Traffic/Transportation Engineering Specialist - Express Lanes and Tolling

STV is seeking a motivated and technically strong Traffic/Transportation Engineering Specialist – Express Lanes and Tolling to support a Bay Area public agency's express lanes program. This role is well suited for a mid-level traffic or transportation engineer with strong data analytics skills who wants to build hands-on experience in tolling, express lanes operations, and ITS. Prior tolling experience is a plus but not required.

This is a full-time, on-site assignment embedded with the client agency's tolling team in San Jose, five days per week, for a minimum of 12 months. Before starting at the client site, the selected candidate will complete a few weeks of STV onboarding and tolling training. Throughout the assignment, they will receive ongoing mentoring and technical support from STV's Tolling and Mobility Technologies team. Final placement includes an interview with the client agency.

This is a strong learning and growth opportunity. You will work as a core member of the agency's tolling team, so you will get broad, hands-on exposure across planning, operations, performance reporting, and board-level work, and see how a public owner runs an express lanes program from the inside. There is also potential to extend the assignment beyond 12 months based on mutual fit.

The Engineering Specialist will support express lanes planning, implementation, operations, and performance reporting, coordinating with agency staff, Caltrans, CHP, and toll system vendors. The engineer will remain an STV employee, with STV benefits, long-term career growth, and a path to continue on STV's tolling and mobility technology work after the assignment, including future opportunities to grow into business development and client pursuits.

Key Responsibilities

Tolling and Managed Lane Operations

• Support upcoming express lanes phases from planning through implementation and opening.
• Support day-to-day express lanes operations in coordination with agency staff, operators, and vendors.
• Assist with management and oversight of tolling technology assets, including roadside equipment, back-office systems, and communications infrastructure.
• Coordinate with Caltrans, CHP, and toll system and back-office vendors on operations, enforcement, and system issues, including oversight and contract compliance for service providers.
• Assist the agency with operational readiness, transitioning to operations, and ongoing operations support for new, existing, or expanding express lanes facilities.
• Support incident response, operational troubleshooting, and other coordination.

Pricing, Traffic Management, and Operational Policies

• Support tolling, congestion pricing, and managed lanes studies, including feasibility analyses, alternatives evaluations, and operational assessments, with an emphasis on policy, operations, and technology.
• Assist with development and evaluation of traffic management and pricing practices, including lane configurations, pricing frameworks, operational business rules, enforcement approaches, and customer experience considerations.
• Support monitoring and adjustment of toll policies and system performance measures related to reliability, throughput, compliance, enforcement, customer experience, and equity outcomes.
• Support equity and policy analyses related to tolling and pricing programs, including assessment of user impacts, mitigation strategies, and technology‑enabled discounts or exemptions.

Data, Tools, and Analytics

• Analyze traffic, toll transaction, and operational datasets to support planning, policy, and system design decisions.
• Apply industry‑standard tools such as Excel, GIS, Tableau/Power BI, and outputs from traffic or operations models to inform decision‑making.
• Support development of dashboards, summaries, and visualizations that communicate system performance and policy outcomes.
• Prepare ongoing performance monitoring reports on traffic, transactions, and violations.

ITS, Technology, and Systems Integration

• Coordinate with ITS and mobility technology specialists on toll system architecture, including roadside equipment, back‑office systems, communications, and data flows.
• Support analyses related to all‑electronic tolling technologies, interoperability standards, enforcement systems, and operational readiness.
• Support integration of tolling systems with broader ITS, TSMO, and digital roadway initiatives.
• Evaluate technology pilots and system enhancements related to tolling, enforcement, and/or customer experience.

Collaboration and Coordination

• Work as an embedded member of the agency's tolling team, coordinating with planners, traffic engineers, ITS specialists, and policy staff as needed.
• Work day to day under agency direction, reporting to STV's Northern California Regional Director for supervision, technical support, and oversight.
• Participate in meetings with Caltrans, CHP, and regional transportation partners.
• Prepare staff reports, board and committee materials, technical memoranda, and presentations for agency staff, elected officials, and public stakeholders.

Professional Growth

• Stay informed on evolving tolling, congestion pricing, ITS, and mobility technology practices nationwide.
• With STV support, participate in professional organizations and industry forums such as IBTTA, TRB, ITS America, AASHTO, and related technology‑focused working groups.
• Over time, build business development experience with STV's tolling and Mobility Technologies practice, such as proposals and client pursuits, outside the scope of the client assignment. 

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil or Transportation Engineering, or a related field, required.
• Master’s degree preferred.

Experience

• 7–10 years of experience in traffic or transportation engineering, transportation planning, or related analytical roles.
• Demonstrated experience analyzing traffic, transaction, or performance data for public‑sector clients.
• Experience working on California or Western U.S. transportation projects is strongly preferred.

Skills and Competencies

• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and organizational skills.
• Familiarity with tolling and congestion pricing concepts, including system operations, pricing frameworks, enforcement, and performance metrics.
• Working knowledge of ITS concepts, toll systems, and technology‑enabled transportation solutions.
• Strong data analytics skills, including advanced Excel and Power BI. Proficiency with PowerPoint; Tableau or GIS experience is a plus.
• Ability to communicate technical concepts clearly through writing, graphics, and presentations.
• Ability to work independently in a client office, using sound judgment and knowing when to draw on STV support.
• Strong interpersonal skills and professional judgment in a client-facing environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting tolling, express lanes, or congestion pricing programs for public‑sector clients (e.g., DOTs, toll authorities, MPOs), particularly with strong ITS components.
• Experience working for, or embedded with, a public transportation agency.
• Familiarity with Bay Area transportation partners such as MTC, Caltrans District 4, and CHP.
• Familiarity with equity‑focused transportation analysis and public‑facing implementation considerations.
• Experience coordinating with multidisciplinary teams on large, complex transportation and mobility programs.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license (California preferred) or Engineer-in-Training (EIT) certification required; either is acceptable.  

Compensation Range:

$124,288.79 - $142,044.33

STV offers the following benefits • Health insurance, including an option with a Health Savings Account • Dental insurance • Vision insurance • Flexible Spending Accounts (Healthcare, Dependent Care and Transit and Parking where applicable) • Disability insurance • Life Insurance and Accidental Death & Dismemberment • 401(k) Plan • Retirement Counseling • Employee Assistance Program • Paid Time Off • Paid Holidays • Back-Up Dependent Care • Parental Leave • Continuing Education Program • Professional Licensure and Society Memberships

STV is committed to paying all of its employees in a fair, equitable, and transparent manner. The listed pay range is STV’s good-faith salary estimate for this position. Please note that the final salary offered for this position may be outside of this published range based on many factors, including but not limited to geography, education, experience, and/or certifications.

Not sure this role is the perfect match? We encourage you to apply if STV’s work and values resonate with you. We know great candidates don’t always meet every qualification, and research shows women and people of color are less likely to apply unless they do. At STV, we believe strong talent comes from a wide range of backgrounds, and your skills and experience may align with this or another opportunity as we continue to grow.