Senior Associate Planner

Alta is looking for an experienced transportation professional to lead our growing Arizona market. Candidates may have planning or engineering backgrounds with experience in Complete Street and multi-modal transportation project development and delivery.

This is a unique opportunity for somebody passionate about sustainable transportation and positively impacting our communities who’s ready to take the next step in their career with a rapidly growing company. Preferred location is the Phoenix metro area. If you are looking for a mission-focused company that is an industry leader in active transportation, TDM, roadway safety, greenways, and sustainable mobility, apply with us today!

About Alta

Alta Planning Design is a sustainable transportation company dedicated to creating active, healthy communities through planning, landscape architecture, engineering, and education/encouragement programs. Alta was founded in 1996 when communities were calling for safer streets for people walking and bicycling as the non-motorized transportation movement developed into a profession in the United States. We pioneered the field of active transportation, evolving our planning and design work into a visionary global practice that empowers people to live active, healthy lives and gets them to where they need to go.

Our core values and work bring about positive change by creating places that are geared toward moving people rather than cars, connecting community members to daily needs and human experience, and empowering every person to live an active healthy life. As a leader in mobility innovation for over 29 years with over 225 staff, we are dedicated to connecting people to places by working across disciplines and scale to address social justice, safety, and environmental resilience.

Our recent work highlights in Arizona include the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) Regional Travel Options and Optimization Study, the Phoenix Connected Active Neighborhoods project, Alamo Wash Greenway design, Casa Grande Safe Routes to School Study, and our current work on the MAG Active Transportation Plan.

Day to Day

The selected candidate will lead and grow Alta’s presence in the Phoenix metro area and broader Arizona market, helping to manage and deliver projects, grow our client base, and expand Alta’s presence. In this role you will:

• Act as the Project Manager or Task Lead on a variety of transportation projects that may include active transportation and TDM plans, road safety studies, corridor studies, and multi-modal design and implementation.
• Lead business development activities across the market area, nurturing relationships with clients and partners.
• Attend client meetings, conduct site visits and public outreach activities, and present findings to stakeholder groups and decision makers.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to staff across offices, helping their professional development and career growth.
• Attend industry conferences and professional organization meetings to conduct business development and present on Alta’s work.
• Collaborate closely with staff from Alta’s other offices and with Alta’s colleagues within the Trilon Group of companies.

Qualifications

Required

This position requires a combination of skills, experience and education including, but not limited to the following:

• Bachelor’s degree in planning, engineering, landscape architecture, environmental science, or a related field of study.
• Eight or more years of experience in a consulting environment or public entity managing large projects; three or more years of experience as a Project Manager.
• Experience in multi-modal transportation.
• Demonstrated understanding of the project delivery process and a detailed understanding of project management principles, methods, and techniques for consulting.

Preferred

There are other additional skills, experience, and education that would be beneficial to this position including, but not limited to the following:

• Experience and aptitude in business development. Show initiative and the ability to capitalize on opportunities to enhance Alta’s position in the marketplace.
• Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities and multiple simultaneous projects involving cross-functional project teams within budgetary and schedule constraints.
• Ability and willingness to travel within the region.
• Excellent professional ethics, leadership skills, accountability, and decision-making capabilities.
• Excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication, presentation, and analytic skills.
• Proficiency in MS Office Suite.

What We Offer

Flexible Schedule

Alta offers a flexible, hybrid work schedule where most employees work from home three days per week. In-office days support our collaborative culture, one of our core values.

Compensation

The pay range for this job in Phoenix is $120,000-$150,000 annually. Placement within the range is based upon experience, skill-sets, and qualifications.

Benefits

Alta offers comprehensive benefits to all full-time employees:

• Medical: PPO or HSA medical plans, Alta pays 75% of the cost
• Dental/Vision: PPO, Alta pays 90% of the cost
• Life Insurance: Alta pays 100% of the premium for life and AD&D, equal to your base compensation
• 401(k): Alta provides a match up to 3%
• PTO: 21 days accrued annually to start
• Holidays: 11 total company paid holidays
• Paid Parental Leave/Short-Term Disability
• Additional Benefits: Wellness reimbursement up to $800 annually, Alta Gets Around benefit of up to $900 annually, 5-year travel award, and professional development opportunities