Job Details

Toole Design is looking to hire an experienced and talented full-time Principal Planner in Los Angeles, CA. Do you have a strong planning background with a successful track record managing multimodal transportation projects? Do you enjoy solving complex problems, pursuing and winning work, and exceeding client expectations? Are you passionate about sustainability, equity, and the opportunity to work on innovative multimodal projects that make communities more livable? Are you looking to collaborate with some of the industry's most thoughtful and innovative transportation professionals? If so, please consider joining our accomplished and energetic L.A. team.

This Principal Planner position, with a focus on active and multimodal transportation, earns a competitive salary and great benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, disability, a health savings account (HSA), a flexible spending account (FSA). We practice what we preach and ensure that our employees also have access to transportation by providing them with financial incentives to bike, walk, or use transit for a better quality of life.

About Toole Design

Toole Design is the leading engineering, planning, and landscape architecture firm specializing in multimodal transportation and sustainable places. Our plans focus on projects that are feasible and implementable in the near term to improve conditions for people of all ages and abilities who bike, walk, or roll. Since our start in 2003 as a single office in Maryland, we have expanded throughout the United States, and our offices in Oakland and Los Angeles work together to serve all of California.

Our talented team of planners, landscape architects, urban designers, and engineers are committed to delivering quality work that meets the needs of all people, regardless of age, ability, race, or gender. We help clients find people-first solutions that prioritize safety and active transportation at all different scales: national, state, regional, local, corridor, and intersections and crossings. Underpinning our work is our unwavering commitment to human-centered planning and design and streets and places that exemplify equity, ethics, and empathy. As an Engineering News-Record top 500 design firm, we have also been named a "best firm to work for" and have one of the lowest staff turnover rates in the industry.

A Day in the Life of a Principal Planner

As a Principal Planner, you will develop and nurture client relationships, mentor colleagues, and lead exciting, fun, and challenging projects throughout the region and the state (while also supporting efforts across the country). You will lead teams from a variety of disciplines on complex and impactful work, pursue and win work, and reinforce our firm's reputation as trusted experts and advisors. You will engage with and integrate input from a broad range of stakeholders to create impactful plans that build momentum towards positive change in communities.

At Toole Design, we focus on projects that align with our values. We work on projects that encompass research, policy, planning, design guidance, program development, inclusive engagement, implementation, and evaluation and these occur at all different scales (national, state, regional, and local). As a Principal Planner, you may lead multimodal corridor studies, Vision Zero, Safe Routes to Schools, Pedestrian and Bicycle Plans, New Mobility and Curbside Management, Trails and Greenways, Complete Streets, and/or Transit Access projects. In addition to project work, you will participate in business development pursuits with a focus in LA / Southern California. And through it all, you will work with a close-knit team that is passionate about the communities we serve.

Qualifications of a Principal Planner

• Extensive knowledge of multimodal transportation planning practices and techniques
• At least 15 years of experience working on transportation projects, preferably in L.A. / Southern California
• At least eight (8) years of project management experience and demonstrated success in independently managing projects at a range of scales
• A bachelor's or master's degree in planning or a related field (or additional work experience in the field in lieu of a degree)
• Outstanding written, verbal, and public speaking communication skills
• The ability to deliver high-quality work on-time and on-budget
• The motivation to win work, including forming and managing client relationships, identifying potential opportunities, and developing proposals and interview materials
• A willingness to develop new techniques, lead projects in new practice areas, or oversee the use of new tools
• The ability to facilitate training for other employees, clients, agency staff, and/or professional organizations
• Fluency or a working knowledge of the Spanish language a plus
• Strong graphic communication skills and working knowledge of GIS software (ArcGIS or QGIS) and the Adobe Creative Suite a plus

You'll be great here if:

• You're passionate about contributing to Southern California's future as a more accessible, sustainable, and equitable region
• You have a strong working knowledge of the LA metro area's geography, public agencies, and political landscape
• You understand equity and the role that systems of oppression have played in shaping access to public spaces, transportation resources, and opportunities
• You've led complex projects that involve coordinating collaborative work between staff teams, consultant partners, and public sector or nonprofit partners; and managing schedules and budgets

Work Schedule for a Principal Planner

This full-time position typically works a flexible schedule of 40 hours a week. Our office is conveniently located in downtown Los Angeles and is easily accessed on foot, by bicycle, and via transit. We also provide employees with flexibility and necessary equipment to work from home up to two (2) days per week.

We are targeting a salary range of $130,000.00-$160,000.00 with flexibility for exceptionally qualified candidates.

Ready to Join our Los Angeles Team?

We understand your time is valuable, so we have a quick and easy application process. If you feel that you would be right for this Principal Planner position, please fill out our application by clicking on the link on this page.

At Toole Design, diversity is a necessity, not a nice-to-have. We have a collaborative culture where people of all backgrounds come together to share ideas and build better, more inclusive communities. We encourage those from underrepresented communities - women, people of color, LGBTQIA+, immigrants, those with disabilities and people at all the intersections in between - to apply. Even if you don't think your current skill set checks every box below, but this role seems to align with your strengths, we want to hear from you.

We're proud that about half of our managers are women and we are committed to achieving racial diversity in our leadership as well. Toole Design is a woman-owned business and an equal opportunity employer (EO/AA/VEV/Disabled employer).

Individuals may request accommodations or assistance with the application process by contacting 301-###-#### and asking for Human Resources or emailing .

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