Title: Principal Planner

Division: Transportation

LJA recognizes that our success depends on the quality of the people we hire. We are currently seeking highly talented individuals that take pride in their work, function exceptionally well in team environments, and contribute to the overall success of the company. As a 100% employee-owned company, we promote an entrepreneurial spirit that helps drive the bottom line and the long-term professional and financial success of our employees. With more than 50 office locations, LJA is growing and ready for talented people to help us build our future.

The Principal Planner (Transportation) includes working with colleagues across our established Planning and Environmental groups to deliver exciting projects to the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and other local agencies . The Principal Planner includes ( FDOT , Project Development & Environmental , PD&E) will plan and conduct business development activities and build relationships with clients under the LJA brand. The priorities for this position include PD&E studies, strategic planning, contract discovery, quality assurance, and problem resolution. A Principal Planner will manage PD&E studies, associated tasks, lead analysis, and will work directly with our clients, representing LJA in project and stakeholder meetings. You are part of an interdisciplinary team that plans, provides PD&E studies, and designs multimodal transportation infrastructure in a wide range of contexts from roadway reconstructions and streetscapes in highly urban settings to signature trail projects in suburban and rural areas that highlight and enhance the natural environment. The projects we work on directly and positively affect our communities, and we work hard to encourage a collaborative and team-oriented environment. You will be expected to stay on the cutting edge in a rapidly changing field, including current research, pushing to find new and better ways to think about and incorporate equity in decision-making, and staying abreast of emerging technologies and methods in data collection/analysis, communication, and engagement.

General Responsibilities:

• Proactively and consistently contribute building our planning and PD&E team, promoting our planning and PD&E practice, and maintaining client and future client relationships.
• Perform a variety of advanced tasks including managing planning and PD&E projects, writing reports, developing presentations, and engaging with the community, working directly with our clients, project stakeholders, and project teams.
• Collaborate with colleagues from a variety of disciplines, integrating input from a broad range of stakeholders to create planning and PD&E studies, and plans that lead directly to implementation.
• Develop planning and PD&E multimodal corridor studies, city pedestrian and bicycle master plans, transit, wayfinding, bike parking strategies, trails and greenways, complete streets, Vision Zero, Safe Streets for All, and urban street design guidelines.
• Proactively incorporate equity and innovation into every one of your projects.
• Exercises judgment in the independent evaluation, selection, and substantial adaptation and modification of standard techniques, procedures, and criteria.
• Prepare project schedules, manage task and deliverables list, and maintaining staff schedules related to projects.
• Prepare formal project letters and correspondence, and other special projects.
• Review client supplied documents and standards to determine existing conditions and proposed project execution.
• Must be able to research, organize and write planning and PD&E studies and reports, and listen, facilitate, and speak effectively in front of groups.

Required Education/Licenses:

• American Institute of Certified Planner (AICP) certification (required)
• Bachelor’s degree in environmental science, Biology, planning or appropriate equivalent (a plus)

Required Experience:

• At least 15 years of professional experience at a consulting firm, public entity, non-profit, or higher learning institution.
• Relevant work experience in two or more of the following areas: active transportation planning, transportation policy & governance, multimodal corridor studies, streetscape design, master planning, transit planning, transportation safety, curbside management, EV/AV planning, parks planning, trail networks, public involvement, traffic or travel demand planning.
• Experience interacting with the Client, other consultants, and internal staff with strong communication skills.
• Relevant work experience and current proficiency with one or more of the following platforms: ArcGIS, MicroStation, ProjectWise, BlueBeam, Adobe, Teams, SharePoint
• Ability to work on several projects concurrently, and to efficiently utilize time in executing assigned tasks accurately, on schedule, and within budget.
• Demonstrated understanding of the planning process and of project management principles, methods, and techniques.
• Experience leading tasks related to the preparation and production of technical plans, studies, written reports, and environmental documents for transportation and infrastructure projects.
• Ability to format content in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Strong writing skills and experience working as a primary author for planning or technical documents (clear writer, gets to the point).
• Knowledge of Microsoft Project scheduling software is preferred, but not required.

PD&E

• Demonstrate complete mastery of all NEPA and FDOT requirements
• Conduct environmental impact assessments and prepare environmental documents.
• Review project concept alternative and design plans to ensure compliance with environmental regulations.
• Provide technical expertise and guidance on environmental issues
• Participate in public meetings and hearings to present project plans and address environmental concerns.
• Assist in the strategy planning and growth of the LJA PD&E team
• Assist with grant writing tasks.
• Lead/Assist with the development of public involvement materials, presentations and meeting with stakeholders and the public associated with transportation projects.

Project Management

• Effectively prioritize and assign work to meet schedule and deadlines.
• Prepare and track project budgets and invoices.
• Manage the production of project deliverables (analysis, technical reports, etc.) including oversight of completeness and accuracy of team’s work and guidance on overall objectives within multiple disciplines.
• Effectively communicate/collaborate with client and with teaming partners to successfully deliver projects.

Marketing

• Support all marketing efforts including pursuit strategy, approach development, and LOR preparation
• Leadership skills including mentoring other staff.

Working Conditions

• The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those you encounter while performing the essential functions of this job.
• While performing the duties of this job including working on a computer, the employee is regularly required to sit for prolonged periods at a desk; use hands, handle, or feel, talk, and hear.
• The employee is frequently required to stand and walk.
• The employee must be able to access and navigate each department at the organization’s facilities.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to outside weather conditions.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)