
City of Boulder
City of Boulder, CO – Transportation and Mobility Director
The City of Boulder is seeking a forward-thinking and adaptable Transportation and Mobility Director to lead and oversee the planning, development, and management of a world-class municipal mobility system and department team. This position is responsible for the strategic direction and operational oversight of Boulder’s transportation infrastructure, ensuring the City’s network supports safe, efficient, and sustainable travel across all modes. Reporting to an Assistant City Manager, the Transportation and Mobility Director is a key partner for city leadership and collaborates with the City Council, Transportation Advisory Board, Planning Board, regional partners, and community members to drive initiatives that reflect Boulder’s values and inclusive approach to urban mobility.
The Transportation and Mobility Director is responsible for establishing and implementing departmental goals, objectives, and strategies across critical service areas, including Transportation Policy, Planning, Operations, Maintenance, and Capital Project Engineering. The position is instrumental in leading a diverse team of engineers, planners, and technical staff, ensuring effective coordination and alignment with the City’s Sustainability, Equity, and Resilience Framework and Citywide Strategic Plan. The Director also oversees the development and implementation of the department’s plans and operating and capital budgets, working to allocate resources effectively and manage revenue to support key projects and services.
In addition, this position serves as a primary liaison and resource for the City Council and other advisory bodies, promoting communication and fostering productive relationships that advance Boulder’s transportation priorities. The Director routinely collaborates with other city departments, ensuring an integrated approach to citywide initiatives and community engagement. The role includes emergency response responsibilities, where the Director leads the department’s participation in incident preparedness and acts as a critical leader during natural or human-caused events impacting and requiring transportation.
As a departmental leader, the Director is responsible for maintaining high standards of service delivery and accountability, including overseeing performance evaluations, providing training, and ensuring adherence to city policies. This role promotes a culture of safety, innovation, and inclusivity within the team, taking proactive steps to support employee development and operational efficiency. The Director’s commitment to sustainable practices and continuous improvement is vital to advancing Boulder’s vision for a resilient and adaptive mobility system that meets both current and future needs.
The Priorities
- Provide leadership support to Council priorities aligned with the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) focused on the Core Arterial Network (CAN), ensuring a safe, equitable, and reliable mobility system.
- Collaborate with the team to realize Boulder’s Vision Zero Action Plan. Maintain focus on the goals of eliminating crashes resulting in serious injuries and fatalities, reducing other types of crashes, improving travel comfort and safety, enhancing community engagement and awareness of Vision Zero, and improving data and transparency.
- Partner with the Airport Manager and lead discussions regarding the future operations of Boulder Municipal Airport with a continued emphasis on incorporating sustainability principles and aligning with our climate commitment.
- Collaborate with the CFO on a long-term financial strategy for the Transportation and Mobility department. Identify new revenue streams in preparation for future transportation initiatives.
- Serve as an active champion for our ongoing work to advance racial equity. Through your leadership, promote respect for diversity, equity, and inclusion as a key organizational value and crucial component of the decision-making process.
The Successful Candidate
A strategic thinker with a multidisciplinary approach, the Transportation and Mobility Director is energized by the opportunity to create a safe, accessible, and sustainable multimodal transportation system that connects people with each other and where they want to go. With a one-city mentality, the Director embraces a collaborative, open problem-solving environment and routinely invites others to share ideas, leading to decision-making in the best interest of the whole city.
A thoughtful convener and community builder, the Transportation and Mobility Director recognizes the importance of relationships and partnerships at all levels and navigates political, community, and multi-sector relationships with skill. They bring a demonstrated history of collaboration with boards, commissions, councils, regional and agency partners, and community groups. The Director is a humble leader who embraces vulnerability and centers the community in decision-making. The successful candidate listens for intention and is an effective communicator who values the diversity of thought and the lived experiences of others to deliver solutions and achieve desired results. They strive to cultivate diversity, advance equity, and practice inclusion in all of their work.
The Transportation and Mobility Director possesses extensive knowledge and experience in applying current engineering principles, practices, and procedures to municipal infrastructure and service delivery, with the ability to adapt these practices to meet the needs of a changing future. The successful candidate is a creative, agile, and results-oriented problem solver who anticipates change and demonstrates situational leadership. With broad expertise in municipal transportation and a focus on safety, the Director excels in advancing innovative projects, programs, and designs while ensuring the City has the processes and resources in place to maintain the existing system and service levels.
The Director genuinely encourages and supports collaboration and employs a leadership style that invites participation and gathers input. The successful candidate leads and empowers staff while promoting a people-centered, forward-thinking culture that embraces change for the better. The Transportation and Mobility Director actively nurtures an open and welcoming environment that continues to advance Boulder’s resilience and racial equity work while maintaining a commitment to innovation and service excellence.
