Description
Recruitment #260420-8894MP-001
Location: Newington, CT
Date Opened: 4/23/2026 12:00:00 AM
Salary: $129,888 - $177,096/year
Job Type: Open to the Public
Close Date: 5/6/2026 11:59:00 PM
The State of Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) is recruiting for a Transportation Planning Director (Transportation Director of Planning, Technology and Innovation) in the Bureau of Planning, Technology and Innovation at our headquarters located in Newington. This position offers the opportunity to shape statewide transportation planning in Connecticut. We are seeking candidates who excel in team development, communication and relationship building to lead us into the future, and to improve the lives of Connecticut residents through transportation.
POSITION HIGHLIGHTS
- Monday - Friday
- Full-time (40 hours per week)
- First shift
- Location: Newington, CT
THE ROLE
The Bureau of Planning, Technology and Innovation collects and shares critical data, conducts planning studies and associated activities to support the movement of people and goods for all modes of transportation. The Bureau is responsible for numerous federal and state mandates and compliance and is responsible for documentation, analyses, as well as acquiring necessary approvals for all proposed projects in support of Department project delivery. The Bureau interacts extensively with USDOT funding agencies, State and federal regulatory and cooperating agencies, Regional Councils of Government, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, as well as nationally recognized transportation organizations.
The Bureau is comprised of multiple offices, including; Roadway Information Systems, Environmental Planning, Strategic Planning and Projects, Program Development and Forecasting, the Highway Safety Office, Research, and Enterprise GIS, Analytics and Data Management and Information Technology.
The Transportation Planning Director position is essential to aid the Bureau Chief in: setting goals and objectives for various programs, directing and coordinating the activities of the various offices, managing State Planning and Research funds, building and maintaining relationships with local, regional, state, and federal agencies and stakeholders, and ensuring that all state and federal requirements are met on time and in a fiscally responsible manner. Additional management responsibilities include serving as a technical advisor to the Chief of Planning, Technology and Innovation on matters involving the Department’s plans and policies, interpreting and adhering to pertinent laws and regulations, preparing and monitoring office budgets, and directing the preparation of plans in accordance with Bureau, Department, State and federal policies. All offices within the Bureau of Planning, Technology and Innovation directly impact the agency’s mission of providing safe and accessible transportation and ensuring compliance with state and federal law and regulations, including those that ensure availability of federal funding to the Department.
This specific position will oversee the Environmental Planning and Strategic Planning and Projects offices. Candidates may also be considered for Director of Roadway Information Systems and the Program Development and Forecasting Offices and/or Highway Safety office, hence applicants for this position may be utilized to fill other Transportation Planning Director positions in the future to support re-organization and implementation of CTDOT’s Strategic Plan.
The Roadway Information Systems Office is comprised of Systems Inventory, Photolog and Traffic Monitoring Units. This office provides data collection, processing, storage and distribution of roadway inventory feature data associated with almost 22,000 log miles of State and local public roadways (as defined by 23 CFR 460.2) as well as management and dissemination of Model Inventory of Roadway Elements (MIRE) data required by federal law. This office fulfills federally mandated reporting and analysis, as well as State statute requirements and program apportionments. These systems produce critical data outputs utilized to understand current conditions, estimate future travel demands, identify capacity deficiencies, complete transportation studies and designs as well as increase access and transparency of data used in decision making.
The Office of Program Development and Forecasting is comprised of Travel Demand and Air Quality, MPO Coordination, Trip and Traffic Analysis and the STIP (Statewide Transportation Improvement Program) units. These offices are integral to required federal Planning processes and must work collaboratively with multiple bureaus and agencies.
This position will report to the Bureau Chief of Planning, Technology and Innovation. Travel both within and out of the state may be required for this position.
EXAMPLES OF DUTIES
Within a Transportation office, this position will oversee two of the offices in the Bureau of Planning, Technology and Innovation and will provide direction to the Assistant Director and staff in each office. The Director’s role is to assist in the management and operations of the offices and assure that deliverables reflect the requirements of state and federal programs, that critical office functions are maintained, and that program and project schedules are achieved. The Transportation Planning Director will formulate program goals and objectives, develop related policy, interpret and administer pertinent laws and regulations, evaluate and mentor staff, prepare office budgets, and build and maintain relationships both internally and externally with State, regional, and federal agencies and key stakeholders.
Most importantly, the Transportation Director will evaluate changing State and federal requirements, evolving industry practices, and aid in developing strategic direction for the agency to ensure that the offices are responding and adapting to meet future needs and adopting best practices to allow the Department to be a leader in the industry. It is critically important that these offices develop and maintain the capability to meet the various demands of the new infrastructure bill.
Duties include:
- Oversee and manage two of the offices within the Bureau of Planning, Technology and Innovation;
- Aid the Department in adapting to evolving state and federal priorities relative to future multimodal transportation needs, issues, and best practices;
- Ensure fulfillment of all planning, data collection, and reporting requirements as called for in state and federal laws and regulations;
- Help shape the Bureau’s long-term vision, strategy, and programs for serving the mobility and accessibility needs of Connecticut’s residents and businesses while supporting economic growth, strong communities, and a healthy sustainable environment;
- Focus on innovation to improve processes;
- Build the capacity of teams through staff development, coaching, mentoring, and team building opportunities;
- Lead and coordinate the implementation of the agency’s Strategic Plan and to launch Business Intelligence and Continuous Improvement initiatives responsible for advancing our move to institutionalizing performance measures and utilizing lean initiatives, dashboarding, and executing organizational change;
- Drive cross-functional alignment, tracking progress on strategic initiatives, assisting bureaus and units in identifying appropriate performance measures, creating visual tools and dashboards to assist with decision making, and ensuring timely execution of key priorities that support the Department’s mission, vision, and long-term goals;
- Perform related duties as required.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience as a leader in the transportation planning sector
- Experience with environmental, cultural and natural resources, Permitting, NEPA, research, planning, sustainability and resiliency
- Experience with transportation planning and emerging issues
- Experience as a senior manager
- Experience leading a multi-disciplinary team to deliver projects or programs
- Experience with organizational and staff development
- Experience with legislative and government budgeting processes
- Experience collaborating with stakeholders across various levels of government
- Experience establishing and maintaining relationships with stakeholders
- Experienced interpersonal skills including written and oral communication
- Experience with complex negotiations
Conclusion
AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
As defined by Sec. 5-196 of the Connecticut General Statutes, a job class is a position or group of positions that share general characteristics and are categorized under a single title for administrative purposes. As such, a job class is not meant to be all-inclusive of every task and/or responsibility.
Requirements
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE
Ten (10) years of professional experience in one of the following areas: transportation, urban, regional, or environmental planning; technology; or transportation engineering project management.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SPECIAL EXPERIENCE
Two (2) years of the General Experience must have been in a managerial or supervisory capacity.
NOTE:
- Managerial or supervisory capacity is interpreted as planning, supervising, organizing, directing and/or controlling resources of a major subdivision of an agency or organization.
- For state employees this experience is interpreted at the level of a Transportation Assistant Planning Director, Transportation Transit Manager, Transportation Assistant District Engineer, or Information Technology Manager 2.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SUBSTITUTIONS ALLOWED
- College training may be substituted for the General Experience on the basis of fifteen (15) semester hours equalling one-half (1/2) year of experience to a maximum of four (4) years for a Bachelor's degree.
- A Master's degree in a closely related field may be substituted for one (1) additional year of the General Experience.
