Senior Planner-Transportation Analytics

at  TransLink

MARKETING STATEMENT

A career at TransLink and our family of companies means working with people with a wide range of skills and perspectives, all teaming up towards a common goal: preserving and enhancing the region’s world-envied quality of life. Together, we connect the region and enhance its livability by providing a sustainable transit and transportation network, embraced by our communities and people.
At TransLink we are dedicated to building a workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities in which we live. We’re committed to fostering an inclusive, equitable and accessible workplace, recognizing the unique value and skills every individual brings.
Looking for a great place to work where your contributions are valued and you can make a difference in a vibrant city? At TransLink, one of BC’s Top Employers, you’ll help make Metro Vancouver a better place to live, built on transportation excellence. Put your future in motion!

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

To advance Enterprise and regional goals, provides advanced transportation analytics expertise, leadership and project management to lead the analytical development of transportation planning policies, plans and strategies, as well as a range of capital and operational initiatives across the enterprise ensuring compliance with industry best practices, professional standards and Enterprise standards, policies and procedures including development of these where they do not exist, and legislative requirements for work of moderate to high impact, risk and complexity.
In support of evidence-based decision-making, identifies analytical research needs, conducts research and analysis and oversees the development of advanced methods, techniques, tools and models to ensure successful delivery and execution of work that is of moderate to high impact, risk and complexity.
Contributes as a member of a program/project team to manage projects of moderate to high impact, risk, and complexity in designing and developing project scope, schedules, and work plans; defining and prioritizing deliverables; preparing and monitoring project budgets, ensuring compliance with department standards, policies and procedures, and the alignment to program, Enterprise, and regional goals, identifying and recommending/taking action on planning and project risks and opportunities, based on analysis of transport data, trends, and issues. Alerts management to critical issues and risks. Identifies and resolves project issues such as those related to scheduling, resourcing, cost-overruns, conflicting agendas and technical issues.
Seeks to understand the lived experience and transportation needs of people and businesses in Metro Vancouver, and especially of disadvantaged and marginalized groups. Identifies and recommends for action opportunities to integrate this understanding in plans/projects.
Collaborate with and provides advanced technical expertise and stewardship to leaders and professionals across the organization with a view to optimizing planning services and project outcomes.
Oversees the development of technical reports and participates in the interactive discussions with Executives, elected and appointed officials, including the Board and Mayors’ Council as required.
Nurtures collaborative relationships with internal colleagues and external stakeholders including advisory committees, staff at other government and public agencies, and other organizations and interest groups, to understand needs, maintain open communication and proactively resolve issues of moderate to high impact, risk and complexity. These issues can be highly visible, and often with no previous precedent or set parameters.
In support of advancing Enterprise and regional goals in open, inclusive and collaborative ways, collaborates with internal stakeholders to design and lead public, stakeholder, and partner research and analytics projects; represents TransLink to external audiences on issues of lower to moderate to high impact, risk and complexity, including presentations to senior internal and external audiences.
Oversees the work of contractors and consultants; provides work direction and monitors contract compliance to ensure service standards, budgets and project deliverables are adhered to. Recommends remedial actions to address non-compliance practices.
Provides coaching and mentoring to team members. Provides advice and input related to performance management and professional development.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Typically requires six (6) years of related experience with progressively increasing levels of responsibility and a Master’s degree in economics, engineering, mathematics, planning or related discipline with strong emphasis on big data analytics, quantitative research, forecasting and other transportation analytics methods and application.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Advanced knowledge of analytical methods to evaluate the costs and benefits of transportation policies, strategy and projects including expertise in alternative analysis, multiple account evaluation and benefit-cost analysis
Advanced knowledge of forecasting theory and transportation model development and application including but not limited to regression and time-series econometric models
Advanced knowledge of the transportation industry as it pertains to best practices in transportation research, analytics, modeling, forecasting, and other quantitative analysis
Advanced knowledge of computerized packages such as R, Python, SQL, STATA, SPSS, Excel and Tableau to provide analytical insights and visualization
Solid leadership skills with the ability to communicate and provide an advanced level of technical guidance and expertise to other transportation planning professionals and to lead projects.
Strong oral and written communication skills to develop and deliver reports and presentations and to facilitate meetings.
Excellent critical thinking, analytical, problem-solving and conflict resolution skills to identify and assess impact of transportation planning and project-related risks and opportunities in an integrated, multi-disciplinary, highly sensitive environment.
Strong Interpersonal skills to build trust by consulting with internal and external contacts and applying a team approach and negotiation skills to make refinements to contracts and to conflict resolution at a basic level of risk and complexity.
Solid decision-making skills to make recommendations/resolve transportation planning and project-related issues, and conflict resolution skills to mitigate and minimize project risks and issues.

PRIMARY PURPOSE

In pursuit of making the region a better place to live for everyone, built on transportation excellence, this role provides advanced quantitative transportation research and analytics expertise, leadership and project management to programs/projects of moderate to high impact, risk, and complexity, that can be highly visible and sensitive in nature.