Sr Dir, State Partnerships & Development - West - 90414767 (Remote - Optional)

Amtrak; Washington (District of Columbia); Remote; USD 188,000 - 243,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance

401K with Employer Match

Generous Paid Time Off

Rail Pass Privileges

Job summary

Amtrak is seeking a Senior Director for State Partnerships & Development, West, to manage relationships with state partners in the West and lead high-impact strategic growth for Amtrak’s route network.

The role requires senior leadership, extensive stakeholder coordination, and a proven track record in strategic planning and cross-functional collaboration. Remote-optional with nationwide scope and travel.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Engineering, Transportation, Public Policy, or related discipline.
• 13+ years of relevant experience in commercial, finance or strategic planning.
• Ability to lead in a highly collaborative team environment.
• Strong stakeholder facilitation and coordination skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proven leadership to build teams and manage complex programs.

Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day interactions with Cascades and Heartland Flyer state partners in the West.
• Lead a national team executing corridor growth initiatives in the West Region.
• Advise external partners including state transportation departments and FRA.
• Build and maintain internal/external stakeholder relationships and coordinate objectives.
• Represent department at national conferences and events as a subject matter expert.
• Lead grant and funding strategy to advance state service initiatives.
• Foster an inclusive and diverse work environment to drive innovation.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Analytical skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Diplomacy

Collaboration

Executive reporting

Education

Bachelor’s degree in related field

Job description

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Sr Dir, State Partnerships & Development - West - 90414767 (Remote - Optional)

Date: Sep 16, 2026

Location: Washington, DC, US, 20001

Company: Amtrak

As we move America’s workforce toward the future, our goal is to connect businesses and communities across the country. The safety of our passengers, our more than 20,000 colleagues, the public and our operating environment is our priority, and the success of our railroad is due to your efforts

Our values of ‘Do the Right Thing, Excel Together and Put Customers First are at the heart of what matters most to us, and our Core Capabilities, Building Trust, Accountability, Effective Communication, Customer Focus, and Proactive Safety & Security’ are what every employee needs to know and do to be most impactful at Amtrak. By living the Amtrak values, focusing on our capabilities, and actively embracing and fostering diverse ideas, backgrounds, and perspectives, together we will honor our past and make Amtrak a company of the future.

This is a Remote-Optional position.

JOB SUMMARY

The Senior Director – State Partnerships and Development, West is responsible for managing the relationship with existing state partners in the west region and also plays a critical, high-impact strategic leadership role in the growth of Amtrak’s route network.

ESSENTIAL FUNCITONS

• Responsible for managing the day-to-day interactions with Cascades (Washington and Oregon) and Heartland Flyer (Texas and Oklahoma) State Supported service partners.
• Responsible for leading a national team of professional staff responsible for executing corridor growth initiatives in the West Region.
• Advise and guide external partners and stakeholders including: state transportation departments, Federal Railroad Administration, municipalities, transit agencies, host railroads, developers, and others.
• Builds and maintains strong internal/external stakeholder relationships and regularly partners to achieve buy-in and execute plans. Draws upon the capabilities and resources of other departments to achieve objectives.
• Represents department and enterprise at national conferences and events as a nationally recognized expert.
• Leads grant and funding strategy to advance state service initiatives.
• As a nationally recognized expert, represents at national conferences and events.
• Actively grows and manages a high-performing team, fostering an inclusive and diverse work environment, promoting equity and encouraging a wide range of perspectives to drive innovation and enhanced effectiveness.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Engineering, Transportation, Public Policy, Planning or a related discipline
• Plus13+ years of highly relevant experience in commercial, finance or strategic planning functions
• Ability to lead in a highly collaborative team environment.
• Strong stakeholder facilitation and coordination skills. Ability to partner with multiple stakeholders and project partners while ensuring Amtrak’s strategic interests are achieved.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent quantitative and analytical skills.
• Strong leadership skills, with proven ability to build teams, lead technically and/or politically challenging projects. Expert ability to properly structure and resource projects and programs to ensure safe, effective execution.
• Master of collaboration, team building, and strategic alignment across all levels of both internal and external organizations and with track record of successful and diplomatic coordination across stakeholders with competing objectives.
• Ability to organize and present executive, board and congressional level reports, proposals, and other related information.
• Regularly interacts with executive and senior leaders.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s Degree or equivalent combination of education, training and/or relevant experience.
• 15+ years of relevant work experience
• Rail industry experience

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS and ABILITIES

• Demonstrated experience simultaneously leading multiple projects and/or programs using appropriate tools and controls.
• Diplomacy and collaboration.
• Strategic thinking mindset with expert commercial acumen.
• Strong transportation economics skillset.
• Highly advanced strategic leadership and management skills with proven ability to motivate others; effective writing, presentation, meeting and facilitation skills; interpersonal communication; time management; and conflict resolution and investigation skills.

The salary/hourly range is $187,500.00 – $242,892.00. Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to education, work experience, certifications, etc. Depending on an employee’s assigned worksite or location, Amtrak may consider a geo-pay differential to be applied to the employee’s base salary. Amtrak may offer additional incentive and pay programs to recognize and reward our employees, including a short-term incentive bonus based upon factors such as individual and company performance that is commensurate with the level of the position.

Health and Wellbeing Financial and Retirement Work and Family Life Support

Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance 401K with Employer Match Generous Paid Time Off

Wellness Programs Railroad Retirement Benefits Paid Caregiving Days and Backup Care

Health Savings Account Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness Fertility and Family Building Benefits

No-cost Personal Health Advocate Student Loan Assistance Adoption and Surrogacy Assistance

Medical Plan Opt-out Credit Tuition and Education Reimbursement Paid Family Leave

Life Insurance Rail Pass Privileges

Short- and Long-term Disability Insurance Employee Assistance Program

No-cost Financial Advisor Sessions Commuter and Flexible Spending Accounts

Requisition ID: 167224

Work Arrangement: Remote - Optional
Relocation Offered:No
Travel Requirements:Up to 25%

You power our progress through your performance.

We want your work at Amtrak to be more than a job. We want your career at Amtrak to be a fulfilling experience where you find challenging work, rewarding opportunities, respect among colleagues, and attractive compensation. Amtrak maintains a culture that values high performance and recognizes individual employee contributions.

Amtrak is committed to a safe workplace free of drugs and alcohol. All Amtrak positions requires a pre-employment background check that includes prior employment verification, a criminal history check and a pre-employment drug screen.

Candidates who test positive for marijuana will be disqualified, regardless of any state or local statute, ordinance, regulation, or other law that legalizes or decriminalizes the use or possession of marijuana, whether for medical, recreational, or other use. Amtrak's pre-employment drug testing program is administered in accordance with DOT regulations and applicable law.

In accordance with DOT regulations (49 CFR § 40.25), Amtrak is required to obtain prior drug and alcohol testing records for applicants/employees intending to perform safety-sensitive duties for covered Department of Transportation positions. If an applicant/employee refuses to provide written consent for Amtrak to obtain these records, the individual will not be permitted to perform safety-sensitive functions.

In accordance with federal law governing security checks of covered individuals for providers of public transportation (Title 6 U.S.C. §1143), Amtrak is required to screen applicants for any permanent or interim disqualifying criminal offenses.

Note that any education requirement listed above may be deemed satisfied if you have an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.

Amtrak is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race/color, to include traits historically associated with race, including but not limited to, hair texture and hairstyles such as braids, locks and twists, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related conditions, such as lactation), national origin/ethnicity, disability (intellectual, mental and physical), veteran status, marital status, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, genetic information, citizenship or any other personal characteristics protected by law.