Senior Associate – State Smart Transportation Initiative

Job Summary:

The State Smart Transportation Initiative (SSTI), a project of COWS and Smart Growth America, promotes transportation practices that advance environmental sustainability and equitable economic development, while maintaining high standards of governmental efficiency and transparency. SSTI operates in three ways:

• As a community of practice, where participating agencies can learn together and share experiences as they implement innovative smart transportation policies.
• As a source of direct technical assistance to the agencies on transformative and replicable smart transportation reform efforts.
• As a resource to the wider transportation community, including local, state, and federal agencies, in their efforts to reorient practice to changing social and financial demands.

SSTI employs several staff members at the University to address relevant policy and technical issues. These staff members report to SSTI’s director. SSTI is currently undertaking a variety of projects that involve research and technical assistance to help modernize policy and practice at state DOTs and other transportation agencies. Successful applicants will be expected to contribute to the success.

Duties:

• Conduct research required by SSTI clients in cooperation with faculty members and other SSTI staff or independently as appropriate.
• Represent SSTI in contacts with government, industry, policy advocates, and other external stakeholder interests.
• Create original or synthesized materials for use by individual clients and/or the transportation field.

Key areas of responsibility include:

Research (40%)

Work within the SSTI team to create new methods for reforming the transportation systems in line with “Smart Growth” principles.
1) Develop and extend planning and policy tools, such as those used in selecting infrastructure projects, for use by transportation agencies.
2) Explore trends in travel behavior, technology, safety and other topic areas in order to help agencies and their stakeholders develop policy.

Pilot new research via technical assistance to state DOTs. (40%)

1) Help provide technical assistance to states in concert with SSTI’s contracted technical assistance providers.
2) Take a secondary role in providing points of contact to the states as needed.

Communications (20%)

1) Develop and participate in meetings on transportation reform practices.
2) Produce content for the SSTI website publicizing our work, as well as information from other sources.
3) Provide other policy and communication support as needed, including development of webinars, publications and reports.

Qualifications:

Degree and area of specialization:

• Master’s in transportation planning, civil engineering, public policy, or related field preferred, with competence in GIS. Applicants with bachelor’s degrees and significant experience and training, particularly in GIS, will be considered.

Minimum number of years and type of relevant work experience:

• Must have sufficient technical background, through education and/or work experience, to understand transportation research issues and interact effectively with faculty, researchers, and other policy and technically-oriented internal and external constituents/customers, including but not limited to state Departments of Transportation. GIS training and ability to handle spatial and other data are required. A background in transportation policy and planning is preferred.
• This position requires independent problem solving skills. The position also requires good written and oral communication skills, and time management skills. A high-degree of professionalism and an ability to deal effectively and diplomatically with researchers, staff, and industrial, government, and university collaborators at all levels is essential.

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