Rail Operations Service Quality Chief

King County, WA; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Transit pass

Pension plan

Flexible schedules

Career development

Job summary

King County Metro Rail Division invites applications for a leadership role overseeing Rail Supervisors, guiding performance, safety, and service quality. You will drive labor relations, employee development, and compliance with labor agreements while coordinating with Sound Transit and county partners.

The role emphasizes 24/7 on-call readiness during adverse events, ensuring staffing and payroll processes are executed accurately. Based in Seattle area facilities with multi-site responsibilities.

Qualifications

• Minimum 1+ years in public transit management, supervisory or lead roles with strong equity focus.
• Experience leading transit operations, including real-time situations and emergencies.
• Coaching staff toward performance improvements and policy compliance.
• Managing competing priorities and multiple projects efficiently.
• Proficient with MS Office, HASTUS, and Fastfield Forms.

Responsibilities

• Supervise Rail Supervisors and model positive leadership.
• Develop and implement employee performance programs; administer discipline.
• Conduct grievance hearings and resolve grievances.
• Investigate and resolve customer complaints; coordinate with officials and public.
• Apply labor agreements and King County policies consistently.
• Maintain collaborative labor relations and ensure staffing aligns with schedules.
• Oversee payroll/timesheet approvals for direct reports and ensure accuracy.
• Collaborate with Sound Transit, King County Metro, and community partners.

Skills

Public transit management

Staff coaching

Performance management

Grievance handling

Labor relations

Project management

MS Office Suite

HASTUS

Fastfield Forms

Tools

MS Office

HASTUS

Fastfield Forms

Job description

Summary

Learn how Metro connects you with what matters. This position is open to all King County employees and the general public.

About Metro Transit's Expanding Rail Division

King County Metro's Rail Division manages and maintains Sound Transit's Link Light Rail, a growing network spanning 60 miles and serving 38 stations across the Puget Sound region. Together with Metro's extensive fixed-route bus system and mobility services, the Link Light Rail system is the backbone of an integrated regional transit network that gives people real freedom of movement.

As Puget Sound transit agencies work together to build a seamless, connected system, our light rail system plays a central role in expanding access, reducing barriers, and ensuring that everyone across our region can get where they need to go.

Joining Metro’s Rail Division

Joining Metro's Rail Division means joining an organization that is shaping the future of public transportation in the Pacific Northwest and setting the standard for modern rail operations nationwide. This is a division that values strategic thinking, collaborative leadership, and a deep commitment to the people we serve, both our riders and our teams. Whatever your role, your work here contributes to something that matters, a light rail system that thousands of people count on every day.

Who May Apply

This position is open to King County employees and the general public.

Job Duties

• Supervise and direct the work of Rail Supervisors, exhibiting positive leadership and role modeling, encouraging and supporting staff development and training, and conducting performance evaluations.
• Develop and implement programs to manage employee performance, including administering progressive discipline, coaching, counselling, retraining, and taking disciplinary action.
• Conduct grievance hearings and make decisions regarding resolution of grievances.
• Investigate and resolve customer complaints; mitigating high-profile service delivery issues with elected officials, other agencies, and the general public.
• Apply consistent guidance and decision-making in consideration of applicable labor agreements, King County personnel guidelines, and established Rail policies and procedures.
• Establish and maintain a collaborative and effective labor relations environment, ensuring that daily operations and personnel actions conform with the terms of negotiated labor agreements.
• Manage workforce planning to ensure that adequate staffing exists to meet scheduling requirements, ensuring coverage for planned absences, and processing timely and accurate payroll/timesheet approval for direct reports.
• Effectively collaborate and communicate with internal and external groups within Sound Transit, King County Metro, our community partners, and outside entities.
• Implement project management skills to lead or participate in projects as assigned.
• Establish safety-related initiatives within the section and make safety and security recommendations to upper management.
• Work as a team to anticipate, identify, and implement opportunities for service quality, workplace, and business process improvements.

Please Note: This position will require remaining available for work 24 hours-per-day during rotational on-call assignments and reporting for extended duty during adverse weather events and other emergencies.

Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills

Minimum Qualifications:

• One (1) or more years of public transit management, supervisory or lead experience, including decisiveness, good judgment, integrity, and a strong commitment to equity and fairness.
• Demonstrated experience in the following:
  • Effectively managing or leading transit operations, in real-time situations and emergencies.
  • Coaching employees toward performance improvement, such as poor customer service, policy violation, safety violation, etc.
  • Managing competing priorities, multiple projects, and daily responsibilities in an effective and efficient manner.
  • Researching and utilizing multiple sources of information to draw logical conclusions using basic data analysis methods to make defensible determinations.
  • Effectively navigating and manipulating computer-based programs and software, including MS Office suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams), HASTUS, and Fastfield Forms.
• Effective written and oral communication skills.

