Position Summary
The Vine Street Expressway has historically caused environmental and cultural harm to surrounding communities, especially Philadelphia’s Chinatown. In December 2023, the City of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation (PCDC) developed a plan to construct a highway cap and public park over sections of the Vine Street Expressway and install traffic calming on Vine Street’s local lanes. This project is called The Chinatown Stitch. Since December 2023, the Chinatown Stitch project has advanced through the planning and preliminary engineering phases and is expected to receive federal environmental approval in 2026.
This position will be the City project manager in charge of delivering the Chinatown Stitch through the planning, engineering, construction, and operating phases. This position reports to the OTIS Director of Policy and Strategic Initiatives and will work closely with numerous partners, especially PennDOT and PCDC.
Essential Functions
Serve as the City of Philadelphia’s primary project manager for the Chinatown Stitch project.
Lead and manage a large team of consultants responsible for planning, engineering, programming, and final design tasks for the Chinatown Stitch.
Lead project coordination between the City of Philadelphia and PennDOT.
Work closely with PCDC on activities including community engagement, pilot project development and deployment, and development of PCDC’s Chinatown Equity Plan.
Oversee and manage internal coordination across City units including the Streets Department, the Department of Planning and Development, Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, and others.
Work closely with the OTIS grant management team and the Streets Transportation Planning and Analysis team to track project funds across multiple sources and ensure timely payments to project contractors and consultants.
Oversee the design of traffic calming and streetscape improvements on Vine between 8th Street and Broad Street in coordination with project consultants, PennDOT, the Streets Department, and other partners.
Oversee the design of the new park’s layout, amenities, and connections in coordination with project consultants, PennDOT, the Federal Highways Administration, and other partners.
Organizes work, sets priorities, and determines resource requirements; determines short- or long-term goals and strategies to achieve them; coordinates with other organizations to accomplish goals; monitors progress and evaluates outcomes.
Lead research and planning for a development, operations, and maintenance plan that will oversee and take charge of the new park facilities after construction. This includes overseeing the development of a business plan and required legislation with the assistance of senior leadership to ensure the Stitch is a safe, clean, and green facility in perpetuity.
Other duties as assigned.
Required Competencies, Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Experience delivering infrastructure projects in the public right-of-way, including a strong understanding of required processes and coordination at federal, state, and local levels.
Experience working with City partners, PennDOT, and communities to deliver equitable infrastructure.
Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate complex information to diverse audiences.
Demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships across groups with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and knowledge levels.
Ability to effectively create shared understandings of tradeoffs to facilitate discussion and the identification of solutions.
Ability to assess alternatives and lead stakeholders toward solutions.
Demonstrated ability to meet short- and long-term deadlines in a fast-paced environment where priorities may shift unexpectedly.
Knowledge of and demonstrated experience in working within a large institution like the City of Philadelphia.
City of Philadelphia
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