Assistant Director of Project Development

$101,821.01-$127,160.49

GENERAL STATEMENT OF JOB

The purpose of this class is to direct the Project Development Division within the County Transportation Department and oversee the planning, development, and administration of transportation projects and programs funded through the County Transportation Program. This position manages division operations to ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, program requirements, budgets, schedules, and County policies. The incumbent provides leadership and oversight for professional, technical, and supervisory staff responsible for project development, contract administration, right-of-way activities, utility coordination, and related transportation initiatives, while serving as a liaison with County leadership, governmental agencies, consultants, utilities, and the public. This position reports to the Director of Transportation.

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Essential Functions:

• Directs the planning, development, and implementation of transportation projects and programs funded through the County Transportation Program, ensuring compliance with applicable laws, regulations, County policies, budgets, schedules, and program requirements.
• Provides leadership and supervision to Project Development Division staff, including Project Managers, Program Managers, Program Coordinators, the Transportation Superintendent, and other assigned personnel. Supervisory responsibilities include assigning and reviewing work, establishing priorities, maintaining performance standards, coordinating activities, participating in recruitment and selection, coaching and counseling employees, conducting performance evaluations, and recommending disciplinary actions as appropriate.
• Directs the administration of professional service and consultant contracts, including program management, engineering and design, data services, real estate services, and other contracted services to ensure compliance with contract requirements, schedules, budgets, and project objectives.
• Oversees the development of new transportation projects, including traffic safety and congestion relief improvements, pedestrian and multimodal facilities, resurfacing and reconstruction projects, dirt road paving, roadway widening, and new roadway connections.
• Directs right-of-way acquisition and condemnation activities, including coordination with legal counsel, oversight of the right-of-way acquisition management system, and supervision of staff responsible for property acquisition.
• Provides input to the Director of Transportation regarding transportation program priorities, project development, annual budgets, revenues, expenditures, and cash flow management.
• Develops, negotiates, and administers agreements with governmental agencies, utility providers, railroads, and other organizations as directed by the Director of Transportation to facilitate project delivery.
• Assists in the administration of Transportation Penny Program and grant funding to advance transportation projects and ensure effective use of available funding.
• Represents the Transportation Department before County Council, committees, governmental agencies, community organizations, utilities, consultants, and the public; prepares and delivers presentations and responds to inquiries regarding transportation projects and programs.
• Directs project development activities to establish priorities, monitor project progress, resolve issues affecting schedules or budgets, and ensure timely completion of assigned work.
• Maintains current knowledge of applicable legislation, regulations, industry standards, and emerging technologies through participation in professional meetings, conferences, workshops, and training.
• Performs related professional, administrative, and supervisory duties as assigned.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM EDUCATION AND TRAINING

• Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering, Project Management, or a related field. 

• Eight (8) years of budget, contract, and management experience. Requires expertise and knowledge in public speaking, right-of-way acquisition, contracts administration, and government relations.

-or-

• Any combination of education and experience that meets the requirements for performing the essential functions of this job.

Licenses/Certifications/Other:

• Must possess a valid state driver’s license.
• Registered Professional Engineer in the State of South Carolina is required.   
• Must possess or pass the Project Management Professional course and exam credential as directed and sequenced by the director of the Department.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND STANDARDS REQUIRED

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Data Involvement: Requires planning or directing others in the sequence of major activities and reporting on operations and activities, which are very broad in scope.
• People Involvement: Requires negotiating, exchanging ideas, information, and opinions with others to formulate policy and programs or arrive jointly at decisions, conclusions, or solutions; requires advanced customer service skills to be responsive to citizen input during all stages of project development.
• Involvement with Things: Requires establishing long-range plans and programs; identifying funding resources; and allocating funds for and implementing long-range capital improvements, major construction projects, major equipment, rolling stock, and new technology systems which support goals and objectives of the organization.
• Reasoning Requirements: Requires performing work involving the application of broad principles of professional management and leadership to solve new problems for which conventional solutions do not exist.
• Mathematical Requirements: Requires the ability to collect, analyze and synthesize complex data.
• Language Requirements: Requires reading scientific and technical journals, abstracts, financial reports and legal documents; speaking before professional and civic groups, participating in panel discussions and speaking extemporaneously on a variety of subjects; writing complex articles and reports; developing presentations for sophisticated audiences.
• Mental Requirements:  Requires doing professional-level work requiring the application of principles and practices in a wide range of administrative, technical, or managerial methods in the solution of administrative or technical problems; the coordination of executive-level managerial work; the heightened understanding of operating policies and procedures and the ability to apply these to complex administrative problems; and the continuous, close attention for accurate results or frequent exposure to unusual situations.
• Computer Requirements: Requires proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint. Requires the ability to use project management, financial, document management, and transportation program management software to monitor project schedules, budgets, contracts, and program performance. Ability to analyze data, prepare reports, and present information using computerized systems is required.
• Judgments and Decisions: Decision-making is primary to the job, affecting the organization, related organizations, and major segments of the general population; works in an evolving environment with emerging knowledge and technologies, competing priorities, and changing politics; and is responsible for long-range goals, planning, and methodologies.

Physical Requirements:

The work is light work which requires the person in this position to occasionally exert up to 20 pounds of force to grasp, lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects. Additionally, the following physical abilities are required:

• Balancing: Maintaining body equilibrium to prevent falling while walking, standing, or crouching on narrow, slippery, or erratically moving surfaces. The amount of balancing exceeds that needed for ordinary locomotion and maintenance of body equilibrium.
• Feeling: Perceiving attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature or texture by touching with skin, particularly that of fingertips.
• Handling:  Picking, holding, or otherwise working, primarily with the whole hand.
• Hearing: Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction. Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and to make the discrimination in sound.
• Mental Acuity: Ability to make rational decisions through sound logic and deductive processes.
• Speaking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word including the ability to convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately and concisely.
• Talking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word including those activities in which they must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly.
• Visual Acuity: Have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; and/or extensive reading. Have visual acuity to operate motor vehicles and/or heavy equipment. Have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: visual inspection involving small defects, small parts, operation of machines; using measurement devices; and/or assembly or fabrication parts at distances close to the eyes.
• Walking: Moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or moving from one work site to another.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

May be required to work hours other than the regular schedule including nights, weekends, and holidays. This position requires regular and reliable attendance and the employee’s physical presence at the workplace. The job requires normal visual acuity, depth perception, and field of vision, hearing, and speaking abilities. Work includes dealing with situations that require making decisions involving people, resources, and property.

EEO AND ADA MESSAGE

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the essential job functions satisfactorily.  Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the primary job functions described herein.  Since every duty associated with this position may not be described herein, employees may be required to perform duties not specifically spelled out in the job description, but which may be reasonably considered to be incidental in the performing of their duties just as though they were written out in this job description.

Richland County is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  ADA requires the County to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities.  Prospective and current employees are invited to discuss accommodations.

Richland County has the right to revise this job description at any time. This description does not represent in any way a contract of employment.