Senior Director of Engineering - Choose How You Move

Metropolitan Government of Nashville & Davidson County; Nashville (TN); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Metropolitan Government of Nashville & Davidson County is seeking a CHYM Senior Director of Engineering to lead and coordinate engineering components for the city’s largest transportation capital program. The role focuses on right-of-way, utilities alignment, and safe, durable infrastructure across sidewalks, signals, and transit enhancements.

The position emphasizes collaboration with the Metro agencies, state and federal partners, consultants, and staff to mature delivery processes and ensure

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering and at least ten years of progressive post-degree engineering experience.
• Extensive knowledge of civil/traffic engineering and urban street design.
• Strong communication and project management skills for multi-stakeholder delivery.

Responsibilities

• Serves as consulted engineer for CHYM capital projects from conceptual planning through construction closeout.
• Coordinates with Metro departments, vendors, and partner agencies to implement CHYM betterment projects.
• Reviews plans to ensure alignment of right-of-way, utilities, and city design standards.
• Leads development of CHYM standards, specifications, and processes in collaboration with delivery partners.
• Communicates project status to leadership, officials, and the public; supports community engagement.

Skills

Civil engineering knowledge

Traffic engineering knowledge

Communication skills

Project management

Time management

Stakeholder collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Job description

This is a non-civil service position announcement. TheChoose How You Move (CHYM) Senior Director of Engineering is a member of the Mayor's Office CHYM team and directs, coordinates, and supports engineering technical components to ensure successful project delivery for CHYM capital projects and adjacent improvements. The Senior Director of Engineering will lead or support review of technical elements to ensure alignment of right-of-way and utilities, and successful implementation across the project portfolios including sidewalks, complete streets, signals, fiber, ITS, physical and digital traffic infrastructure, bus stop improvements, and transit centers. This position must be collaborative in troubleshooting and guiding best practices with the Program Management Team, Metro agencies and partners, State and Federal partners. The CHYM Senior Director of Engineering reports to the CHYM Deputy Chief Program Officer. The CHYM Senior Director of Engineering does not have supervisory responsibilities for any direct reports.

CHYM, approved by 66% of voters in 2024, is Mayor O’Connell’s transportation improvement program and the largest capital program in geographic scope and scale to be undertaken in Nashville’s history. Implementation of the $3.1 billion capital program requires extensive collaboration among multiple Metro departments, project managers, and vendors; coordination of $111 million worth of annual operating expenditures; and robust engagement with neighbors. CHYM will transform how people move around the city for decades to follow.

CHYM includes installation of smart signals at nearly 600 intersections. It adds 24/7/365 transit service and builds 54 miles of All-Access Corridors featuring high-capacity bus transit with more frequent, reliable, and accessible service. It builds 86 miles of sidewalks to ensure Nashville completes the WalkNBike Nashville priority sidewalk network and connects our busiest neighborhoods to major transit routes. The program makes safety improvements on 78 miles of the Vision Zero High-Injury Network, creating safer streets for pedestrians, bicyclists, drivers, and transit users alike.

At a current population of 660,000+, Nashville in 2017 was named among Forbes Annual List of America's Fastest Growing Cities in the U.S. Metro Nashville Government is an employer of choice with over 11,000 employees in one of the most exciting cities in our nation.

Mayoral staff (non-civil service) receive 15 days of Paid Time Off and 12 sick days annually.

• Serves as key consulted engineer for select CHYM capital projects from conceptual planning through construction closeout. As the CHYM program matures, job functions may transition between delivery partners.
• Executes collaborative processes and serves as an engineering technical resource with Metro departments partnering to implement CHYM (Nashville Department of Transportation, WeGo Public Transit, Planning, and others) and the Tennessee Department of Transportation.
• Works with consulting and staff professionals to coordinate, evaluate, and ensure aligned engineering elements with project decisions.
• Supports CHYM-related capital projects that improve safety and access to transit, including complete streets, sidewalks, signals, bus stops, and transit centers.
• Learns existing departmental processes for project delivery and guides modification of these processes to expedite CHYM project delivery without sacrificing collaboration and robust engagement.
• Reviews past plans and program documents and consults staff to understand project context.
• Leads development, oversight, implementation, and deployment of new CHYM programmatic standards, specifications, and processes; and ensures standards, criteria, policies, and processes are aligned with and adopted by project delivery partners.
• Conducts studies and recommends improvements on engineering processes and procedures.
• Participates in weekly CHYM taskforce meetings, ensuring progression of project design and adherence to evolving CHYM protocols and procedures.
• As appropriate, advises on other capital projects that impact CHYM investments to ensure resource efficiency, limited disruptions, and futureproofing.
• Communicates on behalf of the project and program to a range of internal and external stakeholders, including departmental leadership, elected officials, and the public.
• Proactively collaborates with communications and engagement staff to ensure community input and engagement is reflected in CHYM project implementation.
• Reviews and recommends solutions to complex engineering design problems or system modifications.
• Receives direction from CHYM senior leadership, who provides guidance on complex matters.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or closely related technical field from an accredited college or university; and at least ten (10) years of progressively responsible post degree engineering experience.

SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

• Extensive knowledge of principles and practices of civil engineering or traffic engineering and their interface with high-quality city and street design.
• Knowledge of regional transportation systems, multimodal transportation networks, or urban design.
• Knowledge of federal, state, and local funding sources.
• Proven project management skills, and ability to learn project management systems and navigate within developing technical systems as the CHYM program evolves.
• Excellent skills in verbal and written communication, including writing concisely and presenting to large groups.
• Excellent organization and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks.
• Experience working in a matrix environment and working among large integrated consulting teams.
• Ability to clearly communicate in multiple forms and with different audiences to gain consensus between various points of view, while establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with all relevant stakeholders.
• Ability to organize and readily recall a broad array of project technical details, schedules, budgets, and stakeholders.

Note: Per Metro Ordinance No. SO94-1078. All employees of the Metropolitan Government shall be residents of the State of Tennessee or become residents of the state within six (6) months of employment as a prerequisite to employment with the Metropolitan Government.

Professional Engineering License and Master's degree preferred.

We are an equal opportunity employer. All individuals, regardless of personal characteristics, are encouraged to apply. Metro Nashville is committed to selecting the most qualified candidate for each of our roles.

Metro Nashville Government respects the religious beliefs and practices of all employees and will make, on request, an accommodation for such observances when a reasonable accommodation is available that does not create an undue hardship on business operations.

Requests for ADA or other protected accommodations for the recruitment process should be directed to Human Resources at 615-862-6640.