Overview
Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC)
San Francisco, CA
Principal Planner/Analyst, Major Plans
Salary: $148,348.30 – $188,141.41 Annually
Remote Employment: Flexible/Hybrid
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission is an equal-opportunity, non-discriminatory employer. MTC provides all employees and applicants with an equal opportunity in every aspect of the employment experience regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, physical handicap, medical condition or marital status.
THIS JOB POSTING WILL REMAIN OPEN UNTIL A QUALIFIED POOL OF APPLICANTS IS ESTABLISHED AND MAY CLOSE AT ANY TIME
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, PLEASE APPLY IMMEDIATELY
First round interviews tentatively scheduled for Thursday, June 26, 2025
A resume and cover letter are not required with your application, but highly encouraged.
Be ready to rethink your assumptions about the public sector. Dedicated and motivated colleagues? Beautiful, high amenity building for on-site work and collaboration? Flexible schedules and hybrid work options? Yes, yes, and yes!
ABOUT MTC
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) is the transportation planning, financing, and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. MTC is the federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and the state designated Regional Transportation Planning Agency (RTPA) for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. MTC provides services to the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG). For more information about MTC, visit www.mtc.ca.gov.
ABOUT THE ROLE
Working as part of the Major Plans team in the Regional Planning Program, the Principal Planner/Analyst will serve as the project manager for Plan Bay Area 2060, MTC/ABAG’s next-generation vision for transportation, housing, and the environment. This leadership role on one of the agency’s largest and highest profile initiatives is envisioned to provide critical oversight to the complex and varied portfolio of work streams that will comprise the nine-county Bay Area’s next long-range plan, which is slated to kick off publicly in 2026.
Leveraging knowledge and experience across planning, policy, and technical topics, the Principal Planner/Analyst will lead and coordinate the work of 20+ staff across an inter-disciplinary, cross-functional team. The incumbent will be expected to represent the Plan Bay Area team before, and engage with, a diverse range of audiences, including MTC/ABAG committees and boards, MTC/ABAG executive leadership, federal and state partners, other regional agencies, county transportation agencies, local jurisdictions, and many other external stakeholders in the public, private and non-profit sectors.
The ideal candidate should be a data-driven, versatile team player with robust technical and communications skills, a clear track record of creative problem-solving abilities under tight deadlines, and experience managing large-scale planning or policy initiatives, as well as a willingness to tackle new issue areas and challenges.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
Under the direction of the Assistant Director, Major Plans within the Regional Planning Program, specific assignments and responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:
Project Management and Staff Oversight
• Lead and manage Plan Bay Area 2060’s overall work plan and schedule
• Set priorities, oversee, and coordinate cross-functional teams including policy, technical, engagement, and communications staff encompassing multiple topical elements including, but not limited to, transportation, housing, and the environment.
Policy and Technical Analyses
• Leverage robust policy evaluation and technical skills to lead quantitative and qualitative explorations of key issues in regional planning, including close collaboration with the Forecasting, Modeling and Surveys (FMS) team. • • Coordinate or supervise key staff and/or consultants working on varied areas including visioning, scenario planning, strategy/project evaluation, baseline data, planning and technical assumptions, long-range policy and investment proposals, and environmental analysis, among others.
Communications and Engagement
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing, through compelling, relevant, and understandable memos, presentations, and reports.
• Lead forums and stakeholder meetings that successfully engage diverse groups in the public, private and non-profit sectors.
• In close collaboration with the Legislation and Public Affairs (LPA) section, thoughtfully and meaningfully engage the public in the development of the long-range plan.
QUALIFICATIONS
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES
The ideal candidate will have the following knowledge, skills and abilities:
• Broad array of planning knowledge, including transportation, housing, economic, environmental, and equity issues.
• Understanding of key transportation, housing, climate, and environmental policies and programs in California, as well as major projects and initiatives underway in this space in the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.
• Strong project management and communications skills, including the ability to communicate complex policy and technical analyses to a broad range of audiences.
• Robust understanding of the federal, state, regional and local policy and regulatory environment, including key stakeholders and perspectives across various sectors.
• Experience in forging consensus in complex institutional environments, as well as with a broad array of diverse external stakeholders.
• Willingness to continually learn and evolve, tackling new topic areas when needed.
• Strategic risk-taking, innovation, and creative problem-solving abilities.
• Understanding of the core principles of equity necessary to advance and implement MTC/ABAG’s Equity Platform and MTC/ABAG’s Strategic Framework.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
An appropriate combination of education and experience that has provided the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying. A typical way of obtaining the required qualifications is:
Education: A Master’s degree in an appropriate field related to the area of assignment, such as transportation planning, city and regional planning; transportation engineering or modeling, financial management, economics, business or public administration. Applicants with a degree issued from an institution outside the United States must have their transcripts evaluated by an academic accrediting service and provide proof of equivalency along with their application.
Experience: Three years of increasingly responsible experience in an appropriate field related to the area of assignment.
A Bachelor’s degree in an appropriate discipline and four years of relevant experience is an alternative qualification.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
Education: A Master’s degree in an appropriate field related to the area of assignment, such as urban and regional planning, public policy, transportation planning, transportation engineering or modeling, financial management, economics, business or public administration. Applicants with a degree issued from an institution outside the United States must have their transcripts evaluated by an academic accrediting service and provide proof of equivalency along with their application.
Experience: Three years of increasingly responsible experience in an appropriate field related to the area of assignment, such as urban and regional planning, public policy, transportation planning, land use planning, environmental planning, transportation engineering or modeling, financial management, economics, business or public administration.
License/Certificate: Possession of a valid California Class C driver’s license and a safe driving record, or the ability to provide alternate transportation which is approved by the appointing authority.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS
Successful completion of a background check, professional references and the Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9.
DISABILITY
The Human Resources Department will make reasonable efforts in the recruitment or skills assessment process to accommodate applicants with disabilities. If selected for an interview or testing, and you require accommodation, please notify the Human Resources Department when confirming your interview or test.
APPLICATION ASSISTANCE
If you need technical assistance with your on-line application, please contact Applicant Support at (855) 524-5627, available from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM (PST) Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.
All MTC employees are designated Disaster Service Workers through state and local law (California Government Code Section 3100-3109). Employees are required to complete all Disaster Service Worker-related training as assigned, and to return to work as ordered in the event of an emergency.