Traffic and Intelligent Transportation System Department Manager

About the Role

The Traffic and Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Engineering Department Manager at Stanley Consultants is entrusted with owning the complete lifecycle of project delivery for traffic and ITS initiatives. This leader is responsible for establishing the vision and operational rhythm necessary to guide projects from the moment of client engagement through to successful implementation and closeout. The role requires balancing shifting client priorities against the realities of team capacity, ensuring that high-caliber solutions are delivered without compromising quality or ethical standards. Success in this position is defined by the ability to translate ambiguous client objectives into precise, actionable instructions that engineers and analysts can execute with confidence. The manager serves as a critical bridge between client expectations and technical execution, fostering alignment across complex transportation ecosystems. By cultivating a culture of rigorous inquiry and structured problem-solving, the department manager ensures that every project reinforces Stanley's commitment to sustainable and connected infrastructure. Ultimately, this position empowers the team to navigate ambiguity, resolve intricate challenges, and consistently exceed client expectations in demanding market conditions.

Key Facts

What You'll Do

• Provide strategic direction and hands-on supervision for professional and technical job groups, overseeing a portfolio of 4-8 direct reports to ensure alignment with project goals.
• Orchestrate project priorities, staffing schedules, budgets, and staff assignments dynamically to optimize design capabilities and meet firm deadlines.
• Steer project sequencing across multiple teams by evaluating capacity constraints and responding to client urgency with data-driven adjustments.
• Design and refine end-to-end workflows that seamlessly integrate data inputs, analytical models, and field insights to advance transportation initiatives.
• Champion stringent quality assurance processes to verify deliverables before project handoffs, maintaining high standards even under aggressive timelines.
• Guide analysts through poorly defined requirements by facilitating structured discovery sessions to establish clear, measurable success criteria.
• Monitor and balance team workloads in real time, adjusting assignments to prevent burnout and sustain high performance across the department.
• Deliver concise, structured updates to department leadership, highlighting project progress, emerging risks, and resource needs with transparency.
• Establish repeatable routines that convert fragmented stakeholder inputs into coherent plans, informed decisions, and documented best practices.
• Collaborate closely with technology vendors to evaluate, implement, and optimize tools and systems that enhance analysis accuracy and reporting efficiency.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for cross-functional issues, resolving conflicts and unblocking progress to keep projects moving forward.
• Foster continuous improvement by reviewing project post-mortems and incorporating lessons learned into standard operating procedures.
• Ensure compliance with Stanley Consultants' ethics, quality, and safety standards across all project phases and team interactions.
• Represent the department in client meetings and internal forums, articulating project status, trade-offs, and recommendations clearly and persuasively.
• Support talent development by mentoring analysts and junior engineers, strengthening the long-term capability of the ITS practice.

Requirements

• Must hold a minimum of three years of hands-on experience directing traffic and intelligent transportation systems work from initial scoping through delivery.
• Must demonstrate the capacity to manage four to eight direct reports while maintaining unwavering focus on departmental priorities and strategic objectives.
• Must possess a proven ability to coordinate schedules, budgets, and staffing plans to successfully keep projects on track and within scope.
• Must understand how data flows between collection, modeling, and presentation stages within transportation projects to ensure traceability and consistency.
• Must be familiar with the operational context and priorities of transportation agencies operating in Texas markets, including key institutional stakeholders and delivery frameworks.
• Must exhibit strong judgment in balancing competing demands, including time, cost, quality, and resource constraints, to protect client and company interests.
• Must communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical audiences, translating complex concepts into actionable insights and decisions.
• Must adhere strictly to Stanley Consultants' code of ethics, professional conduct policies, and mandatory compliance protocols at all times.

Nice to Have

• Prior experience working with transportation agencies in Texas markets, including familiarity with regional standards, practices, and stakeholder expectations.
• Exposure to emerging ITS technologies such as connected vehicles, adaptive signal control, or real-time traffic management systems.
• Demonstrated success in managing cross-functional collaboration between planners, engineers, data analysts, and technology partners.
• Experience leveraging data visualization and reporting platforms to enhance decision-making and stakeholder engagement.
• Background in mentoring or developing junior staff within a fast-paced, client-service-oriented environment.

Practical Notes

Stanley Consultants is an equal opportunity employer committed to inclusion and diversity in all aspects of employment. All employees are expected to adhere to the firm's strict standards of ethics and professional conduct, ensuring integrity in every interaction. New duty orders may be established to reflect the specific operational needs of the department, and employees are expected to comply with all related policies. It is recommended that you confirm your ability to meet the requirements and expectations outlined in this role before proceeding.