Director of Planning

ABOUT THE ROLE Reporting to the Deputy Chief of Streets for Infrastructure and Design, the Director of Planning leads a team of transportation planners and analysts as the data analysis and plan development arm of the Streets Cabinet. This role provides a strategic, data-informed, and community-supported vision to guide capital projects, operational functions, and policy-making. The Director oversees teams focused on information and data research, neighborhood planning, and transportation systems planning to build and maintain safe and accessible streets. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES - Act as a technical advisor for boards and commissions, managing sensitive communications between developers, attorneys, and public officials. - Develop and implement policies for neighborhood transportation action plans, prioritizing recommendations for future capital and state-of-good-repair work. - Provide leadership to develop and execute a strategic, data-driven, and community-supported transportation work plan. - Lead citywide policy development for Streets planning with the independent authority to establish operating guidelines. - Manage and supervise a team of three or more direct-report group managers, including hiring, budgeting, and performance reviews. - Oversee the systematic collection, storage, and analysis of transportation data, including asset conditions, walking, biking, transit, and traffic. - Prioritize and direct transportation research conducted in-house and by outside consultants. - Coordinate the intake and assessment of transportation-related requests to maintain neighborhood-based expertise. - Manage strategic transportation networks and systems-level plans, including bike networks, transit networks, and traffic circulation. - Collaborate with other City departments, local and state agencies, and stakeholders to incorporate regional planning needs. - Serve as City of Boston representation on local and regional boards, including the Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization. - Serve on the Streets Cabinet Project Review Committee to guide capital project delivery in alignment with planning goals. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - At least 10 years of full-time professional or technical experience in urban and regional planning, land use planning, transportation engineering, or planning. - Experience must include oversight of public transportation projects with a variety of stakeholders. - At least 5 years of the required experience must be in a supervisory capacity. - Demonstrated track record in leading a multidisciplinary team to successfully complete transportation data, policy, and planning projects. - Demonstrated understanding of multimodal transportation policies and projects from planning through implementation and evaluation. - Familiarity with city or local government operations and the ability to build relationships across departments and levels of government. - Ability to prepare clear reports, conduct research, and communicate effectively with co-workers, outside agencies, and the public. - Proficiency in modern productivity and collaboration tools. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS - Boston Residency is strictly required. - A bachelor's degree in urban planning, regional planning, engineering, transportation, or a related field is preferred and may substitute for two years of required experience. - A master's degree in the above-mentioned fields is strongly preferred and may substitute for one year of required experience. - Supervisory experience may not be substituted for education. - Experience with Boston Complete Streets Guidelines, MUTCD, AASHTO, and FHWA guidelines is strongly preferred. SELECTION PROCESS Not specified in the provided description. HOW TO APPLY Apply through the Boston Career Center website or contact elisa.rodrigues-pires@boston.gov for more information. EMPLOYMENT DETAILS - Employer: City of Boston - Department: Traffic Division / Pwd Central Off. - Req ID: 2026-31890 - Position Type: Regular Full-Time - Openings: 1 - Posting End Date: 11/7/2026 - Hours per week: 35 - Union/Salary Plan/Grade: Non-Union/MM2-12 - Equal Opportunity: The City of Boston is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment. Qualified applicants are considered regardless of sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected categories.