Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) 

San Francisco, CA

Principal Modeler – Model Development

$152,501.86 - $193,409.22  Annually

DEADLINE TO APPLY IS SUNDAY, JUNE 14, 2026, AT 11:55 PM

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) is the transportation planning, financing, and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. MTC is the federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and the state designated Regional Transportation Planning Agency (RTPA) for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. MTC provides services to the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG). For more information about MTC, visit www.mtc.ca.gov.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission is an equal-opportunity, non-discriminatory employer. MTC provides all employees and applicants with an equal opportunity in every aspect of the employment experience regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, physical handicap, medical condition or marital status.

DEADLINE TO APPLY IS SUNDAY, JUNE 14, 2026, AT 11:55 PM

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, PLEASE APPLY IMMEDIATELY

A resume is highly encouraged with your application.

Be ready to rethink your assumptions about the public sector. Dedicated and motivated colleagues? Beautiful, high amenity building for on-site work and collaboration? Flexible schedules and hybrid work options? Yes, yes, and yes!

ABOUT THE SECTION

The Regional Planning Program section at MTC\ABAG is a multidisciplinary team that applies data-driven planning to improve the trajectory of the San Francisco Bay Area. One of our core deliverables is Plan Bay Area, which we update every four years. This long-range plan lays out a set of strategies for how to achieve a region that is affordable, connected, diverse, healthy and vibrant for all. In developing the plan, our team takes on some of the most difficult and important challenges facing the region: how to make living in the region affordable for existing and future residents, how to create a safe and effective transportation system, and how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The section consists of four teams: Major Plans, Transportation Planning, Housing and Local Planning, and Forecasting/Modeling and Surveys. 

This principal position is within the Forecasting/Modeling and Surveys (FMS) team, which conducts data analysis and develops and applies modeling tools to analyze the impacts of potential strategies for Plan Bay Area. Our team strives to create quality modeling tools that embody our sections goals for planning excellence; we emphasize transparency by creating open-source models, and we value collaboration with other agencies and partners in developing shared resources. The FMS team focuses on the application of economic models, urban development models, and travel models, including developing new features for some of these models as new analysis needs arise. FMS also conducts regular travel diary surveys and transit passenger surveys to inform these tools and other research questions of interest to the agency. 

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Principal Modeler in Model Development will lead development of our travel modeling tools to assess our region’s future and to evaluate potential strategies and policies to improve quality of life. In this role, the Principal Modeler will manage a consulting team working in travel model development, developing both major and minor features as needed for the travel model and associated tools. This will involve project management as well as hands-on development work. The Principal Modeler will also be involved in developing other modeling and modeling-related tools relevant to long-range planning, including land use forecasting models, population synthesis tools, and others. This role will also involve working with internal and external stakeholders to prioritize feature development and bug fixes for these tools. Finally, this role will include mentoring staff in technical development, representing MTC before a variety of groups, agencies, organizations, elected officials, and the public, requiring the ability to communicate effectively about technical topics with non-technical stakeholders; and performing other job related duties as required. 

Responsibilities

The development and release of future versions of MTC’s modeling tools, including:

•   Implementing or updating features

•   Managing a consultant team in model development and network development tools. This includes reviewing pull requests and deliverables; project and budget management; discussing and resolving budget issues with appropriate staff and responsible agencies; negotiating, preparing and administering contracts, proposals, task orders and agreements.

•   Model calibration, validation and documentation

•   Presenting Model Development progress and features to stakeholders within the agency and with agency partners.

Qualifications

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & ABILITIES

Required

•   Deep knowledge of activity-based travel modeling and network modeling

•   Software development skills in python to implement modeling functionality, as well as to collect, clean, code and analyze data

•   Interpersonal skills and an ability to work in a project and team environment

Desired

•   Experience synthesizing technical information to facilitate good policy and planning decisions

•   Data visualization experience

•   Knowledge of the complexity of the transportation system and land use/transportation issues facing the San Francisco Bay Area

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities listed. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be:

Education and Experience: Equivalent to a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in planning, civil engineering, environmental science, communications, business or public administration, or a related field and seven (7) years of increasingly responsible professional experience in a field related to assigned area of responsibility

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education: A Bachelor's degree in an appropriate field related to the area of assignment, such as transportation planning, city and regional planning; transportation engineering or modeling, financial management, economics, business or public administration.  A Master's degree is desirable. 

Applicants with a degree issued from an institution outside the United States must have their transcripts evaluated by an academic accrediting service and provide proof of equivalency along with their application.