Principal Multimodal Planner

Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates is seeking a highly organized, independent, and motivated Principal for our nationally recognized multimodal planning practice in our Los Angeles office. This is an outstanding opportunity for a highly motivated, well-connected, and passionate leader to help grow and deliver excellent work that amplifies Nelson\Nygaard’s unique role and offering to clients in Southern California. The Los Angeles office is a diverse team of experts across multiple transportation disciplines, and we are seeking a highly qualified candidate who wants to advance our values of equity, accessibility, and sustainability in the work we do for our clients, and reflective of the communities we serve.

For over 30 years, we’ve led the transportation planning field with our values and innovation. For all that time, we’ve been guided by the principle of putting people first—designing transportation systems for people, not just cars. This principle also extends to how we operate as a firm internally. We were founded by two women who believed in the benefits of a more egalitarian workplace, where leadership and innovation could blossom at all levels and where diversity was a core strength. We are 120 talented and dedicated people in nine offices across the country; what unites us at Nelson\Nygaard is the belief that transportation can change the world and ceaseless drive to make the world more just, more sustainable, more connected, more beautiful.

Responsibilities: In this position, the successful candidate will be expected to manage entire projects, often with the involvement and guidance of other principals. Work will include responsibility for client communication, overall task and project management, determining and managing analytical tasks, client communication, public presentation, and other skills as necessary. The successful candidate is expected to lead proposals, and be responsible for overall business development targets. Providing guidance and oversight to junior staff is a must. Your projects may be located anywhere throughout North America, and thus a willingness and desire to travel is essential. You will work closely with Nelson\Nygaard’s senior and junior staff in the Los Angeles office, as well as staff in our offices throughout the country.

Qualifications and Requirements: We are seeking an individual with at least ten years of experience leading integrated, multimodal transportation planning projects and teams, and with experience cultivating client and partnerships across the public, private, and non-profit sectors to advance our business development priorities.

The ideal candidate should have a broad range of transportation and urban planning experience, with a focus on multimodal planning and design.

A candidate should be able to demonstrate significant expertise in at least five of the following areas:

• Citywide transportation planning and analysis
• Campus and transportation master planning, including special events planning
• Bicycle/pedestrian facility planning and first/last mile connectivity
• Complete streets principles and street design
• Multimodal/intermodal facility and corridor planning
• Transit station area planning
• Transit service planning
• Parking and curb management
• Transportation demand management
• Transportation policy, funding, and governance
• Paratransit/demand-responsive transit service planning and coordination of community transit service
• Intelligent transit systems and technology
• Program management, including oversight of grant-funded programs such as Safe Routes to School or FTA 5307 and 5309

Successful applicants will be expected to:

• Creatively solve multimodal transportation problems
• Demonstrate excellent written and verbal skills
• Work successfully with clients, members of the public, and project teams
• Lead and prepare successful proposals and reports
• Analyze a wide range of transportation data and manage the completion of technical analyses, feasibility studies, and other transportation reports
• Prepare and give effective, compelling presentations
• Participate in firm-wide strategic planning activities to ensure that we continue to build on our mission and core values
• Be a supportive mentor to junior staff
• Organize and supervise data collection activities in the office and the field

The candidate should meet the following minimum qualifications:

• At least ten years of responsible experience in transportation planning, traffic engineering, or a related field.
• A bachelor’s or more advanced degree in urban or transportation planning, or a related planning, engineering, or design field. Master’s degree is preferred.
• Successful and sustained experience in business development (i.e., winning work). If you have public agency experience, grant writing and successful RFP development are applicable skills.
• Excellent written, verbal, and other communication skills, including facilitating public workshops.
• Possess proven experience in managing complex projects within budget and on schedule
• Demonstrate advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.

Salary and Benefits

The annual salary range equivalent for this position is industry competitive, depending on qualifications and years of experience. Benefits include medical, dental and vision insurance, pre-tax transit or bicycling benefit, a 401k program, life insurance and paid time off.

Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. is an equal employment opportunity affirmative action employer.

To apply, please click on the link ‘Apply Online’ below. Qualified and interested candidates should submit a resume and work samples (no larger than 4MB). No phone calls, please.