Qualifications
A minimum of eight (8) years of progressively responsible experience as a senior manager in transportation and multi-modal management. Direct experience overseeing innovative, sound, local government transportation that includes transportation planning, project management, operations, and maintenance is essential, as is experience leading the design and administration of municipal/civil engineering projects. Prior experience and knowledge working with an airport are beneficial. Experience in a complex organization working within an environmentally sensitive and/or university community is ideal. Experience with budget preparation, costing of services, revenue collection management and reporting, and fee analysis is required.
A bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline is required, with a master’s degree preferred. A valid Colorado driver’s license (or the ability to obtain one) and an acceptable motor vehicle record are required.
Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they can perform every job description task. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may come from a less traditional background. The City will consider any equivalent combination of knowledge, skills, education, and experience to meet minimum qualifications. If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to think broadly about your background and skill set for the role.
Inside the City of Boulder
The City of Boulder believes in a future with equitable access to health, prosperity, and fulfillment, where the community adapts and thrives in response to emerging, sometimes urgent, social, economic, and environmental challenges.
The Sustainability, Equity, and Resilience Framework guides budget and planning processes by providing consistent goals necessary to achieve Boulder’s vision of a great community and the actions required to achieve them. Building on a legacy of innovation, Boulder cultivates a creative spirit in order to adapt and thrive in the changing climate.
Boulder continuously works to provide service excellence for an inspired future through our core values:
Customer service: We are dedicated to exceeding the expectations of our community and our co-workers by demonstrating consistent and professional service with a solution-oriented approach.
Respect: We champion diversity and welcome individual perspectives, backgrounds, and opinions. We are open-minded and treat all individuals with respect and dignity.
Integrity: We are stewards of the public’s trust and are committed to service that is transparent and consistent with city regulations and policies. We are honorable, follow through on our commitments, and accept responsibility.
Collaboration: We are committed to organizational success and celebrate our shared dedication to public service. We believe community collaboration and the sum of our individual contributions lead to great results.
Innovation: We promote a forward-thinking environment that supports creativity, calculated risks, and continuous improvement. We embrace change and learn from others in order to deliver leading-edge service.
Workplace Culture
The City of Boulder believes that a diverse workforce, individual lived experiences, and an inclusive environment add quality and perspective to the services provided to the public. Therefore, the organization intentionally strives to develop and maintain a diverse workforce that values and embraces differences among employees.
An important component of the City’s culture and environment is Boulder’s Leadership Philosophy: We believe each of us is a leader. We are motivated by the opportunities to make a positive difference in our community. Our greatest results are achieved when we:
- Create a respectful, trusting, and supportive environment.
- Rely on, invest in, and celebrate each other’s perspectives, skills, talents, and accomplishments.
- Consult and collaborate with each other to make timely and quality decisions.
- Share responsibility for and learn from the process and outcomes of a creative culture.
Structure of Local Government
Boulder operates under a council-manager form of government. The elected City Council sets policies, and the Council-appointed City Manager implements them. The Council also appoints the City Attorney and Municipal Court Judge.
The City Council consists of nine members: an elected mayor and eight members elected at large (one of whom serves as the mayor pro tem). Council members can serve up to three terms.
With a 2025 budget of $589.5 Million, the City of Boulder is served by 1,539 standard employees. Robust city services are provided through numerous departments and divisions.
Inside the Transportation and Mobility Department
The Transportation and Mobility Department is dedicated to travel safety in and around Boulder as well as maintaining existing infrastructure. The top priority of the department is improving the quality of life in Boulder by planning, maintaining, and managing public investments.
With a 2025 budget of $67.9 Million and 98.85 FTEs, Transportation and Mobility is dedicated to building a people-first transportation system where everyone of all mobility levels can get where they need to go safely and efficiently. Walking and rolling are great ways to experience Boulder’s beautiful outdoors – in fact, Boulder features more than 150 miles of bike-friendly infrastructure and is consistently rated as one of the most bike- and pedestrian-friendly cities in the country.
The City strives to create a sustainable transportation system that reduces negative impacts on Boulder’s natural environment, whether through electrifying our local bus fleet, supporting walkable neighborhoods, or building multimodal infrastructure that makes it easy and convenient to choose non-vehicular modes of travel. Boulder is also a Vision Zero City, working to eliminate all serious injuries and fatalities caused by traffic crashes through safe street design.
Transportation and Mobility Programs include:
- Administration is responsible for managing divisions and providing budgetary and administrative support and assistance to the overall department. Additionally, this program provides guidance on division work processes to operate smoothly and efficiently as a department.
