JOB
DEADLINE TO APPLY IS SUNDAY, JUNE 9, 2024 AT 11:59 PMIF YOU ARE INTERESTED, PLEASE APPLY IMMEDIATELYFirst round interviews tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, June 18, 2024A resume and cover letter are not required with your application, but highly encouraged Be ready to rethink your assumptions about the public sector. Dedicated and motivated colleagues? Beautiful, high amenity building for on-site work and collaboration? Flexible schedules and hybrid work options? Yes, yes, and yes! The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) is the transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. MTC is the federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and the state designated Regional Transportation Planning Agency (RTPA) for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. MTC provides services to the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG). For more information about MTC, visit www.mtc.ca.gov. The Regional Planning Program section at MTC/ABAG is a multidisciplinary team that applies data-driven planning to improve the trajectory of the San Francisco Bay Area. One of our core deliverables is Plan Bay Area, which we update every four years. This long-range plan lays out a set of strategies for how to achieve a region that is affordable, connected, diverse, healthy and vibrant for all. In developing the plan, our team takes on some of the most difficult and important challenges facing the region: how to make living in the region affordable for existing and future residents, how to create a safe and effective transportation system, and how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The section consists of five teams: Major Plans, Mobility, Housing and Local Planning, Data and Visualization, and Forecasting/Modeling and Surveys. This Principal Modeler position is within the Forecasting/Modeling and Surveys (FMS) team, which conducts data analysis and develops and applies modeling tools to analyze the impacts of potential strategies for Plan Bay Area. Our team strives to create quality modeling tools that embody our section's goals for planning excellence; we emphasize transparency by creating open-source models, and we value collaboration with other agencies and partners in developing shared resources. The FMS team focuses on the application of economic models, urban development models, and travel models, including developing new features for some of these models as new analysis needs arise. The FMS team also conducts regular travel diary surveys and transit passenger surveys to inform these tools and other research questions of interest to the agency.The Principal Modeler will lead development and application of cutting-edge models to assess our region’s future and to evaluate potential strategies and to improve quality of life. In this role, the Principal Modeler will provide leadership to other professional staff on specific projects, including mentoring staff in technical development; represent MTC/ABAG before a variety of groups, agencies, organizations, elected officials, and the public, requiring the ability to communicate effectively about technical topics with non-technical stakeholders; and perform other job-related tasks and duties as required or assigned.All MTC employees are designated Disaster Service Workers through state and local law (California Government Code Section 3100-3109). Employees are required to complete all Disaster Service Worker-related training as assigned, and to return to work as ordered in the event of an emergency.
EXAMPLE OF DUTIES
The ideal candidate will have the following knowledge, skills, and abilities: RequiredDeep knowledge of activity-based travel modeling, network modeling and/or socioeconomic modelingProgramming skills in python and R to collect, clean, code and analyze dataStrong interpersonal and communication skillsAbility to work in a project and team environmentDesiredExperience synthesizing technical information to facilitate good policy and planning decisionsData visualization experienceKnowledge of the complexity of the transportation system and land use/transportation issues facing the San Francisco Bay Area
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
Specific tasks and assignments include, but are not limited to, the following: Development and application of travel models, including forecasting travel and analyzing transportation system performanceDevelopment and application of urban models (also known as land use models or socio-economic models), including forecasting households and employment and analyzing land use policyData cleaning, network and policy coding, technical documentation and other activity supporting the Forecasting, Modeling and Surveys teamCoordinate development of assigned program or project budgets; administer and monitor the approved budgets; discuss and resolve budget issues with appropriate staff and responsible agencies; implement adjustments as necessary; negotiate, prepare and administer contracts, proposals and agreementsRepresent MTC before a variety of groups, agencies, organizations, elected officials and the public