The Central Transportation Planning Staff of the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) seeks a transportation/environmental planner or public health professional with a planning background to lead the MPO’s environmental program areas. The selected candidate will work across the agency to advance the MPO’s environmental goals and to encourage infrastructure investments that mitigate risks for the transportation system and safeguard communities in the region. This individual will also collaborate with the Transportation Equity Program Manager to address disparities in health and environmental outcomes. In addition, this individual will work with the Communications and Engagement team to build partnerships and engage with environmental and public health stakeholders in the region.

The MPO’s environmental program areas include Resilience and Air Quality. The resiliency program focuses on promoting and implementing activities to improve the reliability and adaptability of the transportation system in the region through the Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) and Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) criteria. The Air Quality program ensures that the MPO’s federally funded transportation programs meet conformity requirements as outlined in the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 and evaluates the air quality impacts of transportation projects.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, the following.

• Oversee all aspects of the Resilience and Air Quality programs and ensure that program activities support the MPO’s vision, goals, and objectives and comply with federal requirements
• Develop long-term strategies for the program and ensure that the current year’s tasks are building toward the longer-term strategy
• Prepare an annual work plan with timeline, budget, and deliverables to meet program goals and requirements
• Evaluate the environmental impacts of transportation projects by applying existing criteria and methods, and develop new or revised criteria and methods as needs change and new data and analytical tools become available
• Support the LRTP Needs Assessment by documenting needs related to system vulnerabilities, reliability and adaptability, health, air quality, and the environment
• Propose metrics, data sources, and target-setting methods related to air quality, adaptability and reliability, risk management, and health for the MPO’s performance-based planning and programming activities
• Coordinate with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, regional agencies, and municipalities on resiliency activities in the region. This includes inventorying transportation resiliency plans and activities at the state, regional, and municipal level
• Collect and maintain data and analyses to measure regional air quality conditions and evaluate the air quality impacts of policies, projects, and programs
• Represent the MPO at the statewide Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality and Air Quality Consultation Committee
• Engage with public health and environmental stakeholders, with a focus on an inclusive planning process

While the following sections describe required and desirable qualifications, candidates who believe that their particular experience and skills fulfill the requirements are encouraged to apply.

The ideal candidate will have the following experience and skills:

• At least five years of full-time, or equivalent part-time, professional experience in a relevant field including urban or regional planning, transportation planning, public policy, environmental or climate studies, or public health with a focus on environmental health
  • A bachelor’s degree in a similar field can substitute for three years of experience
  • A master’s degree in any of the above relevant areas can substitute for five years of experience
• The ability to engage in inclusive dialogue with a variety of audiences, including the MPO board, elected officials, technical staff, diverse stakeholders, and the general public in both written and oral formats
• Demonstrated commitment to addressing disparities in health and environmental outcomes
• Ability to work both collaboratively and independently
• Excellent quantitative and qualitative analytical skills, including proficiency working with and maintaining spreadsheets and databases, as well as analytical applications such as ESRI’s GIS software
• Strong writing skills, with the ability to prepare clear and concise documents

Knowledge of the following is desirable, but not required:

• MPO processes and practices
• Federal transportation legislation
• Integrated Transport and Health Impact Modeling Tool or other health assessment tools
• US Census and American Community Survey data
• Asana or other project management software
• Familiarity with the Boston region and its transportation system
• Analytical applications such as RStudio, STATA, or Tableau

Compensation and Benefits

This is a full-time position, and the starting salary range is $60,500 - $76,500 annually, contingent upon qualifications and experience. The agency offers excellent Massachusetts state employee benefits; a flexible, supportive work environment; and a commitment to ongoing professional development.

Additional Information

The Central Transportation Planning Staff of the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization is a public agency made up of a passionate group of transportation planners, analysts, modelers, programmers, and engineers working to address the Boston region’s transportation challenges. The agency’s deep transportation knowledge is an essential asset to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), regional transit authorities, cities and towns within the region, as well as other agencies and stakeholders.

The agency has a hybrid schedule, combining time in the office with remote work. Employees must reside within a commutable distance from the Central Transportation Planning Staff’s office, which is located in downtown Boston, in a transit-oriented and bicycle-friendly area.

Candidates must have legal authorization to work in the United States and a valid driver’s license and/or the ability to arrange transportation to meetings in different parts of the region.

The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) is the fiduciary agent to the Central Transportation Planning Staff and legally employs the staff. Both organizations are Equal Employment Opportunity employers that take pride in the diversity of their workforces and encourage all qualified persons to apply. MAPC participates in the E-Verify system to confirm employment eligibility.

How to Apply

This position is open until filled, and applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. First consideration will be given to those applicants who apply within the first 21 days. When applying for this position, please upload both a resume and cover letter via www.bostonmpo.org. Candidates selected to interview will be asked to submit three references plus a sample of relevant writing or a work product.