Vice President, Transportation Planner

This Opportunity
WSP is initiating a search for a full-time Vice President, Transportation Planning Engineer to join our Chicago, IL office. We have an immediate opening for a motivated Transportation Planning Engineer with transportation projects experience, with a focus on Preliminary Engineering Reports and Environmental Studies (Phase I). The ideal candidate will have project management experience, multi-modal transportation engineering experience, familiarity with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, and ability to navigate a fast-paced working environment. The Transportation Planning Engineer is expected to support key clients on a variety of transportation projects through the NEPA process. The Transportation Planning Engineer will also work closely with planning, environmental, civil engineering, and transit/rail engineering staff across WSP's Central region to research, analyze, document and present information related to various types of transportation and/or land use projects for multiple clients in the Midwest, Illinois preferred.
The successful candidate must be a motivated team player, excited to grow their skills in preliminary design, public involvement, environmental planning and documentation, local, state and federal regulatory requirements and best practices. Ideally, the successful candidate will also demonstrate strong analytical, communication, collaboration, technical, supervisory, and business skills, and have a demonstrated working knowledge of preliminary engineering issues, site planning, master planning, long-range planning, land use policies, roadway, transit, freight, rail, and active transportation project studies.
Your Impact

• Manage multi-disciplinary teams in executing project engineering work, environmental studies, and public involvement strategy, including project budgets, tracking hours and expenses, and task completion.
• Provide oversight with data collection efforts for identifying and compiling observational, spatial, and environmental data concerning a variety of matrices for projects, investigations, and surveys.
• Through use of topographic maps, aerial photographs, GIS data, and other tools determine impacts to the human and natural environment
• Prepare comprehensive technical reports and presentations that explain research, findings, and recommendations to address, prevent, control, or restore more complex or larger-scale engineering and environmental problems.
• Prepare data and visualizations such as tables, charts, reports, models, cross-sections, and other illustrations for the interpretation or presentation of more complex and larger scale data, findings, or analyses, and presentation in PowerPoint and other formats as needed.
• Prepare, attend, and/or lead public, agency and stakeholder group meetings associated with transportation projects.
• Provide oversight for desk-based research and site work, including measurements, data interpretation, demographics, patterns and trends, and computer modeling.
• Coordinate with clients, resource agencies, and environmental and technical staff to provide a high level of strategic advice, consultancy, and expertise.
• Develop a client base for providing preliminary engineering services including identifying additional business development opportunities and engaging in proposal writing and submission.
• Mentor staff to support their growth and professional development.
• Collaborate with professionals from multiple disciplines to provide future ready solutions for clients.
• Remain current in latest preliminary engineering/planning practices, regulations, and techniques.
• Support the overall long-term strategy, growth, and pipeline development of Environmental Planning work for WSP, with a focus on opportunities in all disciplines transportation planning.
• Lead technical aspects of contract negotiation, presentations, and meetings.
• Develop a client base for providing high level Environmental Planning services including identifying additional business development opportunities, and cross-selling of other WSP capabilities.
• Remain current in latest environmental planning subject matter, practices, regulations, and techniques.
• Collaborate with professionals from a variety of disciplines to provide "trusted advisor" service and future ready solutions for clients.
• Exercise responsible and ethical decision-making regarding company funds, resources and conduct, and adhere to WSP's Code of Conduct and related policies and procedures.
• Perform additional responsibilities as required by business needs.

Who You Are
Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering, General Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience.)
• Illinois P.E. license, or the ability to obtain within 6 months of hire.
• 12 years of experience working in the preliminary engineering field, completing preliminary engineering studies and incorporating NEPA environmental reviews and commitments into preliminary engineering documents, primarily for federal, state or local transportation agencies, private utilities, or equivalent infrastructure sectors.
• Highly proficient preliminary engineering skills to provide project and task management in preparing IDOT-format Project Development Reports, Project Reports and Design Reports, or similarly formatted reports for other agencies.
• Working knowledge of relevant environmental laws, permitting requirements, notification and compliance practices, and applicable Regional/State/Federal regulatory framework.
• Advanced expertise with consulting practices and preparation of associated documentation.
• Ability to work independently and provide guidance and leadership to mid-level to senior-level team or project members, with strict adherence to QA/QC.
• Experienced with providing critical review of documents and preparing technical deliverables, reports, and plans with a high degree of complexity.
• Strong self-leadership and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to effectively, persuasively, and tactfully interact with employees at all levels of the organization.
• Experience with Computer skills (i.e. MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint) as well as discipline-specific software (i.e., Bentley OpenRoads, ArcGIS).
• Proficiency with technical and business writing, office automation and communication software, technology, and tools.
• Extensive critical thinking and problem-solving skills required to reach conclusions from testing results and data gathering, to identify the most effective solutions to accomplish objectives of assigned projects.
• Proven track record of upholding workplace safety and ability to abide by WSP's health, safety and drug/alcohol and harassment policies.
• Excellent leadership and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to effectively, persuasively, and tactfully interact with employees at all levels of the organization.
• Tactical lateral thinking and strong analytical skills with attention to detail and prioritization of responsibilities in a pressure work environment.
• Must be flexible to a variety of schedules to meet business needs and able to prioritize responsibilities and quickly adapt to change in a pressure work environment.
• Occasional travel may be required depending on project-specific requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's Degree is preferred.
• Strong experience in managing the review and approval of documents and discipline-specific deliverables, certifications, processes, and plans in a multi-project environment is highly desirable.
• Knowledge of and experience with Illinois Department of Transportation BDE and BLR (or other state or regional agency equivalent) policies and procedures.

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