Salary: $140,171.20 - $177,673.60 Annually
Location : Seattle, WA
Job Type: Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs/week
Job Number: 2024JB21322
Department: MTD - Metro Transit
Division: Mobility
Opening Date: 04/16/2024
Closing Date: 5/15/2024 11:59 PM Pacific
FLSA: Exempt
Bargaining Unit: Z3 : KC Personnel Guidelines
Full- or Part-Time: Full Time
Summary
Learn how Metro connects you with what matters
Join our team and shape exceptional experiences, King County Metro has an exciting opportunity for a Customer Communications and Services Manager! The Customer Communications and Services (CCS) team provides customers with information to access Metro's transportation choices and options for paying their fares. The CCS Manager leads a dedicated, diverse team of more than 100 people in several workgroups:

Customer Information Office : This group helps customers plan trips, purchase transit passes, and processes and responds to customer questions, comments, complaints and commendations for all Metro services. This group includes a Call Center and Metro's Lost & Found Office.

Fare Media Sales: This group includes the Pass Sales Office for on-site sales of transit passes, a Regional Mail Center to process ORCA card orders, the Business Choice program, and the Reduced Fares programs.
Service Information and Customer Information Technological Resources and Solutions (CITRS) groups: These groups provide our customers and customer-facing staff with scheduled and emergency information related to Metro services. These teams work in multiple formats (printed timetables and brochures, signage, social media, online tools and electronic tools) to share information, and the CITRS team provides technological support for tools such as the online trip planner and our customer relationship management system.
ORCA Business Operations: This group supports teams across Metroincluding the vehicle maintenance, bus operations, and information technology teamswho play a role in operating and deploying the ORCA fare payment system. This team also coordinates and develops ORCA policy with partner agencies across the region.
Finance / Administration / Special Projects: This group supports the CCS section with finance and administration, business analytics and special projects that impact the entire agency.
The CCS Manager will provide strategic leadership and direction across these groups to shape agency-wide customer communications, service information, branding, and marketing promotional programs connecting customers to Metro's products and services.
Who May Apply: This position is open to the general public and all King County employees.
Forms and Materials Required: A completed online employment application, all supplemental questions, resume, and a cover letter explaining how your skills, expertise and knowledge would allow you to be successful in this leadership role. Applicants will be screened for competitiveness, completeness, and written communication skills. The most competitive candidates will be invited to participate in one or more interviews.
For more information regarding this recruitment, please contact:
Janay Brim | Senior Human Resource Analyst |
Job Duties
Applying is a daily responsibility and a foundational expectation for all King County employees. The CCS Manager leads a diverse group of people delivering a wide range of products, services, and information. This leader is accountable for performance of the CCS section and responsible for work, including:

• Provide strategic direction and leadership across workgroups within Customer Communications and Services; coordinate across the division and across the department to create clarity for CCS team and to ensure the success of cross-agency work efforts involving CCS.
• Supervise daily operations of the Customer Communications & Services section to ensure high performance and continuity of operations.
• Work across the section to foster equity, inclusion and belonging in the workplace.
• Manage employee performance and provide opportunities for growth and development.
• Collaborate with CCS team leaders to drive results, make decisions, and effectively solve problems with a keen understanding of resource and staffing constraints as well as regional political and community realities; manage resources effectively to achieve section, division and department-level objectives.
• Ensure assigned section-level leader administrative functions are completed appropriately and in a timely manner (including but not limited to scheduling, leave and travel approvals, and expense processing).
• Provide strategic, section-level leadership for special projects and department initiatives, such as developing the department's budget proposals; planning for transit service changes, and planning for large events such as the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup, along with continuous improvement and employee engagement efforts.
• Represent CCS and the customer experience voice in strategic planning and implementation of Metro programs, pilots, projects, and services.
• Coordinate communications about and support implementation of organizational changes including special projects, launch of new transit products and services, staff training, and similar initiatives.
• Develop and lead customer information strategy across King County Metro to ensure we are adapting to the changing needs with technology and coordinating with other public transit providers in the region.
• Provide oversight to the implementation and operations of our fares program including the administration for our fare revenue, distribution of fare media, and the adaptation of our fare technology including overseeing ORCA program.
• Identify, manage, and serve as escalation point for critical decisions, requests, risks and issues.
• Respond and provide leadership in emergency situations and adverse weather.
• Investigate and resolve problems from our customers.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills

• Progressively responsible management and leadership experience in a high-volume, customer-facing operation, such as customer service/call centers, retail management, travel, or public transportation.
• Demonstrated success leading strategy across organization to achieve organizational priorities and coordinating collaborative problem-solving across silos and levels of an organization.
• Ability to analyze and anticipate problems, assess the financial and operational impacts of decisions, assess and manage team performance, and provide proactive solutions that meet critical business needs.
• Clear and effective communication and presentation skills, both oral and written, for a variety of internally and external audiences.
• High emotional intelligence; demonstrated ability to fosters trust and respect from others through genuine demeanor, integrity, and consistency.
• Demonstrated ability to make decisions in a fair, respectful, equitable, inclusiveness and credible way.
• Proven ability to analyze situations, evaluate information, and make reasoned judgments to solve problems effectively, creating clarity in ambiguous situations; ability to track key performance indicators and demonstrate organizational effectiveness with data.
• Receptive to new ideas, perspectives, and feedback, fostering an environment conducive to innovation; willingness to embrace change and pivot strategies as needed in a dynamic environment.

