Senior Transit Planner (Grants Management) or Transit Planner II
Department of Public Works and Utilities
City of Petaluma, California
SENIOR TRANSIT PLANNER SALARY: $95,700 - $116,313* DOE/DOQ
TRANSIT PLANNER II SALARY: $86,902 - $105,643* DOE/DOQ
*These positions are scheduled to receive a 4% adjustment increase, pending final approval by the City Council in September 2023.
See the full recruitment brochure here
The City of Petaluma seeks its next exemplary public servant to serve as the City’s Senior Transit Planner OR Transit Planner II to join the Transit Division. The City is looking to hire one candidate for either of these roles. The Senior Transit Planner helps lead the Transit Division, potentially overseeing several staff and an annual budget of approximately $4 million dollars. This senior-level position requires a strong background in finance and grants management, along with administrative and leadership skills. The position will potentially help to present on projects to various boards and commissions representing Petaluma Transit. The Transit Planner II position assists with the day-to-day operations of the Division, such as transit route development, scheduling, short-term planning, operations, and GIS projects. These positions allow for career growth and the opportunity to gain a diverse skillset, leading to an increase in responsibilities and potentially supervisory functions. The Division is looking for a candidate who is collaborative, communicative, flexible, and pushes for innovation and out-of-the-box thinking to join its close-knit team of transit professionals. If you’re interested in working for a full-service transit agency that offers the opportunity to work on a variety of forward-looking projects, apply today!
THE JOB & IDEAL CANDIDATE – Senior Transit Planner
The Senior Transit Planner oversees the development and management of the Transit Division grant program and will be responsible for managing an annual budget of approximately $4 million. This role requires strong financial acumen, since the Senior Transit Planner oversees budgets, funding, grants, expenses, auditing processes, and the day-to-day finances of the Division. Much of this role involves grant management, coordinating the preparation of the Petaluma Transit Short-Range Transit Plan, reviewing transit-related development applications, and supporting oversight of the Division’s programs and initiatives. In addition to having strong financial acumen, this role requires expertise in project management. The Senior Transit Planner will not only write and secure grant funding but will also be responsible for leading the grant-funded projects from start to finish. Candidates must also be analytical in nature, as this role involves cost analysis, transportation planning, and research.
While the Senior Transit Planner will not initially be overseeing staff, there may be opportunities in the future to manage staff directly. The position helps to provide oversight of the MV Transportation contracted transit staff of over 40 employees. They will have a sense of professionalism as they represent the City on committees, with outside organizations, and in staff subcommittees. The selected candidate will understand the importance of compliance with federal, state, and local guidelines and regulations and will be highly organized, data-minded, and be attentive to detail.
THE JOB & IDEAL CANDIDATE – Transit Planner II
The Transit Planner II supports the daily operations of the Division and will report to the Transit Manager. These positions perform many planning duties, such as designing and modifying transit routes, preparing operator bid materials, and developing GIS maps. The Transit Planner II must be data-minded, as they run statistical analysis, prepare complex spreadsheet models, perform ridership analysis, maintain project databases, and analyze operational data.
The ideal candidate has a growth mindset and is excited at the opportunity to jump into a high-energy and customer-service-focused department. This position will need to be familiar with rules, regulations, and laws affecting transportation systems and able to adapt quickly. They are highly analytical and communicative, using their research and findings to make transit recommendations. Candidates should be eager to work with others and establish positive working relationships in and outside of the Division. Successful candidates will be technically savvy and have experience using specialized software systems.