Who We Are

The Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan (RTA) is a public agency with the mission to create new and better ways to move and connect people. The RTA partners with transit providers, communities, companies, and citizens to create a vision for public transit – what it can be, what it can do, and what we can achieve with it – and to bring that vision to life. By exploring new strategies for improving transit coverage and service, securing and overseeing funding, and increasing accessibility to transit offerings, the RTA plays a crucial role in unleashing our region’s boundless potential. See what we do for more insights about us. 

Our 10-member board is appointed for three-year terms by the Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne county executives, the chair of the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners, the Mayor of Detroit, and the Governor of Michigan. The Governor's appointee serves as a non-voting chair. The RTA was established by State Public Act 387 in 2012.

The RTA oversees the operation of the QLINE streetcar system in Detroit.

Our Mission: Creating new and better ways to move and connect people.

Our Vision: A Southeast Michigan where advances in transit create greater prosperity for all.

RTA’s Values

Creativity – bringing innovative thinking to enhance the transit experience.
Empathy – understanding how we can help improve lives across the region.
Opportunity – leading the way to the future of transit in Southeast Michigan.

Learn more at www.rtamichigan.org. We’re The RTA. Get On Board.

Join Our Passionate Team of Professionals

You’ll join a growing public transportation organization with a unique structure – one that plans, funds, coordinates, and accelerates transit services and programs in Southeast Michigan while operating a 3-mile streetcar in Downtown Detroit.  RTA is responsible for planning regional transit, deploying new services, allocating federal and state funding to transit service providers, and securing new regional funding sources for transit. 

We’re a team that works diligently and cares deeply about creating opportunities to improve the quality of life for our residents. We live what we lead, coming in to work on all modes of transportation. The RTA's goals—from safer streets to enhanced mobility—energize and motivate us to do what we do best in delivering transit throughout our region.

Application Deadline

Submit your application by Monday, March 3, 2025.

About This Role

The Transit Planning Manager position is a critical Planning & Innovation team position in a growing regional public agency. We seek a candidate with experience across multiple government agency business functions, from plans to projects and grants management, pilot designs to implementation, fiscal responsibility to regulatory compliance, partner collaboration to community engagement, and staff development to team growth.

This position will manage senior and associate transit planning personnel, innovative pilots and projects, and leadership in coordination with the RTA’s community engagement plans. You would be integral in guiding efforts such as the Thriving Communities Program, Rapid Transit Corridors Framework, Express Bus Comparisons, Peer Funding Analysis, Scenario Mapping, Grant Programming, and Civil Rights Coordination to advance resilient transit in the region.

We welcome a team member with related experience across applicable government agency functions, from transit and regional planning, to work with engaging our community. You will report to the Planning & Innovation Director. You will work closely with the Executive Director, the External Affairs and Program teams, QLINE administration, planning consultants, provider agencies, and community partners. You will help deliver mission-critical planning development with the RTA’s team, board of directors, and regional stakeholders. This position is hybrid, in-person, 1-3 days a week in Downtown Detroit with meetings in the city and surrounding four-county RTA region, and works from home.

Primary Responsibilities

Planning and People Management (65-75%)

• Manages consultation and capacity building with staff on routine, complex, large-scale transit plan initiatives, guiding team and partners on interpersonal efforts.
• Champions technical studies and coordination with regional institutions, including Departments of Transportation (DOTs), metro planning organizations, and providers.
• Understudies in regional transit master plan updates annually, involving activities prioritization, cost estimate refinements, and service map options with consultants.
• Leads team coordination on funding and procurement opportunities, for example, Capital Investment Grants or the Detroit to Ann Arbor (D2A2) and Detroit Air Xpress (DAX) call for proposals and federal and state DOT pass-through agreements.
• Oversees ongoing pilots and programming, including the RTA Mobility Wallet, Mobility for All plan integration, and Civil Rights update coordination of Title VI, ADA, and NTD.
• Supervises project consultation on vital public transportation endeavors, including access to transit programming, technology strategizing, and environmental review.

Community Stakeholder Guidance (15-20%)

• Facilitates meetings and presentations related to public engagement, triennial review documentation, preliminary engineering drawings, and conceptual designs. Outlines formats for group discussion, joint problem-solving, and evaluation debriefing.
• Organizes a community engagement plan with External Affairs and administrative teams, aligned to RTA’s Regional Transit Master Plan (RTMP) IDEA roadmap incorporating input/feedback.
• Bolsters strategic relationships with county, municipal, operator, non-profit, business, and other greater Detroit area partners around shared mobility-oriented access, jobs, housing, land use, healthy climate, care, recreation, and other transit-relevant issues.
• Builds coalitions, prepares for and conducts provider and ADA compliance advisory committees (PAC and ACA), and carries out approved tasks with peers.
• Develops an ongoing community engagement process with the communications and policy teams. 

Innovative Programs Leadership (10-15%)

• Implements RTMP priority activities. Partners on an innovation pathway platform through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC).
• Initiates pooled resource platforms. Performs other job-related duties, as requested.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Organizational and management practices as applied to the analysis and evaluation of plans, projects, pilots, and programs.
• Restorative justice dispute resolution, contractor stewardship, and stakeholder coordination.
• Awareness of sources of federal, state, and local funding used for organization programs; familiarity with funding practices of federal, state, and local grant agencies.
• Principles and practices of transit planning, development, deployment, budget preparation, and administration.
• Business and management principles are involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, leadership techniques, and resource coordination.
• Understand, interpret, and apply all pertinent laws, codes, regulations, policies, procedures, and standards relevant to the work performed.
• Significant expertise demonstrated in working with groups and fostering effective community interaction to ensure smooth teamwork.
• Comprehend, process, and apply all pertinent laws, codes, regulations, policies, procedures, and standards relevant to the work performed.
• Analyze problems, identify alternative solutions, project risks of proposed actions, and implement recommendations supporting RTA guiding principles and initiatives.
• Learns and adapts to new cloud-based (SaaS) tools.
• Ability to work in a start-up-oriented and triple-bottom-line environment.
• Ability to handle confidential materials and knowledge with care and protection.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to communicate effectively across various audiences.

Minimum Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in urban planning, political science, sociology, or similar from an accredited four-year college or university. Experience can be substituted for education.
• Seven to Ten (7-10) years of professional-level experience related to public transit planning and team operations.
• Foundational analytical, writing, presentation, and community engagement skills.
• Strong organizational, people, and project management skills.
• Experience using Microsoft 365, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and SharePoint, as well as Teams, Zoom, Adobe Pro, Asana, or similar project management tools.
• Master’s degree preferred in urban/regional planning, political science, sociology, or a similar field from an accredited college or university.
• Experience working in a transit agency is preferred.
• Experience with Remix, Swiftly, and GIS preferred.
• Experience with DOT regulations, including Title VI, ADA, NTD, and NEPA preferred.
• Experience with federal and state grants, contracts, procurement processes, and procedures is preferred.

Benefits

• Paid-time off and holidays
• Retirement
• Health Insurance, including telehealth care support
• UNUM Dental and Vision Coverage
• Short-Term Disability
• Optional Long-Term Disability Coverage
• Optional Life Insurance Coverage
• Optional Critical Insurance Coverage
• Optional Pet and Legal Insurance Coverage
• Transit passes and main office parking
• Professional development