Salary : $78,929.00 - $126,097.00 Annually
Location : 101 Monroe St Rockville MD 20850 USA
Job Type: Permanent
Job Number:
Department: Department of Transportation
Division: DOT 50 Transportation Planning and Design Section
Opening Date: 07/28/2026
Closing Date: 8/4/2026 11:59 PM Eastern
FLSA: Exempt

About the Position
Please note: The salary range above represents the earning potential for this position. The anticipated hiring range for this position will be $$78,929 to $125,698, based on the candidate's qualifications and experience.
The Planning Specialist III is generally responsible for planning capital projects for the BRT program, leading public outreach efforts, and advancing programmatic efforts to advance the BRT program. General responsibilities include project management, technical analysis expertise, website updates and development, documentation development, outreach lead, and quality assurance/quality control. The Planning Specialist III has a thorough understanding of transportation planning concepts and principles and is able to effectively identify, develop, and deliver strategic communications with internal and external stakeholders, including consultants, other County agencies, state and federal agencies, and special-purpose agencies (such as M-NCPPC and WSSC) on matters essential to expedite the planning process. The County is seeking a Senior Planner III with knowledge, skills, and experience in the following areas to assist in the delivery of MCDOT's Flash BRT program.
Transit Planning - The transit planning position focuses on planning capital transit projects. This position focuses on leading technical analysis, developing conceptual designs, and leading outreach with various stakeholder groups. It is also responsible for leading various programmatic tasks to advance the BRT program. The ideal candidate for the transit planning position will have experience advancing transportation projects in constrained urban corridors, with a particular focus on outreach to diverse groups. Key to fulfilling the role will be the ability to identify, develop, and deliver strategic messages for BRT projects to varied internal and external stakeholder groups. The candidate should be able to discuss complex, technical engineering issues with any audience and effectively foster understanding and collaboration. In addition, the candidate should be comfortable leading discussions publicly and able to effectively present reports on project status, goals, and objectives.

What You'll Be Doing
The Planning Specialist III works out of the Division of Transportation Engineering and manages planning efforts and public outreach.
General responsibilities include:

• The Planning Specialist III exercises independent judgment, resourcefulness, and creativity.
• The scope and effect of work include, but is not limited to, identification and resolution of significant planning problems related to concepts, analysis, outreach, budget, schedules, and quality for major capital projects.
• The project management function performed by Planning Specialist III is non-supervisory; although some employees in the class may, on occasion, lead lower-grade coworkers in broad scope projects.
• Provides technical direction on planning scopes of work and is proficient in a variety of planning analyses, including but not limited to traffic analysis, transit analysis, concept development, GIS analysis, and other relevant planning analyses.
• Lead the development of and review of planning documentation prepared by consultants.
• Perform cost/ benefit analyses and risk assessment as necessary to ensure timely and cost-effective delivery of the project.
• Take a lead role in communicating project highlights and milestones both internally with MCDOT staff and leadership, as well as externally to the broader community and outside agencies. This includes developing maps, infographics, memorandum of understanding (MOU), project summaries, PowerPoint presentations, conceptual visualizations, press releases, and social media content.
• Direct and plan public outreach and engagement efforts, ensuring diverse and representative outreach along the BRT corridors.
• Be responsible for maintaining all project web pages as well as coordinating many of the public engagement efforts for the Planning and Design Section.

Minimum Qualifications
In addition to the MQs from the PD/Class Spec, if the minimum qualifications from the Classification Specification do not fully describe the needs of your position, add the relevant areas of experience below:

Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree in planning, urban design, environmental studies, public administration, or related fields such as Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Engineering, or Planning with a concentration in transportation.

Experience: Three (3) years of experience in planning and research related to land use, urban economics, human services, environmental issues, conservation, or other work directly related to some municipalities' planning and development work, such as multi-modal transportation planning.

Equivalency: An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted.

License: Possession of a valid Class "C" (or equivalent) driver's license from the applicant's state of residence.
Medical exam protocol: This position requires completion of a pre-employment medical history form to assess your ability to safely perform the essential duties of the role.

Work Environment: The work is mainly performed indoors in an office environment and sometimes outdoors under adverse weather conditions, which involves normal, everyday discomforts.

