Technical Services Assistant Manager (Section Manager II)

Orange County Transportation Authority; Santa Ana (CA); On-site; USD 117,000 - 161,000; Full time

Job summary

OCTA is seeking a Transit Technical Services Manager to lead planning, procurement, refurbishment, deployment, and performance management of the agency’s bus fleet and related technologies.

This role oversees multimillion-dollar rolling stock projects, manages budgets and schedules, ensures technical compliance, mentors project managers, and resolves complex engineering issues across the lifecycle of OCTA vehicles.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or a related field.
• Minimum of five years of experience in engineering, transportation maintenance, operations, planning, vehicle manufacturing, or related field.
• At least three years of senior-level project management experience.
• At least two years of management experience required.
• Experience in rolling stock procurement preferred.
• Strong technical, analytical, budgeting, scheduling, and leadership skills.
• Ability to resolve complex technical issues where no clear procedures exist.
• Excellent communication and mentoring skills; ability to lead teams and influence cross-departmental collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Lead engineering planning, technical development, and execution of multimillion-dollar rolling stock procurements, fleet modernization initiatives, vehicle refurbishments, repowers, mid-life overhauls, and engineering campaigns.
• Develop technical specifications, engineering requirements, project schedules, lifecycle cost analyses, budgets, and funding recommendations aligned with operational, regulatory, and performance objectives.
• Manage engineering resources, project budgets, schedules, performance metrics, and communicate engineering risks and recommendations to executive management and committees.
• Coordinate with Contract and Materials Management (CAMM) to support procurement, contract administration, and communication.
• Ensure revenue vehicles are specified, procured, accepted, and deployed in compliance with contract requirements while supporting new technologies.
• Direct preventive and predictive maintenance strategies, reliability improvement initiatives, and fleet performance recommendations.
• Prepare and present the Section budget, establish engineering performance measures, and ensure regulatory compliance.
• Mentor staff, supervise career development, perform engineering and financial analyses, and develop engineering-based asset and inventory management strategies.

Skills

Strong technical

Analytical skills

Budgeting

Scheduling

Leadership

Mentoring

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or related field

Job description

OCTA is seeking a Transit Technical Services Manager to lead the planning, procurement, refurbishment, deployment, and performance management of the agency’s bus fleet and related technologies. This role oversees multimillion-dollar rolling stock projects, manages budgets and schedules, ensures technical compliance, mentors project managers, and resolves complex engineering issues across the lifecycle of OCTA vehicles.

This is an exempt position in Salary Grade 220: Min $117,228.80 – Mid $139,276.80 – Max $161,304.00/year. The starting salary will be within this range based on qualifications.

The position will remain open until a candidate is selected.

What You'll Do

• Lead engineering planning, technical development, and execution of multimillion-dollar rolling stock procurements, fleet modernization initiatives, vehicle refurbishments, repowers, mid-life overhauls, and engineering campaigns.
• Develop technical specifications, engineering requirements, project schedules, lifecycle cost analyses, budgets, and funding recommendations aligned with operational, regulatory, and performance objectives.
• Manage engineering resources, project budgets, schedules, performance metrics, and communicate engineering risks and recommendations to executive management and committees.
• Coordinate with Contract and Materials Management (CAMM) to support procurement, contract administration, and communication.
• Ensure revenue vehicles are specified, procured, accepted, and deployed in compliance with contract requirements while supporting new technologies.
• Direct preventive and predictive maintenance strategies, reliability improvement initiatives, and fleet performance recommendations.
• Prepare and present the Section budget, establish engineering performance measures, and ensure regulatory compliance.
• Mentor staff, supervise career development, perform engineering and financial analyses, and develop engineering-based asset and inventory management strategies.

What We’re Looking For

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or a related field (or equivalent combination of education and experience).
• Minimum of five years of experience in engineering, transportation maintenance, operations, planning, vehicle manufacturing, or related field.
• At least three years of senior-level project management experience.
• At least two years of management experience required.
• Experience in rolling stock procurement preferred.
• Strong technical, analytical, budgeting, scheduling, and leadership skills.
• Ability to resolve complex technical issues where no clear procedures exist.
• Excellent communication and mentoring skills; ability to lead teams and influence cross-departmental collaboration.

Why You’ll Love It Here

• Shape the future of OCTA’s bus fleet, including emerging technologies and major capital procurements.
• Lead high-impact engineering projects that enhance safety, service reliability, and operational efficiency.
• Work in a collaborative environment where innovation and technical expertise drive meaningful results.

Join a team where innovation, integrity, and strategic thinking are valued.

OCTA is an equal employment opportunity employer that recruits, hires, and promotes qualified people without regard to race, color, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, age, sex, pregnancy, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, disability, genetic information, military and veteran status, or other legally protected status.