues that cross city limits and county lines every single day.

We make decisions that affect our transportation system, ensure the safety and well-being of our seniors, connect people to jobs, help families recover from natural disasters, preserve water quality for our children, and so much more. We work to make the region a great place to live, work, and thrive.

What will I be doing? 

The Senior Manager – Multimodal Planning provides strategic leadership and oversight for the Metropolitan Planning Organization’s (MPO) regional planning and transportation planning programs. This position manages multiple planning teams through subordinate managers and is responsible for ensuring the successful delivery of federally required planning products, regional planning studies, and multimodal transportation initiatives that support the long-term transportation vision for the Houston-Galveston region.

The Senior Manager oversees the development and implementation of the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), multimodal planning programs, resilience planning, federal transportation performance measures, and subregional planning studies including transportation mobility plans, thoroughfare plans, and corridor studies. The position ensures compliance with applicable federal and state transportation planning requirements while fostering collaboration among local governments, partner agencies, elected officials, and stakeholders.

• Provides strategic leadership across the Regional Planning and Subregional Planning teams by promoting cross-functional collaboration, integrating planning initiatives, and aligning work efforts to support achieving the regional transportation vision.
• Provides leadership, direction, and oversight to multiple planning teams through subordinate managers, fostering a collaborative, high-performing, and customer-focused work environment.
• Supports executive leadership in developing long-range organizational strategies, planning priorities, and policy recommendations.
• Ensures compliance with applicable federal and state statutes, regulations, and guidance governing MPO activities, including applicable provisions of Title 23 and Title 49 of the United States Code, 23 CFR Part 450, and related federal planning requirements.
• Interprets evolving federal guidance and recommends policy or procedural changes necessary to maintain compliance.
• Coordinates with federal and state partners regarding planning requirements, reviews, certifications, and regulatory compliance.
• Thorough knowledge of metropolitan transportation planning principles, practices, and federal planning requirements applicable to MPOs.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, supervise, mentor, and develop managers and multidisciplinary professional staff.
• Strong understanding of long-range transportation planning, multimodal transportation systems, corridor planning, transportation mobility planning, resilience planning, and planning studies.

Do you have… 

• Bachelor’s degree in Urban Planning, Transportation Planning, Engineering, Public Administration, or a closely related field.
• Five (5) years of progressively responsible transportation planning experience, including experience managing complex planning programs.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working for a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).
• Master’s degree in Urban Planning, Transportation Planning, Public Administration, Engineering, or a related field.
• American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) certification.
• Experience managing a federally required Metropolitan Transportation Plan/Regional Transportation Plan; monitoring, reporting and integrating performance measures; and developing transportation planning studies.
• Experience working with FHWA, FTA, TxDOT, local governments, transit agencies, and regional transportation partners.
• At least four (4) years of supervisory experience leading professional planning staff, including experience supervising managers or equivalent leadership responsibility.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex transportation planning projects involving multiple stakeholders, consultant teams, budgets, and schedules.
• Extensive knowledge of metropolitan transportation planning regulations and processes.

Salary Range: $120,000.00 – $150,000.00