Desirable skills:

• Proven success leading customer service functions for a large public agencies preferably transit organization; experience leading a team of highly experienced supervisors.
• Track record of building highly engaged team cultures that support the development, coaching, and team building necessary for the workforce of the future; formal organizational development and/or leadership training.
• Knowledge of transportation trends, legal and policy issues, and technology changes that may affect Metro customers.
• Knowledge of and experience with operationalizing racial equity and inclusion principles, strategies, and indicators; formal training in diversity, equity and inclusion best practices.
• Lived experience that represents the people and communities Metro serves.
• The ability to generate novel ideas and solutions, thinking outside the box to tackle challenges in unique ways; capacity to align innovative efforts to achieve organizational goals
• Proven ability to lead through collaboration with diverse teams and promote teamwork to achieve common goals.
• Demonstrated success leading an enterprise service team accountable to a large, complex operational organization.

Supplemental Information
Work Schedule: This full-time position works a 40-hour work week. The work schedule is normally Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., but this position may require additional hours as necessary, including being on-call evenings and weekends, particularly during adverse weather events, civic events, and other emergencies. This position is exempt from the overtime provision of the Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA) and is not overtime eligible.
Remote and Onsite Work Details: The work associated with this position will be performed through a combination of onsite and remote work arrangements. Typically, the CCS Manager will be on-site at King Street Center (200 S. Jackson St., Seattle) 3-4 days per week. The frequency of onsite work is determined by business needs and may be adjusted accordingly. Employees must reside in Washington State and be within a reasonable distance to King County worksites to meet onsite reporting requirements.
About King County Metro Transit: King County Metro Transit is a regional leader in getting people places quickly, reducing commuter stress, greening the environment and improving urban air quality, by providing comfortable, effective transit services for the thousands of commuters and other residents of King County, Washington. Metro has pioneered or refined dozens of innovations that have made us a leader in this nation's public transportation industry. Metro runs approximately 1500 buses in addition to operating and maintaining Sound Transit's Link Light Rail service and Seattle's South Lake Union streetcar service. Our annual transit ridership is currently 115 million.
Competitive Benefits: King County provides our employees with a free transportation pass (good on most transit systems throughout the Puget Sound region) and a generous benefits package (see Benefits tab for more details).
Selection Process: Applicants will be screened for clarity, completeness, and competitiveness. The most competitive candidates may be invited to participate in one or more interviews and/or assessment exercises. Reference checks will be conducted before hire.
This position is not represented by a bargaining unit.
Class Code: 1132700
Forbes recently named King County as one of Washington State's best employers. Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.
Guided by our "True North", we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principleswe are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ , people living with disabilities, and veterans. King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer
No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.
To Apply
If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact your recruiter listed on this job announcement.
King County offers a highly-competitive compensation and benefits package designed to meet the diverse needs of our employees and support our employees' health and well-being. Eligible positions receive the following benefits and have access to the following programs:

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage: King County pays 100% of the premiums for eligible employees and family members
• Life and disability insurance: employees are provided basic coverage and given the opportunity to purchase additional insurance for both the employee and eligible dependents
• Retirement: King County employees are eligible to participate in a pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems and a 457(b) deferred-compensation plan
• Transportation program and ORCA transit pass
• 12 paid holidays each year plus two personal holidays
• Generous vacation and paid sick leave
• Paid parental, family and medical, and volunteer leaves
• Flexible Spending Account
• Wellness programs
• Onsite activity centers
• Employee Giving Program
• Employee assistance programs
• Flexible schedules and telecommuting options, depending on position
• Training and career development programs

For additional information about employee benefits, visit our
This is a general description of the benefits offered to eligible King County employees, and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. If any information on this document conflicts with the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the CBA prevails.

NOTE: Benefits for Term Limited Temporary (TLT) or Short Term Temporary (STT) positions, including leave eligibility and/or participation in the pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems, will vary based upon the terms and details of the position. Short Term Temporary positions are not eligible for an ORCA transit pass.

For inquiries about the specifics of this position, please contact the recruiter identified on this job posting.
01

Briefly explain your leadership experience in a public sector setting, including directly managing or indirectly working with customer experience, communications and/or customer services
02

Tell us about a time you have worked to create clarity from an ambiguous situation. For example, resolving a complex customer complaint or responding to a politically sensitive issue. How did you go about understanding the situation and what was the final result?
03

A resume and cover letter is required as a part of the application package for this recruitment. If you have not yet attached or pasted in your resume and cover letter, you may still do it at this point in the application process. Have you attached or pasted in your resume and cover letter?

• Yes
• No

04

If you have a disability as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, will you need accommodation in the testing process? If you check the "YES" box, the human resources staff person coordinating this recruitment will send you a request asking for additional information. (This confidential information is solicited for the purposes of providing reasonable accommodation only).

• Yes
• No

05

Are you applying to this position as a Priority Placement Program participant and is this position the same or lower percentage of full-time and do you possess the skills and abilities to qualify for this position?

• Yes, I was given a layoff notice from my role at King County and I am within two years of the effective date of my layoff. AND, the position I was laid off from was the same or a higher percentage of FT status when compared to this one.
• No.

06

I certify that the statement made by me on the application and supplemental questions are, to the best of my knowledge, true, complete and correct. I understand that any misrepresentation or material omission of fact on this or any other document required by King County may constitute grounds for rejection, or if employed by King County, for disciplinary measures, including dismissal.

• Yes
• No

07

If you answered yes to the question above and you are applying for this position as a Priority Placement Participant, to be considered, you must provide the following three pieces of information in the space provided:1. The title you held when you received your layoff notice2. The department you worked in3. The effective date of your layoff
Required Question