Physical Demands: Tasks may involve frequent walking over difficult terrain, lifting and carrying moderate weight (25 lbs.), and exposure to adverse weather conditions. Operation of survey equipment may be required.
Preferred Criteria, Interview Preferences
We will use interview preference criteria:

• Experience managing planning efforts.
• Experience participating in and developing public outreach efforts.
• Experience with planning and visualization software such as ArcGIS, CAD, Adobe Design Software, or similar software.
• Experience in planning of transportation, transit, bikeway, or pedestrian projects that include concept development, alternatives analysis, stakeholder engagement, and public outreach.
• Experienced in developing and presenting technical recommendations to government officials, stakeholders, and citizen groups.
• Experience with traffic and transit analysis.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

The Office of Human Resources (OHR) reviews the minimum qualifications of all applicants, irrespective of whether the candidate has previously been found to have met the minimum requirements for the job or been temporarily promoted to the same position. This evaluation is based solely on the information contained in the application/resume submitted for this specific position.

All applicants will respond to a series of questions related to their education, relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities required to minimally perform the job. The applicant's responses in conjunction with their resume and all other information provided in the employment application process will be evaluated to determine the minimum qualifications and preferred criteria or interview preference status. Based on the results, the highest qualified applicants will be placed on an Eligible List and may be considered for an interview. Employees meeting minimum qualifications who are the same grade will be placed on the Eligible List as a "Lateral Transfer" candidate and may be considered for an interview.

This will establish an Eligible List that may be used to fill both current and future vacancies.

If selected for consideration for this position, you may be required to provide evidence that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities indicated on your resume.

Leave Benefits

Our generous leave package starts with non-MLS permanent and term employees earning 15 days of sick leave and 15 days of annual leave in their first year, as well as up to three additional personal days each calendar year. Positions in MLS earn 35 days of paid time off each year. In addition, we offer all employees 10 paid holidays. Our leave policies adhere to the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993, and we provide six weeks of paid parental leave for new parents.

Retirement Benefits

All permanent and term positions are eligible for robust retirement plans. Public safety positions are eligible for a defined benefit pension plan in which they are vested after only five years. Employees in non-public safety positions can participate in retirement plans that contribute up to 12 percent of their annual salary. All employees can also participate in a supplemental retirement plan, the 457 Deferred Compensation Plan, to contribute even more to their retirement goals.

Tuition Assistance & Student Loan Forgiveness

Montgomery County employees are eligible to participate in the Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. Participants who meet all requirements may qualify for forgiveness on the remaining balance on their Direct Loans after making 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time in a qualifying public service position. To learn more about PSLF, please visit the Student Loan Repayment Benefits page. Our tuition assistance program allows you to receive up to $2,130 annually in tuition assistance to help you achieve a degree that supports your career path.

Free Mass Transit Benefit

County employees are entitled to use the RideOn Bus service for free with a valid County-employee ID. This benefit can be used any time of the day or evening, including weekends. We also offer a pre-tax flexible spending account to reduce the cost of other mass-transit options such as MARC trains and Metro.

Reduced Child and Health Care Costs

Working for Montgomery County also entitles permanent and term employees to participate in healthcare and childcare Flexible Spending Accounts. These plans allow eligible employees to save on a pretax basis for healthcare and dependent care costs incurred during the plan year.

Employee Wellbeing

We deeply care about your holistic wellness. Our award-winning wellness program, LiveWell, will support you in improving and maintaining your physical, mental, financial, social, and intellectual well-being.

Learn more about our wonderful benefits available to you once you join our team. Montgomery County Benefits
01

How many years of planning and research experience do you have in land use, urban economics, human services, environmental issues, conservation, or other work directly related to some municipalities' planning and development work?

• No Experience
• 1 Year's Experience
• 2 Year's Experience
• 3 Year's Experience
• 4 Year's Experience
• 5 Year's Experience
• 6 Year's Experience
• 7+ Year's Experience

02

What is your highest level of completed education?

• N/A
• High School/GED
• Associate's Degree
• Bachelor's Degree
• Master's Degree
• Juris Doctor
• Doctorate

03

Do you have a degree in planning, urban design, environmental studies, public administration, or a related field?

• Yes
• No

04

Do you possess and currently maintain a VALID Class "C" (or equivalent) driver's license from your state of residence?

• Yes
• No

Required Question