[Hiring] Principal Transit Service Planner @City of Durham

Role Description

Work, Serve, Thrive. With the City of Durham. Advance in your career while making a real difference in the community you serve.

The Transportation Department plans, builds, and maintains a safe and vibrant multi-modal transportation network that supports safety, mobility, and environmental sustainability to provide a superior quality of life for our residents, businesses, and visitors. If you’re interested in helping bring innovative, community-focused transportation solutions to our community while growing in your career, come to Durham!

Hiring Range: $77,507 - $120,133/Annually

Work Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.

This position will serve as the division’s principal-level specialist for near-term transit service planning, designing and implementing service changes that improve on-time performance, increase frequency in key corridors, and deliver cost-neutral route adjustments that better meet community needs. The Principal Transit Service Planner leads and personally develops all major service change materials, including service scenarios, timetables, bus stop changes, interlines, and turnsheets. The role leads complex, high-impact service planning initiatives, conducts advanced technical analyses, and coordinates with regional partners to design and deliver equitable, reliable, and sustainable transit services. The position may lead staff or consultants as needed, while maintaining the ability to independently complete all technical work and identify when additional support is required.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in planning, engineering, or a directly related field
• Three years of professional planning experience in transportation planning and/or project management and project delivery

Requirements

• Leads GoDurham’s service change process, including scenario development, scheduling concepts, recommending bus stop changes, coordination with internal teams, review of operational impacts, incorporation of operator, employee, and community feedback, and preparation of final implementation materials.
• Develops bus route timetables and related planning inputs that support contractor run-cuts and block assignments, ensuring feasible, efficient, reliable operations within the available budget.
• Performs and oversees advanced transit planning analyses, including service performance measurement, equity evaluation, and cost modeling to support short-range transit decisions, using appropriate methodologies and tools.
• Identifies when support staff or consultant assistance is needed, defines task scopes, and provides direction while retaining responsibility for project quality and deliverables.
• Serves as the division’s subject-matter expert in fixed-route transit planning, providing technical assistance, addressing escalated or complex customer or stakeholder inquiries, and advising senior leadership on service strategy and tradeoffs.
• Coordinates near-term service planning with regional partners including GoTriangle, Durham County, Triangle West Transportation Planning Organization (TWTPO), and NCDOT in support of the Durham County Transit Plan.
• Plans and facilitates public outreach activities, such as meetings, stakeholder engagements, focus groups, and community presentations; communicates complex data in accessible formats.
• Prepares and maintains reports, plans, maps, public-facing materials, ensuring accuracy and consistency across City and GoDurham platforms.
• Responds to state and federal legislation or regulatory requirements related to transit operations by preparing detailed correspondence and documentation.

Benefits

• Experience leading complex transit planning or operational planning projects.
• Proficiency with transit scheduling software and operational analysis tools.
• Advanced analytical ability, including GIS, data visualization, and transit performance analysis.
• Experience guiding or mentoring staff or consultants on project assignments.
• Experience with equitable engagement strategies and collaboration with diverse communities.
• Experience working with regional transportation agencies or MPOs.

ADA & Other Requirements

• Physical Requirements: Positions in this class typically require climbing, balancing, stooping, reaching, standing, walking, fingering, grasping, talking, hearing, and seeing.
• Light Work: Exerting up to 20 pounds occasionally, up to 10 pounds frequently, or a negligible amount constantly.
• Working Conditions: Work is performed in an indoor environment. May be expected to travel to external organizations and locations.