ESP Associates is currently seeking a Transportation Planning Senior Project Manager to join our team in either Raleigh (Morrisville), NC, Charlotte (Huntersville), NC, or Fort Mill, SC. This is a great opportunity for a transportation professional to continue to grow their career with a dynamic firm supporting a variety of clients and projects throughout North Carolina.
Infusing passion and innovation into every project, the ESP team of companies thrives on helping clients design, improve, repair, and assess the transportation networks so critical to everyday life. From highway interchanges and sidewalk programs to port and mass transit infrastructure, we understand the unique needs of state, municipal, and private transportation projects of all sizes.
As a leader, you will contribute to setting the pace for ESP’s transportation growth in North Carolina and beyond! You will be involved in discussions regarding strategy, market penetration, team growth/development, and continuous improvement.
We are excited to see how your leadership skills, experience, interests, and established local/regional connections will expand ESP’s presence in North Carolina in new and exciting directions!
Responsibilities:
- Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to optimize resources, schedules, and quality across all project phases to ensure our clients are receiving high-quality services.
- Develop and manage project scopes, budgets, fee estimates, and contract preparation.
- Lead project delivery, ensuring adherence to schedules, client billing, profitability, quality assurance/quality control standards, project specifications, and safety requirements.
- Serve as a primary client representative at project meetings, public meetings, open houses, and hearings.
- Support business development efforts throughout client engagement, project negotiations, and proposal development.
- Build and maintain long-term relationships with existing and prospective clients to support repeat and new business.
- Participate in professional organizations and industry activities to promote professional development and firm visibility.
- Communicate effectively through clear technical documents, drawings, reports, and verbal presentations.
- Ensure compliance with applicable design standards, project specifications, safety requirements, and quality control procedures.
- Assist with workforce planning, monthly invoicing, and final review of project deliverables, including reports and plan sets.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies/Policy, Urban Planning, Civil/Environmental Engineering, or related field and / or American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) certified.
- 8+ years of progressive transportation planning experience.
- Strong knowledge of transportation planning principles, regulatory processes, environmental processes and documentation.
- Experience developing multi-modal studies including but not limited to Active Transportation Plans, Complete Streets Plans, Corridor Plans and Safety Plans, among other planning project types.
- Working knowledge of regional and local transportation needs, improvement priorities, funding sources, and prioritization strategies.
- Proven ability to coordinate with multiple agencies and lead community engagement and stakeholder outreach efforts.
- Ability to conduct market research and analysis.
- Ability to collaborate with our marketing team to lead project pursuits, including the development of project proposals (written, presentations, interviews etc.).
- Advanced level of technical writing and communication skills.
- Strong leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills with the ability to work effectively with project teams, clients, regulatory agencies, public officials, and the public.
- Highly organized with strong planning skills and keen attention to detail.
- Candidates must be able to pass a drug screen, background check, and have a satisfactory driving record in accordance with the company’s driving (MVR) policy.
Preferred:
- Recent experience with and knowledge of State and Federal standards, specifications, policies, and procedures as related to the National Environmental Policy Act and State Environmental Policy Act.
- Positive relationships with potential clients in North Carolina including NCDOT, municipalities, counties, transit agencies, and airports.
Corporate Information:
ESP is a multi-discipline engineering design and consulting firm providing our clients with civil engineering, surveying, planning/landscape architecture, geosciences, environmental, subsurface utility engineering, and construction engineering inspection.
Through years of dedicated service to our clients, ESP has received a designation of 195 on the 2025 ENR Top 500 Design Firm rankings. For the firm's primary territory, the ENR Texas & Southeast Top Design Firms, ESP received a 2025 ranking of 52.
ESP offers an excellent employee benefits package including:
- Competitive compensation with yearly performance reviews and discretionary annual bonuses
- 401(k) (Traditional & Roth plans) with a guaranteed employer match of 100% up to the first 3% and 50% on the next 2% (eligibility after 60 days)
- PTO (Paid Time Off) & 10 Paid Holidays
- Tiered Health, Vision & Dental Insurance Options (eligibility after 30 days)
- Behavioral Medicine through Teladoc
- Short-Term Disability Insurance (Employer paid)
- Long-Term Disability Insurance
- Life Insurance
- Pet Insurance
- Education Reimbursement Opportunities
- Flexible and Dependent Benefits Plan
- Referral Bonuses