Program Manager - Standards Development (Remote)

MobilityData; Montreal; Hybrid; CAD 102,000 - 116,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in the mobility sector is seeking a Program Manager to enhance transit data standards. The role involves community engagement, strategic oversight of standards, and a combination of remote and in-person collaboration, suitable for candidates passionate about improving public transportation.

Benefits

20 annual vacation days

Health premium reimbursement

Compensations for public-transit passes

Employer paid time off

Qualifications

• At least 3 years in product management.
• Fluent in English; additional languages (French/Spanish) are an asset.
• Demonstrated experience in program management or community coordination.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders in transit data standards.
• Serve as the organizational lead for MDIP, TIDES, and TODS specifications.
• Support timely delivery of contractual obligations linked to each standard.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Communication

Organizational skills

Tools

GitHub

Productboard

Job description

• Starting annual salary range : 102 000 CAD - 116 000 CAD
• Location : we're primarily recruiting a Montreal-based person
• Type : 75% Remote / Working from home and 25% travel for conferences, summits, etc.

Perks and benefits :

• Open-minded and inclusive team that values care, collaboration, communication, accountability, pragmatism and diversity
• 20 annual vacation days and additional paid time off for sick days, parental obligation, bereavement, etc.
• Closed between Dec 25th and January 1st of every year (i.e. additional employer paid time off)
• Health premium reimbursement (employer contribution may vary per country of employment)
• RRSP employer contributions
• Compensations for public-transit and shared-mobility passes, home office material and coworking space

Hundreds of millions of public transit passengers around the world rely on apps to get information on how to get around. These apps and transportation providers rely on data standards to structure and exchange this information on things like subway routes, bus schedules, network disruptions, fares, and many other useful pieces of passenger information.

GTFS (General Transit Feed Specification) is a widely adopted open standard used by several thousand agencies across the globe such as the New York MTA, Tokyo Metro, and Paris RATP. This standard facilitates the dissemination of transit information to passengers through popular apps like Apple Maps, Google Maps, Transit, and Moovit.

At MobilityData, our mission is to enhance the traveler experience through the usage of open data standards for the mobility ecosystem in order to empower people to travel in the most sustainable ways across the globe. Our work includes facilitating discussions to advance standardization efforts for the benefit of global users, proposing new functionalities, and offering support through comprehensive documentation and training.

What You Will Do

The Program Manager, New Data Standards (MDIP, TIDES, TODS) reports to the Director of Product and plays a critical role in the growth, stability, and sustainability of emerging transit data standards at MobilityData. This role is not a management role in terms of direct reports but will require leadership and coordination across internal and external collaborators.

As a Program Manager, you will be the strategic owner and point of contact for a set of transit data standards at different stages of maturity. You will act as the liaison between the technical, community, and strategic sides of standard developmentensuring that each standard is responsibly incubated, nurtured, and positioned for long-term success and financial sustainability. This role is ideal for someone with strong community instincts, product sensibility, and a passion for data that supports public transit.

MDIP : Mobility Data Interoperability Principles / TIDES : Transit Integrated Data Exchange Specification / TODS : Transit Operational Data Standard

Responsibilities

Community Development and Engagement (50%)

• Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders in each standard's ecosystem.
• Facilitate governance exploration and support the emergence of self-sustaining community practices.
• Surface insights from the community to guide the evolution of each standard.
• With the help of the Community Manager, lead and support events, working groups, or collaborative efforts that drive adoption.
• Define and promote value propositions for each standard to potential members.
• Identify opportunities for increasing membership contributions and adoption.
• Act as the subject-matter representative in conferences, board meetings, webinars, and sales conversations.

Standard Stewardship and Roadmap Development (30%)

• Serve as the organizational lead for MDIP, TIDES, and TODS, owning each spec's roadmap and representing their progress internally and externally.
• Identify and prioritize technical and community needs for each standard.
• Coordinate with the Technical Writer and Community Manager to ensure appropriate resourcing and support.
• Support efforts to integrate data into MobilityData tools and products.

Operational Execution and Reporting (20%)

• Support the timely and accurate delivery of contractual obligations linked to each standard or program.
• Ensure tracking and documentation of progress, risks, and deliverables.
• Coordinate with finance and membership teams to align program efforts with financial goals.

Who You Are

• At least 3 years in product management.
• Demonstrated experience in program or product management, community coordination, or stakeholder engagement.
• Understanding of open data principles and standard development processes.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills.
• Comfort working in collaborative, cross-functional environments and managing competing priorities.
• Fluent in English (spoken and written); additional languages, especially French or Spanish, are an asset.

It Would Be Great If

• Experience in public transit, transportation technology, or information technologies.
• Experience working with international clients
• Experience with nonprofit or mission-driven organizations.
• Demonstrated ability to bring a product or program from early-stage to maturity.
• Familiarity with public transit data standards
• You are familiar with the macOS environment, Google workspace, GitHub and Productboard.

What to expect after you apply

• We do our best to contact you within two weeks of receiving your application to let you know if your candidacy will progress.
• Our hiring process usually spreads over 2 to 4 weeks, including interviews and technical testing.

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