Principal Transportation Planner; Market and Office Leader

Position: Principal Transportation Planner (Market and Office Leader)
About Access Planning & Nelson ygaard
This is an outstanding opportunity for the right person to help grow our market presence in Vancouver, Western Canada, and the West Coast of the United States. In this role, you will work on policy, strategy and infrastructure advisory initiatives such as designing governance, decision-making, and funding structures for regional agencies and transit authorities; developing long-range mobility policies that influence how cities grow and invest in transportation systems;

and shaping major projects from early concept through capital program development for bus, rail, and airport infrastructure.

You will collaborate closely with clients, senior leaders, and partners; mentor and support colleagues; and play a key role in driving business development and shaping strategy as part of a highly respected, values-driven consulting practice focused on making city life better.

About You

You are passionate about transformational city-building initiatives and delivering better outcomes for communities.

You understand the BC and western markets and are committed to advancing transportation solutions that fit local needs.

You are an inspiring leader with a demonstrated track record of achievement.

You have led broad-ranging and complex strategic planning, policy, or infrastructure advisory projects and programs.

You’re energized by business development, identifying and unlocking opportunities, and you bring client engagement experience and a network of client and industry relationships.

You thrive when building partnerships, defining opportunities and projects, curating deliverables, and managing multi-disciplinary teams.

You’re a collaborator and structured thinker. You’re excited to develop innovative approaches, align diverse stakeholders, deliver compelling presentations, and design frameworks that guide decision‑making.

You value open communication and enjoy working closely with colleagues and clients to tackle issues that require clarity, creativity, and strategic thinking.

You love solving complex problems in dynamic, often ambiguous environments. You’re energized by challenges with more questions than answers.

You’re committed to excellence, with strong subject‑matter expertise, technical and analytical skills, and a strategic mindset.

You’re very organized and able to balance a portfolio of projects, initiatives, and responsibilities.

You have experience supporting transit systems, networks, or strategic projects, whether within public agencies or as a consultant.

You enjoy leading people and teams and are motivated by mentoring and coaching. You support others to take initiative.

What You Will Do
As the Vancouver Office/Market Leader and Principal, you will be responsible for the financial and operational performance of the office as well as overall morale, staff development, and hiring. You will have leadership responsibilities for client relationships and projects, business growth and development, team performance, and the organization, with the ability to delegate duties while maintaining accountability for the success of the Vancouver Office.

Responsibilities will include mentoring and supporting office and project teams; scoping and delivering project work on time and on budget; providing senior advisory services and ensuring quality deliverables; writing and editing technical and public‑facing reports; developing presentations and outreach materials; designing and facilitating processes; and leading business development efforts, client communication, and practice building. You will work independently, as part of the senior management team at Access, and in collaboration with the Office/Market Leaders across Nelson ygaard.

Key Responsibilities Include

Direct…