Rail Operations Service Quality Chief

King County Metro Transit's Rail Operations Section has an exciting opportunity for a career service Link Light Rail Operations Service Quality Chief (Transit Chief - Rail Operations). This leadership role requires the ability to communicate effectively with a diverse and specialized workgroup, proactively solve problems that impact service delivery, and motivate team members effectively. Service Quality Chiefs are responsible for establishing and maintaining exceptional teamwork and synergy between functional groups and demonstrating creativity and flexibility in accomplishing shared goals. These individuals demonstrate support for the goals of the organization in providing quality public service and collaboratively working with other sections and departments while recognizing the value of diversity of opinion, culture, and perspective.

The most competitive candidates will demonstrate their ability to build collaborative and supportive relationships with direct reports and internal partners as well as external agencies and community stakeholders. They will be comfortable with providing guidance and decision- making during times of uncertainty or emergent situations, and they will have the ability to actively create and maintain a positive working environment focused on safety, customer service, and exemplifying King County True North values.

Who May Apply

This recruitment is open to all qualified applicants. This recruitment will be used to fill one (1) full-time career service, Transit Chief - Rail Operations position. However, this recruitment may also be used to establish a list or pool of qualified candidates for any future openings in the same classification. Placement onto an eligibility list/pool is not a guarantee of placement into a future position. The pool/list may be used for up to twelve (12) months at the discretion of the hiring authority. 

To apply, the following three items are required:

• An online King County application, updated with all detailed relevant work history going back ten (10) years (or more, if necessary). 
• Responses to supplemental questions. 
• Letter of Interest (no more than two pages) that addresses all of the following: 
  • Why you are interested in this position.
  • The top skills, abilities, and knowledge that make you uniquely qualified for this leadership role. 

Want to make sure your application materials are as competitive as possible?

We highly recommend visiting the Career Support Services website for tips and examples on how to make your application materials most effective: Career Support Services - King County.

As a Service Quality Chief, you will be responsible for:

• Supervising and directing the work of Rail Supervisors, exhibiting positive leadership and role modeling, encouraging and supporting staff development and training, and conducting performance evaluations.
• Developing and implementing programs to manage employee performance, including administering progressive discipline, coaching, counselling, retraining, and taking disciplinary action.
• Conducting grievance hearings and make decisions regarding resolution of grievances.
• Investigating and resolving customer complaints; mitigating high-profile service delivery issues with elected officials, other agencies, and the general public.
• Applying consistent guidance and decision-making in consideration of applicable labor agreements, King County personnel guidelines, and established Rail policies and procedures.
• Establishing and maintaining a collaborative and effective labor relations environment, ensuring that daily operations and personnel actions conform with the terms of negotiated labor agreements.
• Managing workforce planning to ensure that adequate staffing exists to meet scheduling requirements, ensuring coverage for planned absences, and processing timely and accurate payroll/timesheet approval for direct reports.
• Effectively collaborating and communicating with internal and external groups within Sound Transit, King County Metro, our community partners, and outside entities.
• Implementing project management skills to lead or participate in projects as assigned.
• Establishing safety-related initiatives within the section and making safety and security recommendations to upper management.
• Working as a team to anticipate, identify, and implement opportunities for service quality, workplace, and business process improvements.

*Note: This position will require remaining available for work 24 hours-per-day during rotational on-call assignments and reporting for extended duty during adverse weather events and other emergencies.

Minimum Qualifications: 

• Two (2) or more years of public transit management, supervisory or lead experience, including decisiveness, good judgment, integrity, and a strong commitment to equity and fairness. 
• Demonstrated experience in the following:
  • Effectively managing or leading transit operations, in real-time situations and emergencies. 
  • Coaching employees toward performance improvement, such as poor customer service, policy violation, safety violation, etc. 
  • Managing competing priorities, multiple projects, and daily responsibilities in an effective and efficient manner. 
  • Researching and utilizing multiple sources of information to draw logical conclusions using basic data analysis methods to make defensible determinations. 
  • Effectively navigating and manipulating computer-based programs and software, including MS Office suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams), HASTUS, and Fastfield Forms.   
• Effective written and oral communication skills. 

Desirable Qualifications: 

• Relevant emergency management certifications and/or other relevant training and/or certification in applying emergency management principles (such as FEMA/ISO) 
• Working knowledge of basic human resources principles and practices as they relate to employee management. 
• Experience working within, managing, or supervising a unionized workforce and the grievance process (or equivalent working knowledge). 
• Knowledge of the regulatory and statutory requirements that govern rail operations and delivery of mass transit services. 
• Working experience in an operating unit of a public transit agency. 
• Working knowledge of King County Metro Transit Rail Operations. 
• Project management training and/or experience. 
• Education/experience with collecting data, analyzing trends, and implementing adjustments based on findings.

Necessary Special Requirements 

• Valid Washington State Driver License and the ability to operate a fleet motor vehicle. 

• Work requires reporting for duty and directing Rail Supervisors, including during adverse weather events and other emergencies. 

• Work requires being on-call at various times throughout any calendar year.

Application & Selection Process

Application materials (application, letter of interest and supplemental question responses) will be screened to determine whether candidates meet qualifications, and for clarity, completeness, and responsiveness to the application instructions above. Highly competitive applicants may be asked to interview. Formal offers will be finalized after candidates have successfully completed any necessary pre-employment processes, such as reference checks or internal record reviews.

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 the recruiter listed on this job announcement.

Work Locations:

This position is based out of the Link Light Rail Operations & Maintenance Facilities (Central/Seattle or East/Bellevue); however, Service Quality Chiefs often flex report location to accommodate business needs and may respond to emergencies and incidents throughout the Puget Sound Metropolitan Area. 

OMF - Central: 3407 Airport Way S, Seattle, WA 98134  

OMF - East: 1925 120th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98005

Work Schedule:

This position is exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and is not overtime eligible. Typical work hours are between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Employees may be required to work extended hours, weekend, holidays and will be required to serve occasional 24/7 "on-call" in rotation with other Operations leadership. Service Quality Chiefs must have the ability to report to work in the event of adverse weather or other emergent/crisis situations and remain on-site during the event unless otherwise directed or relieved. There are no flex days or remote telework options for this positions, and work schedules will be determined by management.

Union Status: This position is represented by PROTEC17: Professional and Technical Employees, Local 17 -- Transit Chiefs, C3.

Classification and Pay Grade: 874030 (Transit Chief - Rail Operations), Grade 69

For more information regarding this recruitment, please contact: Skyler Jones, Senior Talent Advisor, at skjones@kingcounty.gov

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 principles--we 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. 

Salary : $121,576 - $146,973