Regional Transportation Operations Program Manager

Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising; Tampa (FL); On-site; USD 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising located in Tampa, Florida, is seeking a leader to oversee construction activities on high-value projects exceeding $1 billion. This role ensures that construction operations align with statewide strategies, emphasizing risk mitigation and a customer-focused approach. Candidates should possess at least a Bachelor’s degree, ten years of relevant experience, and strong project management capabilities. Preferred qualifications include a Professional Engineer License, MBA, or PMP certification. The role supports an employee-owned culture and aims for operational excellence.

Qualifications

• 10 years of related experience required.
• Minimum of 5 years of project management experience.
• Ability to interact with various design teams.

Responsibilities

• Translate enterprise and Turnpike initiatives into expectations for construction.
• Integrate construction activities with maintenance, traffic operations, and asset performance.
• Define and implement operational KPIs related to construction.

Skills

Project management

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Professional Engineer License

MBA or PMP

Tools

Microsoft Office

Estimating software

Scheduling software

Project management software

Job description

The purpose of this role is to ensure construction activities across high-value regional programs (approximately $1 B across Tampa Bay, West‑Central Florida, and Jacksonville) are operationally ready, conflict‑free, and customer‑focused. Operating within the Operations Center, this role ensures construction decisions are made with full awareness of system‑wide impacts, risks, and tradeoffs, and that statewide and Turnpike strategies are consistently executed across active projects. The selected candidate will translate enterprise priorities into executable construction operations and provide decision‑ready recommendations to the FDOT Operations Program Manager and GEC Program leadership.

Strategy Execution and Program Integration

• Translate enterprise and Turnpike initiatives into clear, enforceable expectations for construction projects.
• Drive consistent implementation across the region; identify and close gaps between intent and execution.
• Standardize how construction supports system performance.

Operational Alignment

• Integrate construction activities with maintenance, traffic operations, incident management, and asset performance through the Operations Center.
• Ensure construction is planned and executed within the full operational context of the network.
• Enforce adherence to Operations Center coordination protocols and approval processes.
• Identify and mitigate risks created by the interaction of construction with live traffic and concurrent operations.
• Prioritize network performance and customer impact over isolated project considerations.
• Resolve conflicts that span multiple projects, functions, or stakeholders.

KPI Development, Implementation, and Performance Management

• Define, refine, and implement construction‑related operational KPIs (e.g., mobility impacts, lane closure compliance, queue thresholds, incident clearance support).
• Establish processes to consistently capture, validate, and report performance data.
• Monitor trends across projects and corridors; identify systemic issues and enforce corrective actions.
• Ensure KPIs drive real operational decisions and behavioral change, not just reporting.

Decision Support and Escalation

• Deliver concise, decision‑ready recommendations framed around system impacts, tradeoffs, and risk.
• Support Operations Center leadership with clear options and consequences.
• Escalate issues early when project‑level resolution is insufficient.

Incident and Event Integration

• Align construction operations with incident response, emergency management, and planned events.
• Direct or coordinate adjustments to construction activities to support system recovery.
• Institutionalize lessons learned into standards and future planning.

Stakeholder Alignment

• Set and enforce expectations with FDOT, contractors, CEI firms, and internal teams regarding operational performance.
• Drive a shift toward operationally aware, customer‑focused construction delivery.
• Maintain a consistent and predictable operating environment across projects.

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional Engineer License, MBA or PMP
• Prior experience in a Florida public agency

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in related field
• 10 years related experience
• A minimum of 5 years of project management experience
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office, estimating and scheduling software, project management software
• Ability to interact with various design teams, excellent organizational, project management, and communication (both written and verbal) skills
• Commitment to being an active participant of our employee‑owned culture

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider all qualified applicants, regardless of criminal histories, arrest and conviction records.