Planning Director – Statewide and Regional Planning

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United States.

📋 Description

• Lead the expansion of STV’s Statewide and Regional Planning Practice on a national level

• Formulate transportation strategies, capital investment programs, and long-term planning initiatives for state departments of transportation, metropolitan planning organizations, transit agencies, and other public-sector clients

• Create and execute a national Statewide and Regional Planning strategy that aligns with Advisory Services growth goals

• Develop and implement a practice playbook that encompasses priority markets, service offerings, client engagement, pursuit strategies, delivery models, and success metrics

• Formulate the value proposition and business plan for statewide and regional planning services

• Identify transportation trends, agency priorities, competitive dynamics, and policy or funding changes that present new opportunities

• Enhance capabilities in long-range, multimodal, modal, capital investment, performance-based, strategic business, and related advisory planning services

• Set and track objectives for client engagement, pipeline development, pursuits, project delivery, revenue growth, and profitability

• Cultivate and strengthen executive-level relationships with state DOTs, MPOs, transit agencies, regional authorities, and public-sector transportation organizations

• Act as a trusted advisor on planning, policy, funding, capital investment, performance, technology, and implementation challenges

• Develop strategic client account plans and spearhead major opportunity identification, qualification, positioning, and capture efforts

• Direct pursuit strategies, proposals, interviews, pricing coordination, teaming, and technical differentiation

• Lead the preparation of technical proposals, scopes of work, staffing plans, schedules, and project delivery strategies

• Forge strategic partnerships with consulting firms, technology providers, academic institutions, research organizations, and specialty partners

• Represent STV at client meetings, conferences, professional associations, and external forums

• Assist in negotiations and contracting for major planning engagements

• Create an operational model that connects Advisory Services with operational groups, regional leaders, functional teams, and client service teams

• Mobilize multidisciplinary professionals across planning, engineering, economics, grants, resilience, sustainability, digital, energy, and program management

• Establish and lead a network of statewide and regional planning professionals

• Evaluate capability gaps and suggest hires, partnerships, investments, and development initiatives

• Mentor and develop planning professionals while supporting recruiting and retention strategies

• Enhance internal processes, tools, data resources, staffing models, and delivery practices

• Facilitate internal forums, training programs, and collaborative working sessions

• Establish commercially viable project plans and conduct project reviews focusing on quality, risk management, and client commitments

• Capture and disseminate lessons learned, best practices, technical innovations, and reusable planning methodologies

• Provide senior technical and strategic oversight for complex planning engagements

• Promote innovative approaches utilizing data analytics, scenario planning, technology, performance measures, policy analysis, and implementation strategies

• Ensure that solutions are technically sound, client-responsive, commercially feasible, and consistent with planning requirements

• Develop unique service offerings and enhance STV’s visibility in the industry through conferences, professional organizations, research, policy discussions, articles, and white papers

• Position STV as a recognized national advisor in statewide and regional transportation planning, capital programming, and strategic investment decision-making

⛳️ Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in urban planning, transportation planning, civil engineering, public policy, public administration, geography, economics, or a related discipline

• At least 15 years of progressively responsible experience in transportation planning, consulting, public-sector planning, or a related field

• Proven experience leading statewide, regional, metropolitan, multimodal, or long-range transportation planning programs

• Extensive background working with state DOTs, MPOs, transit agencies, regional transportation authorities, or similar public-sector clients

• Demonstrated success in developing and nurturing client relationships at the executive, agency leadership, or program leadership levels

• Proven track record in identifying, shaping, and securing significant transportation planning or advisory engagements

• Experience in directing capture strategies, proposals, interviews, teaming arrangements, scopes of work, staffing plans, and fee development

• Strong understanding of long-range transportation planning, modal and multimodal planning, capital investment planning, performance-based planning, strategic planning, and implementation strategies

• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and coordinating professionals across various offices, regions, technical disciplines, or business units

• Proven ability to translate complex transportation, policy, funding, technical, and organizational challenges into actionable client solutions

• Experience managing the financial and commercial aspects of consulting engagements, including project budgeting, risk management, profitability, and performance

• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, facilitation, negotiation, and executive communication skills

• Willingness to travel as needed to support clients, pursuits, projects, industry events, and internal collaboration

• Preferred: Master’s degree in urban planning, transportation planning, civil engineering, public policy, public administration, business administration, or a related field

• Preferred: American Institute of Certified Planners certification or other relevant professional certification

• Preferred: Professional Engineer licensure, where applicable to the candidate’s background

• Preferred: Nationally recognized experience in statewide, regional, metropolitan, multimodal, or capital investment planning

• Preferred: Established executive-level relationships with state DOTs, MPOs, transit agencies, regional authorities, or other transportation organizations

• Preferred: Experience in developing a national or multiregional transportation planning practice, service line, or center of excellence

• Preferred: Experience in leading strategic business planning, market development, annual planning, revenue forecasting, and practice-performance monitoring

• Preferred: Demonstrated thought leadership through conference presentations, professional association participation, publications, research, policy development, or involvement in industry committees

• Preferred: Experience integrating planning with data analytics, digital technology, economics, grants, resilience, sustainability, energy, or capital program development

• Preferred: Familiarity with federal transportation planning requirements, funding programs, performance-management frameworks, and public-sector decision-making processes

🏝️ Benefits

• Health insurance, including an option for a Health Savings Account

• Dental insurance

• Vision insurance

• Flexible Spending Accounts (Healthcare, Dependent Care, and Transit and Parking where applicable)

• Disability insurance

• Life Insurance and Accidental Death & Dismemberment

• 401(k) Plan

• Retirement Counseling

• Employee Assistance Program

• Paid Time Off

• Paid Holidays

• Back-Up Dependent Care

• Parental Leave

• Continuing Education Program

• Professional Licensure and Society Memberships