Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives

Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA); New York (NY); On-site; USD 172,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Telework 1 day per week

Job summary

Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is hiring a Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives at our New York headquarters. You will lead internal consulting efforts to drive operational improvements and financial impact across the agency, partnering with senior leaders to deliver strategic solutions and cross-organizational execution.

The role supervises senior teams, develops implementation roadmaps, and advances MTA’s strategic objectives.

Qualifications

• Strong interpersonal and influencing skills enabling cross-functional collaboration.
• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving abilities with data-driven insights.
• Proven ability to develop and deliver commercially sound business cases with senior stakeholder alignment.
• Experience leading implementation in complex organizations with competing priorities.
• Ability to manage multiple initiatives and teams effectively.
• Ability to build trusted relationships across functions and levels.
• Proven track record of directly managing and developing teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead structured diagnosis of complex operational and financial challenges, guiding teams with data-driven hypotheses and actionable recommendations.
• Drive implementation across cross-functional environments, mobilizing teams and ensuring sustained changes.
• Partner with agency stakeholders to translate priorities into executable plans.
• Translate priorities into focused work plans, allocate resources, and monitor milestones.
• Mentor managers and analysts, ensuring quality analysis and pragmatic recommendations.
• Directly manage Senior Managers and Managers, setting goals and evaluating performance.
• Lead additional enterprise projects aligned with MTA's strategic objectives.

Skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Analytical thinking

Problem solving

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

Execution and delivery

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Arts/Sciences (BA/BS)

Master’s degree (preferred)

Tools

SQL

Power BI

Tableau

Excel modeling

Job description

JOB TITLE: Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives

DEPT/DIV: Strategic Initiatives

SUPERVISOR: Deputy Chief Strategic Initiatives

WORK LOCATION: 2 Broadway, New York, NY 10004

HOURS OF WORK: 9:00 am - 5:30 pm (7.5 hours/day, or as required)

FULL/PART-TIME: FULL

SALARY RANGE: $172,000-$185,000

DEADLINE: Until filled

This position is eligible for telework, which is currently one day per week. New hires are eligible to apply 30 days after their effective date of hire.

Opening: The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is North America's largest transportation network, serving a population of 15.3 million people across a 5,000-square-mile travel area surrounding New York City, Long Island, southeastern New York State, and Connecticut. The MTA network comprises the nation’s largest bus fleet and more subway and commuter rail cars than all other U.S. transit systems combined. MTA strives to provide a safe and reliable commute, excellent customer service, and rewarding opportunities.

Job Summary

Acting as a senior internal consulting leader, this role combines strategic judgment, rigorous problem-solving, disciplined implementation, and team leadership to drive lasting operational change and financial impact for one of the world’s most complex transportation systems.

This position supervises teams tackling complex, high-priority initiatives with significant organizational impact, partnering with senior leaders to develop strategic solutions and advance implementation across organizational boundaries. Collaborating with and across operating agencies and headquarters functions to align stakeholders and deliver measurable, sustained improvements in operational performance, financial health, or service quality.

Responsibilities

• Lead the structured diagnosis of complex operational and financial challenges, guiding managers and analysts in framing issues, testing hypotheses, validating insights, and developing recommendations grounded in rigorous data analysis and commercial judgment.
• Drive implementation of solutions across complex, cross-functional environments, mobilizing teams, setting a disciplined execution cadence, removing barriers, escalating issues early, and ensuring changes are implemented and sustained.
• Serve as a trusted partner to key agency stakeholders in solving nominated problems and helping translate priorities into executable plans.
• Help translate priorities into a focused work plan, allocating resources, removing blockers, and holding the team accountable to milestones and targets.
• Guide and support managers and analysts through their initiatives, helping structure work plans, clearing obstacles, quality-checking analysis, and ensuring pragmatic recommendations.
• Directly manage Senior Managers and Managers by setting goals, evaluating performance, and making decisions on hiring, development, and performance management. Build a high-performance culture grounded in accountability, rigor, and continuous improvement, and a strong pipeline of future leaders.
• Lead additional enterprise projects that advance MTA’s strategic objectives, exercising sound judgment, adaptability, and stewardship of MTA resources.

Required Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Strong interpersonal and influencing skills, with a demonstrated ability to drive outcomes through cross-functional collaboration, stakeholder alignment and effective l eadership without direct authority.
• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills, with a proven ability to turn complex business challenges into data-driven strategies and actionable recommendations.
• Proven ability to develop, evaluate, or deliver commercially sound business cases, including assessing opportunities, evaluating trade-offs, quantifying value, and building alignment among senior stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to lead implementation in complex organizations, navigate competing priorities, adapt approaches, and drive successful outcomes.
• Ability to prioritize among competing needs and opportunities and manage multiple initiatives and teams.
• Ability to build trusted relationships, develop networks, and influence decision-makers across functions and levels.
• Proven track record directly managing and developing teams, including hiring, performance management, coaching, and succession planning. Demonstrated ability to build bench strength and retain top talent.

Required Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree in Arts/Sciences (BA/BS); an equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
• Minimum 10 years of progressively responsible experience, including significant experience in management consulting, corporate strategy, enterprise transformation, strategic advisory roles, or senior product leadership roles within large, complex organizations. Candidates with 7+ years of experience at a top-tier management consulting firm (i.e., McKinsey, Bain, BCG) with demonstrated experience leading complex engagements and advising senior stakeholders may be considered in lieu of the full 10-year requirement.
• Minimum 5 years of progressively responsible people management experience, including ownership of hiring, performance management, coaching, and succession planning.

The Following is/are preferred

• Master’s degree in Arts/Sciences (MA/MS) or other relevant graduate degree.
• Direct experience with both private and public sector organizations
• Exposure to the transportation sector
• Strong data & analytics experience, including SQL, Power BI, Tableau, and advanced Excel modeling
• Demonstrated technical acumen and the ability to leverage AI and emerging technologies

Other Information

May need to work outside of normal work hours (i.e., evenings and weekends)

Travel may be required to other MTA locations or other external sites.

According to the New York State Public Officers Law & the MTA Code of Ethics, all employees who hold a policymaking position must file an Annual Statement of Financial Disclosure (FDS) with the NYS Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government (the “Commission”).

Equal Employment Opportunity

MTA and its subsidiary and affiliated agencies are Equal Opportunity Employers, including those concerning veteran status and individuals with disabilities.

The MTA encourages qualified applicants from diverse backgrounds, experiences, and abilities, including military service members, to apply.