Planning & Budget Analyst

About the position Join the team responsible for planning, coordinating, overseeing, and developing implementation strategies for the MTA's $68.4-billion Capital Program. The Planning and Budget Analysts (Railroad Project Development) will play a pivotal role in determining what, when, and how capital projects for MTA Metro-North Railroad (Metro-North) progress - prioritizing capital investments, evaluating project scopes, establishing the project and program budgets, working to document and justify specific capital project needs and drivers, performing project environmental reviews, and addressing federal planning requirements for capital projects, all with a focus to maximize benefits and minimize construction impacts to Metro-North riders. The Planning and Budget Analysts (Railroad Project Development) will support MTA C&D's development department within the Railroad Project Development unit, which is focused on capital projects for Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad. Analysts will work collaboratively with stakeholders across the MTA, including the Planning, Delivery, and Contracts departments within MTA C&D, as well as various departments within Metro-North -- Engineering, Stations, Maintenance of Equipment, Transportation, Service Planning / Operations Planning, Security, and Corporate Safety.

Responsibilities

• Assist with developing the Metro-North's five-year Capital Program; coordinate funding targets and strategies; work with Metro-North departments to propose and prioritize projects, define scope, and manage changes to the capital program.
• Provide supporting analysis for developing the Metro-North capital program.
• Ensure that advancement of the future state of good repair, routine replacement, system improvement, and network expansion projects are consistent with each other and with corporate short-term and long-term planning goals and assumptions.
• Assist with developing Metro-North's five-year capital program and subsequent plan amendments, including spreadsheets, text narratives, briefing materials, PowerPoint presentations, and other materials, as required.
• Review scope documents, project justifications, business case documentation, project change requests, project plan books, and other project materials.
• Ensure consistency across Metro-North capital investments and strategies and project funding availability.
• Represent C&D Development at progress meetings for capital projects.
• Prepare environmental documentation for federally funded Metro-North capital projects, including CE worksheets and other required materials.
• Assist with preparing, reviewing, and updating documentation needed to progress federally funded capital projects, including public hearing texts, Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) descriptions, and the New York State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) consultation process for capital projects that involve historic resources.
• Assist with developing long-range planning strategies and documents, including the MTA's Twenty-Year Needs Assessment.
• Creatively coordinate project phasing, sequencing, and "bundling" strategies (packaging needs into capital projects) to generate construction and contracting efficiencies.
• Evaluate project investment alternatives, including cost/benefit analyses.
• Monitor and control the evolution of project scopes and budgets throughout the project lifecycle.
• Evaluate planned capital projects and unfunded capital needs to take advantage of budget and funding opportunities and construction efficiencies; assist with changes to and rebalancing the Capital Program to accommodate new project needs.
• Assist in developing and managing annual commitment and completion plans and associated reporting, monitoring, and data collection.
• Develop reports and presentation materials for internal and external purposes, including Metro-North capital program briefings and materials required to assist capital program development.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college in business, engineering, accounting, finance, public administration or public policy, city or urban planning, transportation, or a related field.
• Must have a minimum of three (3) years of satisfactory full-time professional experience.
• Passion for improving New York's public transit system.
• Familiarity with the Metro-North network, operations, and the MTA Capital Program.
• Experience with project planning, scheduling, and budgeting.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent organizational and presentation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work with all internal levels within a given organization.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a high-profile, high-pressure environment effectively.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with key internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to complete short- and long-term projects effectively and as efficiently as possible.
• Demonstrated analytical capabilities and quantitative skills.
• Demonstrated proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite or comparable applications, i.e., Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Familiarity with the MTA's policies and procedures.

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