Deputy Director-Operations and Maintenance Interface Management

Sound Transit; Seattle (WA); Hybrid; USD 121,000 - 223,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Dental & vision plans

Retirement plans: 401a & 457b

Paid time off: 25 days + holidays

Parental leave: 12 weeks

Tuition reimbursement

ORCA card

Volunteer days

Job summary

Sound Transit in Seattle is seeking a senior program manager to lead the OMF capital delivery program, coordinating Operations, Maintenance, and Capital Delivery teams to integrate O&M requirements into the project lifecycle.

The role involves directing professional staff, implementing cost and schedule controls, and ensuring long-term reliability while aligning with agency safety and equity goals. Sound Transit offers comprehensive benefits in a hybrid work environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Architecture, Facility Management, Transit Operations, or related field.
• Six years of experience in rail-related projects; including rail track, facilities, vehicle maintenance or systems.
• Four years of leadership, budgetary, planning and workforce management experience.
• Experience reviewing drawings, specifications, and agency agreements; supporting design through construction.

Responsibilities

• Collaborates with project delivery teams to develop cost effective, sustainable solutions.
• Participates in technical meetings, workshops, and design reviews with internal teams and external partners.
• Prepares reports, comments, recommendations, and briefing materials related to O&M impacts and readiness.
• Provides presentations on operational requirements to internal stakeholders and external partners.
• Supports interdepartmental coordination between capital delivery and ongoing operations standards.
• Champions Sound Transit values and diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Skills

Project management

Leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Budgeting

Scheduling

Communication

Change leadership

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Architecture, Facility Management, Transit Operations, or related field

Tools

Microsoft Office

Relational databases

Job description

Salary range is $121k to $223k with a midpoint of $172k. New hires typically receive between minimum and midpoint, however, we may go slightly higher based on experience, internal equity and market.

Sound Transit also offers a competitive benefits package with a wide range of offerings, including:

• Health Benefits: We offer two choices of medical plans, a dental plan, and a vision plan all at no cost for employee coverage; comprehensive benefits for employees and eligible dependents, including a spouse or domestic partner.
• Long-Term Disability and Life Insurance.
• Employee Assistance Program.
• Retirement Plans: 401a – 10% of employee contribution with a 12% match by Sound Transit; 457b – up to IRS maximum (employee only contribution).
• Paid Time Off: Employees accrue 25 days of paid time off annually with increases at four, eight and twelve years of service. Employees at the director level and up accrue additional days. We also observe 12 paid holidays and provide up to 2 paid floating holidays and up to 2 paid volunteer days per year.
• Parental Leave: 12 weeks of parental leave for new parents.
• Pet Insurance discount.
• ORCA Card: All full-time employees will receive an ORCA card at no cost.
• Tuition Reimbursement: Sound Transit will pay up to $5,000 annually for approved tuition expenses.
• Inclusive Reproductive Health Support Services.
• Compensation Practices: We offer competitive salaries based on market rates and internal equity. In addition to compensation and benefits, you’ll find that we provide work-life balance, opportunities for professional development and recognition from your colleagues.

General Purpose

This position performs responsible and technically complex work requiring strong knowledge of transit operations and maintenance, capital project delivery processes, and asset lifecycle management. Working under general direction provides senior level support for the Capital Delivery Departments (Team 1) OMF Program and serves as the primary point of coordination between Operations, Maintenance, and Capital Delivery teams to ensure that operational and maintainability requirements are fully integrated into the planning, design, construction, of capital projects. Manages, directs, and supervises the activities of professional staff and consultants in performing a full range of program management functions for the OMF program with projects of various scope, size, and complexity including direction of the development and implementation of integrated program management and control (cost and scheduling) tools, techniques, and methods for establishing, measuring, monitoring, controlling, and reporting progress and performance of the program; represents the operational perspective throughout the project development lifecycle and is responsible for identifying, communicating, and resolving operations and maintenance (O&M) interface issues before they affect service delivery, safety, cost, or long term reliability; partners with Operations Department leadership and subject matter experts to identify potential operational and maintenance issues, coordinate technical input, and support timely decision making.

Essential Functions

The following duties are a representative summary of the primary duties and responsibilities. Incumbent(s) may not be required to perform all duties listed and may be required to perform additional, position-specific duties.