Desirable Qualifications

• Relevant emergency management certifications and/or other relevant training and/or certification in applying emergency management principles (such as FEMA/ISO)
• Working knowledge of basic human resources principles and practices as they relate to employee management.
• Experience working within, managing, or supervising a unionized workforce and the grievance process (or equivalent working knowledge).
• Knowledge of the regulatory and statutory requirements that govern rail operations and delivery of mass transit services.
• Working experience in an operating unit of a public transit agency.
• Project management training and/or experience.
• Working knowledge of King County Metro Rail Operations, including train operations, incident response and mitigation, yard operations, Link Control Center communications, and/or planning and dispatching of Light Rail Operators.
• Education/experience with collecting data, analyzing trends, and implementing adjustments based on findings.
• Experience identifying, organizing, and engaging a variety of stakeholders to achieve a common goal or outcome.

Necessary Special Requirements

• Valid Washington State Driver License and the ability to operate a fleet motor vehicle.
• Work requires reporting for duty and directing Rail Supervisors, including during adverse weather events and other emergencies.
• Work requires being on-call at various times throughout any calendar year.

Application & Selection Process

Applications will be screened to determine whether candidates meet minimum qualifications, and for clarity, completeness, and responsiveness to the application instructions above. Highly competitive applicants may be asked to interview. Formal offers will be finalized after candidates have successfully completed any necessary pre-employment processes, such as reference checks or internal record reviews.

Work Schedule

This position is exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act, and is therefore not eligible for overtime pay. Typical work hours are between 5:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Employees may be required to work extended hours, weekend, holidays and will be required to serve occasional 24/7 "on-call" in rotation with other Operations leadership. Service Quality Chiefs must have the ability to report to work in the event of adverse weather or other emergent/crisis situations and remain on-site during the event unless otherwise directed or relieved. There are no flex days or remote telework options for this position, and work schedules will be determined by management.

Union Membership

This position is represented by Protec 17.

Work Location

• 2505 S 320th St, Federal Way, WA 98003
• Maintenance of Way North (MOWN) 920 N 137th St Seattle, WA
• Operations & Maintenance Facility (OMF) Central at 3407 Airport Way S., Seattle, WA.
• Operations & Maintenance Facility (OMF) East at 1925 120th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA.
• And any future Sound Transit Link facilities.

CLASS CODE / PAY GRADE

874030/ 69

Safety Responsibilities For An Employee

• Responsible for understanding this policy and their role in safety.
• Report all safety concerns.
• Follow safety practices and procedures as necessary to maintain a safe work environment and in conformance with applicable regulations, policies, and training.
• Report safety and security concerns and ideas to supervisors or anonymously through data collection system.

For more information regarding this recruitment, please contact: Ebony Ware, Human Resource Analyst, at [e-mail].

King County Is An Equal Employment Opportunity (eeo) Employer

No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities 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. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.

Benefits

King County offers a highly-competitive compensation and benefits package designed to meet the diverse needs of our employees and support our employees' health and well-being. Eligible positions receive the following benefits and have access to the following programs:

• Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage options: King County provides eligible employees with options, so they can decide what's best for themselves and their eligible dependents
• Life and disability insurance: employees are provided basic coverage and given the opportunity to purchase additional insurance for both the employee and eligible dependents
• Retirement: eligible King County employees may participate in a pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems and a 457(b) deferred-compensation plan
• Transportation program and ORCA transit pass
• 12 paid holidays each year plus two personal holidays
• Generous vacation and paid sick leave
• Paid parental, family and medical, and volunteer leaves
• Flexible Spending Account
• Wellness programs
• Onsite activity centers
• Employee Giving Program
• Employee assistance programs
• Flexible schedules and telecommuting options, depending on position
• Training and career development programs

For additional information about employee benefits, visit our Benefits, Payroll, and Retirement Page.

This is a general description of the benefits offered to eligible King County employees, and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. If any information on this document conflicts with the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the CBA prevails.

NOTE: Benefits for Term Limited Temporary (TLT) or Short Term Temporary (STT) positions, including leave eligibility and/or participation in the pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems, will vary based upon the terms and details of the position. Short Term Temporary positions are not eligible for an ORCA transit pass.