{"id":1620520,"url":"https://alion.io/job/ara-principal-aviation-planner","title":"Principal Aviation Planner","company":{"id":2028479,"name":"Applied Research Associates","domain":"ara.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/ara-com","size_band":"1001-5000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"UltiPro","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":91,"open_postings":14,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.357,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":51,"computed_at":"2026-10-14T06:34:16Z"}},"role":"Operations","role_family":"Operations","seniority":"lead","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"hybrid","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Egg Harbor Township, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":140000,"max":180000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":180000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":12,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"AutoCAD","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-11T17:36:52Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-11","last_verified_at":"2026-10-14T16:27:44Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":33,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":33},"description":"ARA is seeking principal-level planners with significant aviation infrastructure experience to join our Transportation Division Aviation Directorate. This position provides an opportunity to work on aviation, airport, uncrewed systems, and advanced air mobility planning projects with regulatory agencies and airports throughout the United States. The successful candidate will grow an aviation planning practice focused on integration of new aviation technologies into FAA guidance and airport master plans.\nWe are looking for a motivated planner who thinks strategically to apply technical understanding of airport systems to solve complex problems by optimizing capacity, safety, efficiency, and sustainability. ARA employee-owners are actively involved in all aspects of research and consulting, applying technical knowledge, professional judgement, and innovation to develop high-quality solutions for our clients.\nPositions are available in Egg Harbor Township, NJ; Madison, WI; and the Dallas-Forth Worth area (Southlake, TX). This is a hybrid position requiring attendance in the assigned ARA office a minimum of 3 days per week, in addition to project-related travel.\nThis position requires travel to project sites and may include on-site work at client offices. Candidates must meet eligibility requirements for badging and site access. Nationwide travel is anticipated approximately 10% to 20% of the time, depending on project needs, season, and workload.\nPrincipal aviation planners are expected to:\nInteract with clients and potential clients to capture new business through technical work and capability briefings.\nLead and develop comprehensive airport master plans, including airside, landside, terminal, cargo, and support facilities.\nConduct capacity analyses, demand forecasting, and operational assessments to inform long-range planning decisions.\nPrepare and update Airport Layout Plans (ALPs) and ensure compliance with FAA, ICAO, and other regulatory requirements.\nCoordinate with engineering, environmental, commercial, and operations teams to develop integrated planning solutions.\nAnalyze airspace constraints, runway/taxiway configurations, and aircraft performance data to recommend improvements.\nSupport capital improvement planning by developing phasing strategies, cost estimates, and actionable development programs.\nFacilitate stakeholder engagement, including airport leadership, airlines, community groups, and government agencies.\nPrepare technical reports, presentations, and planning.\nSupport research and development of planning criteria related to new aviation technologies including advanced air mobility and uncrewed systems.\nPrincipal aviation planner requirements:\nBachelor’s degree in Aviation, Planning, or Civil Engineering; master’s degree preferred. Degree program must be accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board (PAB).\n12+ years of increasingly complex experience in airport master planning, airport regional planning, or aviation capacity planning. A combination of two or more of these specialties is preferred.\nStrong understanding of FAA/ICAO standards, airport operations, and airspace fundamentals.\nProficiency in planning software tools (e.g., GIS, AutoCAD, AviPlan, simulation platforms).\nStrong written and verbal communication skills in the English language.\nStrong presentation skills and ability to convey technical concepts to non-technical audiences.\nAbility to manage complex projects and multidisciplinary teams.\nAbility and willingness to travel to work at project sites.\nCandidates selected may be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.\nThe anticipated salary range for this position is $140,000 to $180,000 per year, depending on education, experience, and location. ARA also offers competitive benefits that address our employees’ needs now and in the future. Learn more about each of our benefits at https://www.ara.com/benefits/.\nAbout ARA:\nARA is an employee-owned international research and engineering company recognized for providing technically superior solutions to complex and challenging problems in the physical sciences. The company, founded in Albuquerque, NM, in 1979, currently employs more than 2,200 professionals and continues to grow. ARA offices throughout the United States and Canada provide a broad range of technical expertise in civil technologies, computer software and simulation, defense technologies, systems analysis, environmental technologies, and testing and measurement. The corporation also provides sophisticated technical products for pavement analysis, environmental site characterization, and robotics.\nAt ARA, employees are our greatest assets. The corporation realizes that employee ownership spawns greater creativity and initiative along with higher performance and customer satisfaction levels. ARA gives its employees the tools, training, and opportunities to take more active roles as owners. The culture is challenging; innovation and experimentation are the norm. Employees are eligible for contributions which not only add to the company’s success, but also their own through the ESOP. The motto, “Engineering and Science for Fun and Profit” sums up the ARA experience.","description_format":"text","description_chars":5281,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":12,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":true},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[{"language":"English","level":"All levels","optional":false}]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Design & Creative","Industrial Design","IT Help Desk & Service Desk"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-01T20:42:43Z"}],"visa":[{"country":"US","licensed_sponsor":true,"evidence":"H-1B filings in 12 months: 4 · green card filings: 3","filings_12m":4,"filings_prev_12m":5,"green_card_filings_12m":3,"median_offered_wage_usd":80357,"route":null,"cap_exempt":false,"checked_at":"2026-10-03T21:08:04+00:00","sources":["US Department of Labor: LCA disclosure data (H-1B, H-1B1, E-3)","US Department of Labor: PERM disclosure data (green cards)"],"filings_for_role_12m":0}],"liveness":{"score":74,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.827,"p_room":0.9,"age_days":32,"expected_fill_days":51,"reasons":["conf:3","velocity","win:mid"],"computed_at":"2026-10-14T06:34:16Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":180000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/ara-principal-aviation-planner","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/ara-principal-aviation-planner.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-14T18:34:22Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":24149,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-15T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":2028479},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=2028479"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fara-principal-aviation-planner"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fara-principal-aviation-planner"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fara-principal-aviation-planner"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/ara-principal-aviation-planner\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fara-principal-aviation-planner"}]}