Planning Specialist III, Grade 23

Posting number: 2026-00405

Department: Department of Transportation

Division: DOT 50 Transportation Planning and Design Section

Job classification: Planning Specialist III

Posting type: Internal/External Applicants

Categories: Administration, Clerical & Data Entry, Planning and Development, Management, Maintenance, Organizational Development, Office and Administrative Support, Program Management

Summary
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Please note: The salary range above represents the earning potential for this position. The anticipated hiring range for this position will be $$78,929 to $125,698, based on the candidate’s qualifications and experience.

WHO WE ARE

MCDOT’s mission is to move people and connect places with seamless, equitable transportation options that are safe, environmentally responsible, and support economic growth and vibrancy in Montgomery County. MCDOT supports its residents, commuters, and visitors with transit options and infrastructure that provides seamless transportation services to the public. 

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

MCDOT is seeking a Planning Specialist III position that will serve in the Department of Transportation; Division of Transportation Engineering (DTE);Bus Rapid Transit Section. This is an exciting opportunity to shape the future of multimodal travel in Montgomery County. DTE is responsible for advancing the County’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) program. The County is working to advance BRT on 100 miles of streets with 100 stations. 

The Planning Specialist III is generally responsible for planning capital projects for the BRT program, leading public outreach efforts, and advancing programmatic efforts to advance the BRT program. General responsibilities include project management, technical analysis expertise, website updates and development, documentation development, outreach lead, and quality assurance/quality control. The Planning Specialist III has a thorough understanding of transportation planning concepts and principles and is able to effectively identify, develop, and deliver strategic communications with internal and external stakeholders, including consultants, other County agencies, state and federal agencies, and special-purpose agencies (such as M-NCPPC and WSSC) on matters essential to expedite the planning process. The County is seeking a Senior Planner III with knowledge, skills, and experience in the following areas to assist in the delivery of MCDOT’s Flash BRT program.

Transit Planning - The transit planning position focuses on planning capital transit projects. This position focuses on leading technical analysis, developing conceptual designs, and leading outreach with various stakeholder groups. It is also responsible for leading various programmatic tasks to advance the BRT program. The ideal candidate for the transit planning position will have experience advancing transportation projects in constrained urban corridors, with a particular focus on outreach to diverse groups. Key to fulfilling the role will be the ability to identify, develop, and deliver strategic messages for BRT projects to varied internal and external stakeholder groups. The candidate should be able to discuss complex, technical engineering issues with any audience and effectively foster understanding and collaboration. In addition, the candidate should be comfortable leading discussions publicly and able to effectively present reports on project status, goals, and objectives.

Examples of duties

The Planning Specialist III works out of the Division of Transportation Engineering and manages planning efforts and public outreach.  

General responsibilities include:  

• The Planning Specialist III exercises independent judgment, resourcefulness, and creativity.
• The scope and effect of work include, but is not limited to, identification and resolution of significant planning problems related to concepts, analysis, outreach, budget, schedules, and quality for major capital projects.
• The project management function performed by Planning Specialist III is non-supervisory; although some employees in the class may, on occasion, lead lower-grade coworkers in broad scope projects. 
• Provides technical direction on planning scopes of work and is proficient in a variety of planning analyses, including but not limited to traffic analysis, transit analysis, concept development, GIS analysis, and other relevant planning analyses.
• Lead the development of and review of planning documentation prepared by consultants.
• Perform cost/ benefit analyses and risk assessment as necessary to ensure timely and cost-effective delivery of the project.
• Take a lead role in communicating project highlights and milestones both internally with MCDOT staff and leadership, as well as externally to the broader community and outside agencies. This includes developing maps, infographics, memorandum of understanding (MOU), project summaries, PowerPoint presentations, conceptual visualizations, press releases, and social media content. 
• Direct and plan public outreach and engagement efforts, ensuring diverse and representative outreach along the BRT corridors.
• Be responsible for maintaining all project web pages as well as coordinating many of the public engagement efforts for the Planning and Design Section.

Qualifications

In addition to the MQs from the PD/Class Spec, if the minimum qualifications from the Classification Specification do not fully describe the needs of your position, add the relevant areas of experience below:

Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree in planning, urban design, environmental studies, public administration, or related fields such as Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Engineering, or Planning with a concentration in transportation.

Experience: Three (3) years of experience in planning and research related to land use, urban economics, human services, environmental issues, conservation, or other work directly related to some municipalities' planning and development work, such as multi-modal transportation planning.

Equivalency: An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted.

License: Possession of a valid Class "C" (or equivalent) driver’s license from the applicant's state of residence.

Medical exam protocol: This position requires completion of a pre-employment medical history form to assess your ability to safely perform the essential duties of the role.

Work Environment: The work is mainly performed indoors in an office environment and sometimes outdoors under adverse weather conditions, which involves normal, everyday discomforts.   

Physical Demands: Tasks may involve frequent walking over difficult terrain, lifting and carrying moderate weight (25 lbs.), and exposure to adverse weather conditions. Operation of survey equipment may be required. 

Supplemental information

We will use interview preference criteria:

• Experience managing planning efforts.
• Experience participating in and developing public outreach efforts.
• Experience with planning and visualization software such as ArcGIS, CAD, Adobe Design Software, or similar software.
• Experience in planning of transportation, transit, bikeway, or pedestrian projects that include concept development, alternatives analysis, stakeholder engagement, and public outreach.
• Experienced in developing and presenting technical recommendations to government officials, stakeholders, and citizen groups.
• Experience with traffic and transit analysis.