Transportation Technician

The Western Piedmont Council of Governments (WPCOG) is currently seeking energetic, self-motivated, and detail oriented candidates for the position of Transportation Technician. The WPCOG is an innovative and forward-thinking organization dedicated to addressing planning issues for the region. Situated in the beautiful rolling hills and mountains of western North Carolina, with ample opportunities for recreation, shopping and dining abounding in the region, the area is an ideal place to call home. The region contains great natural resources from the slopes of Grandfather Mountain to five major lakes along the Catawba River. The region contains a population of about 365,000 in Alexander, Burke, Caldwell and Catawba counties.

THE ORGANIZATION: WPCOG is a regional governmental agency owned by the 28 local governments in the region and organized in 1968 to provide long-range planning, technical assistance and regional delivery of services. Our organization is one of 16 regional councils in North Carolina formed under NC General Statutes 160A 470-478. Local governments eligible for WPCOG membership include Alexander, Burke, Caldwell and Catawba Counties located in Western NC and the 24 cities and towns within those counties.

WPCOG is organized into eight departments including: Administration; Finance; Workforce Development; Community and Economic Development; Community and Regional Planning; Regional Housing Authority; Area Agency on Aging; and IT/Facilities.

COMMUNITY & REGIONAL PLANNING DEPARTMENT: The WPCOG Community & Regional Planning Department engages in various types of planning services for local governments and other partners in the Western Piedmont. Those services are organized into five divisions:

• Community & Regional Planning
• Transportation Planning (d/b/a Greater Hickory MPO)
• Regional Data Center / GIS
• Natural Resources & Environmental Planning
• Code Enforcement

The department consists of fifteen (15) full-time positions providing a comprehensive set of services.

POSITION DESCRIPTION: The Transportation Technician performs and participates in administrative, technical and professional work related to transportation planning work and serves as staff to the Greater Hickory Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). Work includes preparing planning documents; coordinating and presenting transportation planning and related studies and long term and short term comprehensive transportation plans; analyzing relevant data sets collected, manipulated or corrected to produce geographic datasets, statistics, reports and maps using basic office software for either members or other COG staff; analyzing ordinances, laws and policies and developing recommendations, evaluating programs and preparing and presenting reports; conducting planning studies; and collecting public transportation passenger sampling data. Work requires working knowledge of word-processing, spreadsheets, and maps, plus skill in manipulation of data tables including the production of tables in the performance of duties. Work is performed in both an inside environment and in field conditions environments.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Graduation from a technical school or college with associate’s degree in urban studies, political science, sociology, geography, public administration, planning or related field
• Some experience in municipal, county or regional transportation preferred but not required
• Ability to communicate with general public, professional staff and elected/appointed officials in oral/written forms
• A working knowledge of office equipment, computers and current software
• Equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered

SALARY & BENEFITS: The hiring rate for this position is $40,018. New hires are eligible for up to a 5% increase with the successful completion of probationary period.

• WPCOG is a member of the North Carolina Local Governmental Employees’ Retirement System. This entitles vested employees with at least five years of employment to a defined benefit at the time of retirement. Members contribute 6% of gross compensation each month. This is a before-tax deduction. Western Piedmont Council of Governments contributes an actuarially determined percentage of the gross payroll of members each month.
• The Western Piedmont Council of Governments contributes 4.2% of each employee’s salary to the employer sponsored 401k or 457 plan of their choosing. WPCOG will also match up to 4% of each employee’s salary for a total maximum contribution/match of 8.2%.
• WPCOG pays 100% of an employee’s health and vision coverage. The current plan is a high deductible health plan with a Health Savings Account(HSA). Contributions to the HSA are made pre-tax through payroll deduction.
• WPCOG pays 100% of the following premiums: Life Insurance-$100,000; Accidental Death &Dismemberment; Dental Insurance-Employee and Family; Short-Term Disability (Weekly Indemnity); Long-Term Disability; WPCOG provides for the following payroll deduction and retirement options: O NC 457 Plan, NC 401(k) Plan, Voluntary additional life insurance
• WPCOG Provides for the following paid leave options: 11 Paid Holidays Per Year; Annual Leave earned on a sliding scale based on years of service; 12 Sick Leave Days Per Year; Longevity Pay

APPLICATION PROCESS: Position is open until filled. Submit by September11, 2020 for first consideration. Please submit a cover letter, resume, references, and WPCOG application to Director of Administrative Services and Human Resources, Ashley Bolick, at WPCOG, P.O. Box 9026, Hickory, NC 28603.Emailing application materials is acceptable, ashley.bolick@wpcog.org.

Questions should be directed to Ashley at (828)485-4221.