Transit Operations Leader: Fleet & Route Design

Southwesttransit; Eden Prairie (MN); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

SouthWest Transit in Minnesota is seeking a Transit Operations Manager to oversee daily transit operations, ensuring safe, reliable, and efficient service. The role leads the transit fleet's lifecycle, oversees dispatch workflows, manages driver contracts, and directs long-term transit planning and network development.

The successful candidate will lead a team of dispatch, customer experience, and transit ops staff, drive improvements in on-time performance, and collaborate with internal

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning, Public Administration, or related field.
• 5-7 years in public transportation with 3+ years leading teams.
• Proven ability to lead, mentor, and manage budgets.
• Strong scheduling, routing, and mapping software skills; GTFS knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop dispatch, customer experience, and transit ops staff.
• Manage daily transit operations and KPIs.
• Design and optimize transit routes, timetables, and service schedules.
• Analyze ridership data to improve efficiency and rider experience.
• Prepare performance reports and grant proposals.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to improve services.
• Oversee driver contracts and training programs.
• Ensure compliance with safety standards and regulatory requirements.
• Oversee fleet end-to-end lifecycle and maintenance compliance.
• Prepare and submit reports to agencies like FTA, MnDOT, MetCouncil.
• Oversee service design and network development.

Skills

Team leadership

Dispatch operations

Route design

Data analytics

Budget management

Stakeholder collaboration

GTFS knowledge

Public transit planning

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning

Public Administration

Tools

Scheduling software

Routing software

Mapping software

Geo-spatial analysis tools

Transit performance analytics software

Job description

SouthWest Transit in Minnesota is seeking a Transit Operations Manager to oversee daily transit operations, ensuring safe, reliable, and efficient service. The role leads the transit fleet's lifecycle, oversees dispatch workflows, manages driver contracts, and directs long-term transit planning and network development.

The successful candidate will lead a team of dispatch, customer experience, and transit ops staff, drive improvements in on-time performance, and collaborate with internal