Principal Transportation Planner

The City of Kirkland's Public Works Department is seeking to hire a Principal Transportation Planner!

Why Kirkland?

Ranked as one of the most livable cities in America, Kirkland is an attractive and inviting place to live, work, and visit. We have big city vision while maintaining a small‑town, community feel. If you are a candidate with the desire to join an organization looking to innovate into the future, the City of Kirkland is the place for you!

Our employees love where they work because of the great people, work environment, supportive leadership and City Council, and fearless innovation.

We also invest in you!

Competitive Wages: We strive to maintain competitive compensation packages and work to provide wages that meet the knowledge, skills, and abilities of our employees.

Awesome benefits: The City offers benefits that are unmatched by most other employers. Please click on the benefits tab above to view more details.

Childcare Programs: To help address the challenge of finding reliable childcare, the City of Kirkland has reserved spots for City employees at local and regional providers, available at a discount. New employees gain access to Kirkland’s reserved spots as soon as they start employment. Learn more!

Training and Career Development: The City of Kirkland believes in developing its employees. You will have access to training opportunities designed for career development and advancement based on your position, skills, and interests.

The role of the Principal Transportation Planner is to be the expert in the planning profession, routinely engaged in the management of highly technical, politically sensitive, very complex, and complicated programs and projects that require extensive advocacy for the City’s interests by building relationships and partnerships through the city, region, and/or state. This position develops, interprets, and formulates complex plans, policies, and recommendations with a high degree of independent professional judgment or oversight from the Transportation Manager.

The Principal Transportation Planner advises department leadership, City management, boards and commissions, City Council, and other interest groups on recommended actions and policies that will advance immediate priorities and/or long‑term planning and development efforts. Duties may include direction of staff activities or guidance of teams to achieve desired vision and outcomes.

This is a non‑management classification that requires significant experience and expertise in a specific functional area, City of Kirkland priorities, policies, programs, and regional interests. Compared to the Transportation Planner classification, this position’s assignments, besides being highly visible, politically sensitive, controversial, and very complex, are to strategically advance the City's initiatives, interests, and transportation vision. Decisions made at this level have multiple ramifications, are generally associated with legal and/or financial liability, and may require resolution at local, regional, and state levels of government.

The Principal Transportation Planner works under the general supervision of the Transportation Manager, but functions independently and directly with the public and elected officials and is recognized as the technical expert in their field by both internal and external clients. This position does not directly manage or supervise staff but provides oversight and direction on programs and to project teams.

• Provides transportation planning expertise, developing ideas, and carrying out work programs that advance major City initiatives, high‑priority and highly visible programs/projects, controversial topics and regional issues, ensuring compliance with local, regional, state, and federal laws.
• Exercises overall project management skills and demonstrates expert knowledge in all phases of project management; oversees budgets and project timelines; directs, leads, and oversees inter‑departmental professional staff, consultants and multidisciplinary teams; evaluates program accomplishments against goals; provides recommendations.
• Builds partnerships with constituencies to address controversial and complex issues, while ensuring a comprehensive evaluation of the potential impacts of policies, plans, and implementation actions.
• Leads the development, implementation, and evaluation of public involvement and community outreach to engage the community for assigned topics.
• Prepares and drafts ordinances, codes, and policies related to assigned projects and programs.
• Identifies and writes grants related to funding programs.
• Serves as the liaison between City and various local, regional, and state boards, commissions, and committees, advocating for the City's vision and interests. Performs research, gathers input, prepares reports, and presents information to the public, City commissions, and City Council.