Transportation Planner 2 (40 Hour)(Travel Demand Modeler)

$87,546 - $126,001/Yr

State Of Connecticut - Newington, CT

Full-time - Mid Level

Newington, CT

1,001-5,000 employees

Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support

About the position

The State of Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT) is seeking a Transportation Planner 2 to join the Travel Demand and Air Quality Modeling Unit within the Bureau of Policy and Planning. This position is crucial for analyzing and preparing support data that will aid executive decision-makers in developing effective programs and plans for the future of the state's transportation system. The selected candidate will be responsible for implementing the DOT's Statewide Travel Demand Model, utilizing a suite of Cube software programs to estimate future travel patterns, and employing the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) MOVES software to simulate and forecast pollutant emissions. Additionally, the role involves preparing, forecasting, and maintaining demographic and socioeconomic data for use within the models. The Transportation Planner 2 will work closely with an on-call consultant to update the travel demand model using data obtained from the current Household travel survey. This position requires extensive preparation, maintenance, and manipulation of data files to produce travel estimates and assess air quality impacts, including vehicle miles of travel, rail and transit ridership, and pollutant emissions. The unit also conducts scenario planning for analyzing proposed Department projects, ensuring that the transportation planning process is data-driven and aligned with state and federal regulations. The ideal candidate will be a highly motivated team player who can effectively communicate and build relationships with internal planning and design teams, as well as with other regional, state, and federal agencies. The role includes responsibilities such as updating and calibrating the travel demand model, preparing and running the model for Air Quality Conformity, analyzing various outputs, overseeing future model improvements, and developing databases related to the travel demand model. This position offers a full-time schedule of 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday, with the potential for telework after the successful completion of the working test period.

Responsibilities

• Update, calibrate, and maintain the Department's travel demand model.
• Prepare and run the travel demand model for Air Quality Conformity.
• Analyze various outputs from the travel demand model.
• Conduct project-level analysis for highway and transit alternatives.
• Oversee the development of future model improvements, including managing a task-based consultant.
• Develop various databases and manipulate large datasets related to the Department's travel demand model.
• Collect and analyze data related to the impacts of projects and programs.
• Review studies, surveys, and technical documents for conformance with Department standards and regulations.
• Utilize technical computer products and software, including Microsoft Office and travel demand modeling software (CUBE).
• Distribute travel demand model as needed to consultants working on Department projects.
• Prepare documentation and flowcharts for new travel demand modeling processes and procedures.

Requirements

• Seven (7) years of professional experience in transportation civil engineering or transportation, urban, regional or environmental planning.
• One (1) year of the General Experience must include individual responsibility for the coordination of complex planning projects in a relevant planning area.
• A bachelor's or master's degree in Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, Geography, Transportation/Regional or Urban Planning, Civil Engineering, or a closely related degree is preferred.
• Experience with principles and concepts of travel demand modeling is preferred.
• Experience reading and interpreting design plans is preferred.
• Experience analyzing demographic data for travel demand modeling is preferred.
• Experience manipulating large, complex datasets is preferred.
• Experience utilizing CUBE or other travel demand software is preferred.
• Experience utilizing the Microsoft Office Suite of applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams is preferred.

Nice-to-haves

• A Master's degree in a closely related field may be substituted for one (1) additional year of the General Experience.

Benefits

• A healthy work-life balance for all employees.
• Professional growth and development opportunities.
• Eligibility for telework after successful completion of the working test period.
• Recognition as one of the Best Employers of 2023 by Forbes.
• Employer of the Year award by the Connecticut Society of Civil Engineers.
• Named the Women's Transportation Seminar CT Employer of the Year for 2024.