Senior Project Information Specialist

The NJTPA’s Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) prioritizes federal funding for all modes of surface transportation in northern New Jersey, including state and locally sponsored transportation projects; federal discretionary grants and congressionally designated projects listed in annual federal appropriations bills; and various federally funded transportation programs. 

The Senior Project Information Specialist will assist Capital Programming staff in developing and managing the TIP in the following areas: project status management; capital project report preparation; review of project financial plans; TIP modifications and amendments; and liaison to NJTPA Central Staff and state and local transportation agencies during capital program negotiations. The Senior Project Information Specialist will be responsible for the development and update of the Study and Development Program and annual TIP Obligation reports, and the distribution of the Capital Project Screening Committee (CPSC) and Capital Project Committee (CPC) meeting agendas.

The incumbent works under deadlines and is capable of handling multiple assignments concurrently, as well as independently and collaboratively with other staff. All duties will be performed per university policies, procedures, and core values.

Essential Functions:

• Assist in the development and analysis of the draft and final TIP - reviewing proposed projects, preparing capital program comparison reports, scoring projects, and responding to comments.
• Prepare the Study and Development Program report – the schedule of project planning, environmental reviews, and other work to advance proposed improvement projects toward possible federal funding in the TIP.
• Participate in the NJDOT CPSC and CPC meetings - preparing region-specific documentation of changes to project schedules and/or funding, advising the affected local agency of pending NJDOT actions, submitting comment forms to NJDOT, and addressing feedback from the NJTPA and local agencies.
• Produce fiscal year-end obligation report of annual TIP elements – evaluating the TIP relative to planned project costs versus actual federal funding authorizations.
• Provide technical support to enhance the project prioritization and selection process - ensuring NJTPA criteria meets federal regulations and aligns with performance targets, maintaining accurate data for project selection criteria, and updating scoring criteria, as needed.
• Review financial plans and annual updates developed by NJDOT and subregions for projects with costs over $100 million in federal funding, as needed.
• Collaborate with NJDOT, NJ TRANSIT, and other implementing transportation agency project managers to track the development of projects.

Additional Functions:

• Assist in the preparation of modifications and amendments to the TIP, as needed.
• Maintain and analyze capital programming project status reports and update project information in the NJTPA TIP project databases.
• Assist in the preparation of capital project analytical reports as needed for Executive Management and other members of Central Staff.
• Collaborate and provide capital programming support and TIP-related activities on other ongoing programs and activities.
• Communicate information on TIP projects and the programming process to the NJTPA Board, its regional technical advisory committee, and other local, regional, state, and national transportation agencies and organizations.
• Assist in researching and responding to inquiries received from elected officials, local agencies, and the public, as directed.
• Performs additional related duties as required.

Prerequisite Qualifications:

• Graduation from an accredited college with a bachelor's degree in urban, regional, or transportation planning, civil engineering, public administration, or related field.
• Two (2) years professional experience in urban, regional, or transportation planning, civil engineering, or public administration.
• At the university's discretion, the education and experience prerequisites may be exempted where the candidate can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the university, an equivalent combination of education and experience specifically preparing the candidate for success in the position.

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Graduation from an accredited college with a master’s degree in urban, regional, or transportation planning, civil engineering, public administration, or a related field.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; knowledge of Microsoft Access, Esri ArcGIS, and Adobe Acrobat Pro DC a plus.
• Ability to analyze and effectively disseminate highlights from large amounts of project information.
• Practical problem-solving skills and decision-making abilities.
• Self-motivated worker, with the ability to work in both a team-environment and independently to achieve desired goals and objectives.
• Strong communication skills, written and oral.
• Good time-management and organizational skills.
• Detail and results-oriented.
• Ability to complete tasks within set timeframes.

Bargaining Unit:
PSA

Range/Band:
23

FLSA:
Exempt
Full-Time