- Planning encompasses the department’s programming and policy work by encouraging Boulder to design and use the multimodal system, including transit, and the operation of the transportation demand management system. This group also oversees the City’s progress toward meeting the goals of the 2019 Transportation Master Plan.
- Operations ensure a safe and efficient multi-modal transportation system, including the operating and maintaining of appropriate infrastructure and traffic control, including signage, pavement markings, and traffic signals.
- Maintenance includes the maintenance, operations, and repairs to city streets, bike paths, medians, underpasses, and contracted maintenance for state highways. This workgroup also responds to emergencies and maintains mobility through weather-related events.
- Airport consists of airport operations, repair, and renovation of associated city buildings, grounds maintenance, pavement upkeep and repairs, fueling system maintenance, snow removal, planning and management of all Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) projects, and natural resource management at the Boulder Municipal Airport.
The Boulder, Colorado Community
Boulder, Colorado, is just 30 minutes northwest of Denver, where the plains meet the Rocky Mountains. Tucked into a picturesque valley below the iconic Flatirons, Boulder has a population of approximately 105,000. The City is a great place to live, work, grow, and play.
Boulder is nationally recognized for its quality of life, thriving tech, research-based economy, and booming real estate market. Boulder is also one of the most educated metropolitan areas in the country. The local public schools are excellent, with Boulder Valley School District consistently ranking among the best in the state. In addition, Boulder is a hub of entrepreneurship, particularly for businesses that value a lifestyle rooted in a love of the outdoors, healthy living, and access to resources.
The University of Colorado at Boulder is currently one of the premier public research institutions in the United States and sits in the heart of Boulder. The University has a strong reputation and is especially known for its engineering and science programs, particularly Earth and Space sciences. There are 17 federally funded science laboratories in Boulder, including the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Enjoyment of the outdoors has always been at the forefront of life in Boulder. The community’s open spaces and mountain parks form a green belt around the City, with over 45,000 acres of preserved and protected land. Boulder has over 300 miles of public hiking and biking trails, and its mountain parks and open spaces receive well over five million visitors a year. In addition, residents enjoy 1,800 acres of urban parkland and programming through numerous recreation centers and outdoor pools.
Boulder fosters an environment for artists and audiences to be innovative, experimental, creative, and expressive. The City has a large concentration of artists with more than 30 art galleries, four museums, a dozen movie and stage theaters, and a vast variety of cultural performances each year, including the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Colorado Music Festival, and Chautauqua Summer Series.
According to Bon Appétit magazine, Boulder is America’s Foodiest City with local restaurants and chefs insistent on quality, innovation, and flavor. In addition, Boulder is consistently ranked as one of the nation’s healthiest places to live and is a mecca for natural and organic products. Farms, dairies, ranches, markets, and restaurants embrace the idea of local, seasonal, and artisanal food production and cooking. The Boulder Farmers Market is the largest outdoor market in the state, providing a venue for local agricultural producers to sell their products directly to the public. For those who love beer, wine, and spirits, there are 21 breweries, four distilleries, two wineries, and two cideries in Boulder.
While each of the characteristics, passions, and industries that Boulder is known for today emerged organically over time, it is how they work together that makes Boulder…Boulder.
Compensation and Benefits
The salary range for the Transportation and Mobility Director is $150,883 – $226,324, with an anticipated hiring range of $150,883 – $211,236, and will depend on the qualifications of the successful candidate. The City of Boulder is a progressive organization that values employee engagement and well-being. The City recognizes the importance of providing an encompassing health and life benefits program to employees, including Hybrid Work, Flex Schedules, Telehealth and Wellness Incentives, Infants and Dogs at Work Program, Local bus Eco-Pass, and an Employee Discount Program on goods and services throughout the Boulder Community. Additional information can be viewed here.
To Be Considered
Respect is one of Boulder’s five City Values, and they are committed to racial equity, diversity, and inclusion. The City celebrates and supports differences across all spectrums, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender, age, ability, and sexual orientation. Through the City’s focus on racial equity, employee benefits, and the many program resources offered to employees, Boulder continually strives to weave respect for one another into the fabric of the organization.
Add your voice and talent to the City of Boulder and help foster growth in service excellence for an inspired future. Applications will be accepted electronically by Raftelis. Applicants complete a brief online form and are prompted to provide a cover letter and resume. Open until filled with the first review of applications on February 24, 2025.
Questions
Please direct questions to Heather Gantz at hgantz@raftelis.com or Kelsey Batt at kbatt@raftelis.com.
To apply for this job please visit jobs.crelate.com.