• Collaborates with project delivery teams to develop cost effective, sustainable, and operationally sound solutions; contributes to value engineering and design optimization discussions.
• Participates in technical meetings, workshops, and design reviews with internal teams, consultants, contractors, and external agencies.
• Prepare reports, comments, recommendations, and briefing materials related to O&M impacts, readiness status, and risk resolution.
• Provides presentations on operational and maintenance requirements, policies, and readiness considerations to internal stakeholders and external partners.
• Supports interdepartmental coordination to ensure consistency between capital project delivery and ongoing operational standards, policies, and practices.
• Serves as the primary Operations and Maintenance interface for assigned capital projects, ensuring O&M needs are identified, documented, communicated, and resolved throughout all phases of project development.
• Coordinates with Operations, Maintenance, Fleet, Facilities, Safety, and Training subject matter experts to support planning, design, construction, activation, and transition to Operations.
• Partners closely with other Agency groups to ensure the seamless integration with existing infrastructure and encourages innovation through the implementation of new technologies on projects to support long term operations and maintenance.
• Ensures that operational concepts, maintenance strategies, staffing assumptions, training requirements, and asset support needs are incorporated into project plans and schedules. Supports the development of start-up activities activation, and transition-to-operations plans, including pre-revenue testing, readiness assessments, and turnover documentation; ensure that operational concepts, maintenance strategies, staffing assumptions, training requirements, and asset support needs are incorporated into project plans and schedules.
• Champions and models Sound Transit's core values and demonstrates values-based behaviors in everyday interactions across the agency.
• Contributes to a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion in alignment with Sound Transit’s Equity & Inclusion Policy.
• It is the responsibility of all employees to follow the Agency safety rules, regulations, and procedures pertaining to their assigned duties and responsibilities, which could include systems, operations, and/or other employees.
• It is the responsibility of all employees to integrate sustainability into everyday business
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Education and Experience:

Bachelors degree In Engineering, Architecture, Facility Management, Transit Operations, or related field. Six years of experience in rail-related projects; experience should include work associated with rail such as track, facilities, vehicle maintenance, systems, or control center operations. Experience reviewing drawings, specifications, and agency or jurisdictional agreements; providing input during design phases through construction; and supporting transition to operations activities. Experience working with stakeholders and developing policies and procedures that include total cost of ownership and management responsibility; Or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Four years of leadership, budgetary, planning and workforce management experience.

Preferred Licenses Or Certifications

• Certifications or licenses related to Design Build or other alternative construction delivery methods (e.g., DBIA).

Required Knowledge And Skills

• Organization and operation of public transit agencies.
• Principles and techniques of project management.
• Transit infrastructure development, operations, maintenance, and service planning.
• Pertinent federal, state, and local laws, codes, and regulations.
• Partnering and negotiation principles and practices.
• Modern office procedures, methods, and equipment including computers and computer applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, and statistical databases.
• Principles, practices, and procedures of leading programs/projects.
• Principles and practices of leading programs/projects and hiring, training, and supervision staff.
• Asset lifecycle cost and total cost of ownership management.
• Schedule, cost, and risk management within capital project delivery.
• A strategic mindset: the ability to envision and shape the future, keeping the big picture and the OMF program performance and fundamental aims in view at all times.
• Business acumen: the ability to understand the key business drivers of the project and leverage those drivers for the benefit of the agency and community.
• Political intelligence: the ability to engage with, and seek involvement from, all key stakeholders in a project’s ecosystem.
• Balanced decision making: the ability to strike a balance between consensus, room for discussion, collaboration, and timely decision making and action.
• Communication in all its forms: the ability to listen and empathize and to articulate ideas and vision in a meaningful and compelling way to stakeholders from all walks of life.
• Change leadership: the ability and willingness to consistently challenge the status quo, in the interests of ensuring the project’s success.
• Establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with other department staff, management, vendors, outside agencies, community groups, and the general public.
• Interpreting and administering policies and procedures sufficient to administer, discuss, resolve, and explain them to staff and other constituencies.
• Utilizing contract management and financial system software and computer systems including relational database systems, scheduling systems, computer estimating systems, and budget control monitoring systems.
• Demonstrating a positive customer service orientation with both internal and external clients.
• Applying appropriate oral and written communication techniques to various individuals ranging from Agency employees, the general public, elected officials, community leaders, and local, state, and federal agencies.
• Using technical concepts and general project management tools and techniques to effectively coordinate project control activities and functions and solve complex problems in creative and effective ways.
• Reviewing and evaluating change compared to contract terms.
• Preparing clear and concise analytical, administrative, and financial reports.
• Applying project management techniques and principles.

Physical Demands / Work Environment

• Work is performed in a hybrid environment with an expectation of working in office a minimum of 3 days per week.
• Positions working in field may occasionally be exposed to dangerous machinery, extreme weather conditions, physical harm, hazardous chemicals, and/or extreme noise.
• This position is responsible for; may be subject to bending, climbing, hearing, pushing, pulling, reaching, repetitive motion, sitting, standing, talking, seeing, walking, and lifting and carrying up to 50 pounds.
• The Agency promotes a safe and healthy work environment and provides appropriate safety and equipment training for all personnel as required.

Sound Transit is an equal employment opportunity employer. No person is unlawfully excluded from employment action based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status or other protected class.