Transportation Planner, Tompkins County

Tompkins County, NY is centrally located in the beautiful Finger Lakes Region of Upstate New York. Home to Cornell University and Ithaca College, the county seat, Ithaca, sits at the southern tip of Cayuga Lake in an area surrounded by dramatic gorges and waterfalls. It has a small-town atmosphere while showcasing the qualities of a larger city through an incredibly diverse and active arts and culture scene. This position is housed in the Tompkins County Department of Planning and Sustainability. The Office has a staff of 12 professionals who work collaboratively across disciplines on planning as well as policy and program development and implementation in various areas including housing, economic development, natural resources, and energy and sustainability. 

The Tompkins County Department of Planning and Sustainability, located in Ithaca, NY, is seeking an innovative professional to help develop creative solutions to community transportation and mobility challenges. The successful candidate will be detail-oriented, a problem solver and care about helping people.

The perfect work life balance location, Ithaca’s vibrant downtown is especially enticing with our eclectic shops, outdoor dining, Ithaca Commons and our spectacular ‘gorges’ views. Come work with us in a place where you will be valued, appreciated, and connected to an amazing group of volunteers and professionals who care about creating a better quality of life for our residents.

This position is full-time (40 hours per week) and will be filled at either the Transportation Planner I (entry-level) or Transportation Planner II (mid-level) depending on experience and qualifications. Flexible work options including hybrid telework arrangements may be available.

Hiring Immediately

Flexible work options including hybrid telework arrangements may be available.

Salary Range: Starting salary ranges from $68,723- $73,860, increasing to 72,342.40- $77,771 after 9 months.

Benefits

• Health, Dental and Vision Insurance Plans
• New York State Pension Plan
• New York State Deferred Compensation
• New York State 529 College Savings Program

Responsibilities

• Assists in leading the County’s transportation, transit and mobility efforts, including planning for services and implementing policies and procedures and oversight to safeguard the County’s standing as the recipient of state and federal funding;
• Assists in providing guidance and support to County leadership and staff, and key partner agencies, such as the Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT), in the efficient and effective use of state and federal funding for transportation, transit and other mobility efforts;
• Helps coordinate and provide oversight of the activities of subrecipients (TCAT, Inc. & Gadabout Transportation Services, Inc.) and contractors regarding federal laws, state laws, program regulations, contractual obligations, and administrative requirements;
• Helps identify and administer grant-making and grant-seeking activities to support County transportation planning-related goals and policies;

Qualifications or Requirements

(a) Graduation from, or current enrollment with an understanding that the degree must be obtained within 3 months of appointment in, a master’s degree program at a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or university in planning, public administration, public policy, business administration, transportation management, logistics, engineering, sustainability, or closely related field; OR

(b) Graduation from, or current enrollment with an understanding that the degree must be obtained within 3 months of appointment in, a bachelor’s degree program at a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or university; AND 1 year of full-time paid (or the equivalent part-time and/or volunteer) experience related to transportation or other relevant planning fields, including working with grants and contracts; OR

(c) Graduation from, or current enrollment with an understanding that the degree must be obtained within 3 months of appointment in, an associate’s degree program at a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or university; AND 5 years of full-time paid (or the equivalent part-time and/or volunteer) experience related to transportation or other relevant planning fields, including working with grants and contracts.

(d) Any equivalent combination of training and experience equal to or greater than that defined in (a), (b) and (c) above.

Apply By June 1, 2026

Personnel | www.tompkinscountyny.gov