Principal Planner/Senior Planner

Examples of Work
Prepares materials related to items for meetings of the ROCOG Policy Board and the ROCOG and Transportation Technical Advisory Committee (TTAC) as well as other periodic associated MPO-related meetings;
Assists with preparation of the annual MPO Transportation Improvement Program (TIP);
Participates in meetings with the ROCOG Executive Director and other staff regarding preparation and monitoring of the annual Unified Transportation Planning Work Program;
Participates in the management of the Federal Functional Classification system for the MPO and the ROCOG response to other federal requirements such as performance measure planning and reporting;
Collects, organizes, and analyzes data for the region’s transportation studies and activities, including travel demand data, crash data, commuting data, and other performance data related to the transportation system;
Completing various transportation tasks to include technical and policy recommendations resulting in short- and long-range transportation plans, including development of ROCOG 25-Year Long Range Transportation Plan updates and amendments to the plan; 
Works with ROCOG’s Travel Demand Model consultant and other internal staff on maintenance of the ROCOG Regional Traffic Forecasting Model;
Represents ROCOG at MPO statewide meetings and other state agency meetings such as MnDOT committees at both the District and Central Office
Participates in transportation-related technical committees, advisory committees, working groups and task forces, as appropriate
Conducting planning studies for roadway, transit, bicycle, pedestrian, and freight investments conducted by or for the City of Rochester, Olmsted County and other local jurisdictions under the umbrella of ROCOG and the Olmsted County Planning Department; 
Participates and supports local planning initiatives, such as Destination Medical Center planning, multimodal policy development at the local jurisdictional level, Rochester and Olmsted County land use plan updates, as well as other studies conducted by other jurisdictions located within the metropolitan planning area

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required
Knowledge of transportation planning principles, theories and practices and transportation research methods and techniques, and the ability to adapt new methods and techniques to the position;
Knowledge of Microsoft Office computer applications (Word-Excel-PowerPoint-Access); working knowledge of ESRI ArcGIS; familiarity with the use of traffic forecasting models used in transportation planning and software for traffic operations analysis; 
Knowledge of state and federal transportation funding programs;
Preparing informational materials, summary memorandums, presentations, planning documents and technical reports;
Keeping up to date on local, state and federal transportation planning issues; 
Ability to conduct technical research and make recommendations on transportation planning issues to elected officials and public audiences; 
Skill in the organization and leadership of project-level staff, schedules, activities, materials and information for planning studies; 
Experience in the facilitation of meetings and consensus building;
Ability to communicate with diverse groups of people in ROCOG metropolitan planning area and explain technical information understandably to people with technical and non-technical backgrounds; 
Ability to read, understand and interpret regulations and policies;
Ability to speak and write effectively and persuasively;
Skill in preparing maps and graphics that demonstrate and interpret statistical data;
Ability to represent ROCOG, the Planning Department and Olmsted County with tact and diplomacy;
Ability to prepare and give public presentations before decision-making bodies