Human Factors Researchers help prioritize users’ needs and evaluate experiences at different stages of development. Human factors researchers are responsible for leading research to better understand the needs of users and sharing insights on how internal processes and products can be improved to optimize how we empower users to navigate their digital journeys. Human factors researchers are often required to have a BA/BS degree in English, communications, or equivalent practical experience.
Safety
Transportation Safety Researcher
Transportation Safety Data Analyst
A Transportation Safety Data Analyst supports data-driven transportation safety improvements by ensuring that transportation and other relevant organizations collect, manage, and share high quality data in an efficient and coordinated manner to support transportation safety decision-making and resource allocation. They assist others in identifying relationships and trends in data; use techniques to display results of analyses; review data for accuracy, quality, and completeness; establish protocols for data management and security; and utilize multiple strategies to integrate safety data and analysis into transportation decision-making processes.
Other responsibilities typically include:
- Developing systems and establishing processes to ensure data quality and type of data elements are properly collected and validated to enable robust safety analysis.
- Working with stakeholders from both the public and private sectors to establish interoperability between different data sources to support transportation safety data analytics.
- Developing data analysis and data visualization tools, and user interface systems to facilitate data access, user friendly data queries, and data system functionality.
- Using advanced predictive analytics, computational methods, and modeling and simulation techniques to identify and mitigate safety risk.
Traffic Safety Engineer
A Traffic Safety Engineer is committed to obtaining safety goals through continuous improvement of transportation planning, design, operations, and safety investment strategies. Traffic Safety Engineers utilize multiple strategies to integrate safety data and analysis into transportation decision-making processes. They apply their knowledge of systemic safety principles to analyze, assess, and present safety data, and to plan, implement, and evaluate road safety programs and processes.
Other responsibilities typically include:
- Provide direction on development of safety-focused policies and guidelines through collaboration with law enforcement agencies, safety organizations, and other public stakeholders.
- Analyze, synthesize, and present road safety data to relevant stakeholders to aid safety-focused decision making and investments, including through the development of models and simulations.
- Ensure that transportation plans, roadway designs, and traffic operations and management strategies comply with established safety guidelines and reflect current best practices related to safety performance measures.
- Apply analytical, modeling, and simulation skills as well as qualitative and quantitative research methodologies to develop safety solutions.
Traffic Safety Planner
A Traffic Safety Planner is responsible for integrating safety into an agency’s planning documents and processes and for working collaboratively with stakeholders to implement safety plans. Must have knowledge of sources of safety data, systemic safety issues, contributing crash factors, and human behaviors associated with safety risk. They apply this knowledge to incorporate safety data and analysis into transportation decision-making processes to achieve safety improvement goals.
Other responsibilities typically include:
- Represent traffic safety interests at a variety of cross-sector stakeholder meetings.
- Analyze, synthesize, and present safety data to stakeholders and the public in visual or other formats that facilitate data-driven safety-related investments and decision-making.
- Provide direction on the development and integration of safety goals and objectives into transportation planning processes; and implement a process for embedding safety performance measures into planning tools and investment decisions.
- Promote effective public outreach, education and involvement to build support for safety priorities.
- Participate in public meetings and conduct surveys to identify issues of public concern.
- Implement monitoring and evaluation systems to ensure continuous improvement.
Maintenance Safety Manager
A Highway Maintenance Safety Manager is responsible for oversight of maintenance activities in a given administrative district, including overseeing roadway repair, maintenance, and improvement projects, winter maintenance operations, and facilities and asset management. The Maintenance Safety Manager supervises maintenance staff; roadway monitoring, inspection, and permitting processes; disaster and emergency response; and roadway inspection and hazardous materials procedures. As such, execution of duties has a direct impact on the safety of both maintenance workers and the traveling public. Maintenance Safety Managers provide leadership on road safety promotion by means of maintenance activities and practices. Safety-related competencies include knowledge of systemic safety principles to assess risk, develop safety plans, and promote, implement, and evaluate maintenance impact on road user safety.
Other responsibilities typically include:
- Identify hazards and control measures for maintenance activities.
- Develop incident management and other safety plans based on risk assessment, incorporating knowledge of safety regulations and compliance measures.
- Ensure effective traffic control techniques are in place to safeguard workers and those passing through a work zone or site during maintenance activities.
- Implement effective road safety countermeasures through maintenance activities.
- Ensure maintenance staff are able to identify, report, and/or remediate road safety deficiencies.
- Promote a positive organizational safety culture.