Senior Manager, Transit Operations Planning

We are the Metropolitan Council, the regional government for the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area. We plan 30 years ahead for the future of the metropolitan area and provide regional transportation, wastewater, and housing services. More information about us on our website.

We are committed to supporting a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve.

Metro Transit is one of the country's largest transit systems, employs more than 3,000 people, and prior to Covid provided more than 80 million rides a year through an integrated network of buses, light rail and commuter trains, as well as resources for those who carpool, vanpool, walk or bike in the Twin Cities.

How your work would contribute to our organization and the Twin Cities region:

The Senior Manager, Transitway Operations Planning will provide leadership, work direction, and oversight to the newly created "Operations Planning" work unit and its staff, developing and implementing effective, efficient and innovative operational practices for Metro Transit. This position will also build and maintain relationships with internal and external project stakeholders related to future implementations and activations of transitway projects, including facilitating coordination with external vendors to support the agency's goals.

Supervise and manage the Operations Planning work unit and staff

• This work will include the development of an annual work plan, goal setting, staff management and management of deliverables and performance of the work unit.
• The successful candidate will hire, train, evaluate performance and coach staff to support the objectives and goals of the work unit.

• Establish and maintain strong working relationships within all work units of Metro Transit, develop and maintain relationships on behalf of Metro Transit Operations with external stakeholders including agency leadership, elected officials, and the Public.
• Develop relationships and collaborate with peer agencies to identify new opportunities and approaches for operational improvements.

• Provide analytics and develop recommendations for operational business systems and processes in close collaboration with other departments and internal stakeholders.
• Create shared understandings, develop consensus on changes in operating practices within Transit Operations, and document summaries of changes for internal audiences.
• Identify current and future opportunities for systematic or policy changes supporting the agency goals, and formalize them into actionable programs, utilizing systems performance data.
• Create strategic response to operational performance by monitoring and managing performance measures in close collaboration with Strategic Initiatives.

• Provide departmental and agency leadership on transitway project implementation and activation efforts.
• Establish and maintain strong working relationships with transitway project offices; provide staffing and analytics to project offices with operational perspectives in transitway implementations.
• Develop, adopt, and update the Implementation/Activation Plan for each active transitway and corridor project.
• Lead efforts in identifying future transitway capital projects and service improvement needs in support of more efficient transit operations and service deliveries.
• Provide analytics on critical paths for transitway implementations, identifying timelines, risks, and dependencies for each project.

• Develop work plans for agency-wide projects, including identifying opportunities to collaborate across departments.
• Provide analytics and consolidated project management capacity for agency-wide and cross-functional projects.
• Develop budget and staffing recommendations for related programs and divisions as needed.
• Manage consultant contracts as needed

• Set documentation and archiving standards; ensure documents are properly developed, managed, and archived.
• Attend agency-wide and department-internal meetings for training and coordination.
• Develop budget recommendations for related programs and divisions as needed.
• Manage consultant contracts as needed.

Any of the following combinations of large, complex project management experience for transit or transportation projects that includes three (3) years of supervision experience and completed education in urban studies, transportation planning, geography, statistics, business administration, civil engineering, or related field

• High school diploma/GED with eleven (11) years of experience including three (3) years of experience in supervision.
• Associate degree with nine (9) years of experience, including three (3) years of experience in supervision.
• Bachelor's degree with seven (7) years of experience, including three (3) years of experience in supervision
• Master's degree with five (5) years of experience, including three (3) years of experience in supervision.

• Certified Planner (AICP) or Licensed Engineer (PE).
• Knowledge of business systems supporting transit operations, including TransitMaster and HASTUS
• Knowledge of technology systems supporting bus transportation, including Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and Transit Signal Priority (TSP)
• Knowledge of national and international, best practices in multimodal transit operations and planning principles.

• Principles and practices of transit operations, transit planning, policy, and procedure development.
• Federal, state, and local funding programs for transit projects, and their requirements
• Metro Transit's regional transit system, including routes and network structures with strong experience in using the system
• Metro Transit's internal policies and procedures, and relevant collective bargaining agreements
• Ongoing and upcoming transitway and roadway projects, including those developed by external jurisdictions
• Analytical and statistical analyses, including defining and distilling issues into measurable action items
• Project and personnel management, including budget and schedule development, scoping and performance review
• Written and verbal communication skills, including strong presentation skills for different audiences
• Microsoft Office suites including Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and database management systems, such as ArcGIS and SQL.
• Lead, manage, prioritize, and deploy direct report staff resources, effectively delegating and addressing necessary issues to accomplish work unit and agency goals
• Persuasively and clearly communicate in multiple forms and with different audiences to gain consensus between divergent points of view, while establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with all relevant stakeholders
• Exercise sound professional judgment and consistently and effectively apply the policy guidelines of the Council.
• Coach, mentor, and motivate formal and informal team members who contribute to the work unit
• Transform a vision and long-range plan into shorter-term, linked projects and build consensus with each project or phase.

• We offer the opportunity to make a difference and positively influence the Twin Cities metropolitan area.
• We encourage our employees to develop their skills through on-site training and tuition reimbursement.
• We provide a competitive salary, excellent benefits and a good work/life balance.
• Career advancement opportunities.

Union / Grade: Non-Represented / Grade K
FLSA: Exempt
Safety Sensitive: No

What your work environment would be:
This position will be based at both construction sites and in the office. This position will be exposed to moving parts, fumes, airborne particles, outdoor weather conditions and vibration. Confined space entry at industry and various facilities is required.

What steps the recruitment process involves:
You must qualify at each of the numbered steps below to be considered a final candidate for the job.

1. We review your minimum qualifications.
2. We evaluate your Work Record Evaluation (for internal ATU employees).
3. We rate your education and experience.
4. We conduct a structured panel interview.
5. We conduct a selection interview.

Once you have successfully completed the steps above, then:

If you are new to the Metropolitan Council, you must pass a drug test and a background check, which verifies education and employment, covers driving record and any criminal record. If you have a criminal conviction, you do not automatically fail. The Metropolitan Council considers felony, gross misdemeanor and misdemeanor convictions on a case-by-case basis, based on whether they are related to the job and whether the candidate has demonstrated adequate rehabilitation.

If you are already an employee of the Metropolitan Council, you must pass a criminal background check if the job you're applying for is safety sensitive, is a supervisory or management job, is in the Finance, Information Services or Human Resources departments, or has access to financial records, files/databases, cash, vouchers or transit fare cards.

IMPORTANT: If you make a false statement or withhold information, you may be barred from job consideration.

The Metropolitan Council is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action, and veteran-friendly employer. The Council is committed to a workforce that reflects the diversity of the region and strongly encourages persons of color, members of the LGBTQ community, individuals with disabilities, women, and veterans to apply. If you have a disability that requires an accommodation during the selection process, please email HR-OCCHealth@metc.state.mn.us.