What are the responsibilities and job description for the Assistant Registrar Vehicle Safety and Compliance Services (Administrator VII) position at State of Massachusetts - Massachusetts Department...?
Position Summary
The Leader of Vehicle Safety and Compliance Services will provide executive direction and strategic oversight for the Registry of Motor Vehicles’ (RMV) statewide safety programs, including the Massachusetts Vehicle Check (Inspection Program), School Transportation, and Crash Reporting and Law Enforcement Liaison functions. This role holds authority to formulate, implement, and enforce policy in these areas—establishing regulatory standards, enforcement strategies, and service-level expectations that directly affect public safety across the Commonwealth.
As a senior manager, the position exercises discretionary authority in personnel administration, including determining organizational structure, managing subordinate managers, making hiring and disciplinary decisions, and advancing workforce development, succession planning, and labor-relations strategies. The Leader also directs governance processes by issuing policy notices, grace periods, and exception determinations, ensuring RMV operations are aligned with statutory mandates and safety priorities.
Beyond day-to-day oversight, the Leader is responsible for long-range planning and strategy, developing a three-year roadmap for vehicle safety and compliance, setting program KPIs, and directing corrective actions through independent judgment. Representing the RMV in interagency committees, industry associations, and legislative or regulatory forums, the Leader recommends policy positions that shape statewide transportation safety outcomes. Through this combination of policy-making authority, enforcement and personnel decisions, and strategic direction-setting, the Leader of Vehicle Safety and Compliance Services directly advance the RMV’s mission to protect the public and ensure the integrity of the Commonwealth’s transportation system
Duties and Responsibilities
Program Leadership — Massachusetts Vehicle Check (Inspection)
- Exercise independent authority to set statewide program policy and outcomes for ~1,800 stations; determine priorities, compliance standards, and enforcement measures.
- Co-determine policy direction with DEP on technical standards, environmental controls, data exchange, and statewide communications, ensuring RMV’s interests are protected.
- Establish and approve policies for station licensing, inspector credentialing, and auditing protocols, including sampling plans, audit procedures, and sanction processes.
- Independently direct vendor contract compliance (KPIs, incentives, change control) and finalize RMV positions with DEP and Legal on terms, renewals, and enforcement actions.
- Build and manage formal stakeholder engagement processes (e.g., with NESSARA) to shape policy updates and systemic improvements.
Program Leadership — School Transportation (School Bus & 7D)
- Establish and direct RMV policy for 9,000 school bus inspections annually, including risk-based inspection protocols, escalation policies, and remediation frameworks.
- Set regulatory and policy direction for licensing and certification of school bus drivers and instructors, including compliance standards and corrective action frameworks.
- Determine policy for oversight of the 7D program (companies, vehicles, and drivers), including audit strategy, compliance enforcement, and professional certification issuance.
- Represent RMV with STAM, MAPT, and NASDPTS; translate external input into policy decisions and approved operating procedures.
Program Leadership — Crash Program & Law-Enforcement Liaison
- Set objectives for timely, accurate, complete crash reporting statewide.
- Approve statewide crash data policy (MMUCC alignment, data quality standards, timeliness metrics, waiver criteria) and direct its implementation.
- Exercise independent authority to resolve system conformance issues with LEAs and RMS vendors, approving cutovers, deprecations, and enforcement escalations.
- Represent RMV in interagency forums (e.g., TRCC) with authority to set RMV’s crash data policy stance and commit to statewide safety initiatives.
Policy, Regulations & Governance
- Draft, revise, and finalize regulatory amendments and RMV policy directives with authority to determine program rules, exceptions, and enforcement guidelines.
- Approve and publish SOPs, direct training, and enforce adherence through audits.
- Exercise authority to issue policy notices, grace periods, and exception determinations, ensuring compliance with statutory and regulatory mandates.
People Leadership & Workforce Development
- Determine organizational structure, staffing levels, and role definitions across three programs; exercise authority to hire, assign, evaluate, discipline, and develop staff.
- Directly manage subordinate managers (Inspection, Crash, School Transportation) and ensure labor relations policies are implemented consistently across teams.
- Set workforce development strategy including training standards, succession planning, and culture of safety and compliance.
Customer Service, SLAs & Compliance Enforcement
- Define and approve service-level standards and dashboards for customer-facing operations; enforce backlog reduction and constituent resolution strategies.
- Direct compliance enforcement with authority to approve enforcement actions, sanctions, and escalate high-impact constituent cases.
- Partner with the Office of the Chief Compliance Officer to ensure regulatory hearings and enforcement orders reflect RMV’s policy direction.
Strategy, KPIs & External Representation
- Develop and approve the 3-year strategic plan for Vehicle Safety & Compliance, ensuring alignment with RMV and statewide safety priorities.
- Set and monitor program KPIs, chair reviews with authority to direct corrective actions.
- Serve as RMV’s senior representative in interagency and industry forums with authority to commit to the agency’s policy position and strategic direction.
Other duties, as assigned
Pre-Hire Process
Upon a conditional offer of employment, applicants must agree to and successfully satisfy: (i) a comprehensive name-based and fingerprint-based background check of his/her state and federal criminal history records information from all U.S. states, the District of Columbia and certain U.S. Territories and from some foreign nations; (ii) an employment reference check, and (iii) a satisfactory review of his/her driving records to be eligible for this position.
A finalist for this position must be able to pass a comprehensive background check including a criminal record check, Department of Revenue (DOR) check, and employment references.
The 4,000 employees of Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) take great pride in connecting the Commonwealth’s residents and communities. MassDOT is responsible for developing, implementing, and coordinating transportation policies and projects for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and to efficiently plan, design, construct, and maintain a safe statewide transportation system which effectively meets the transportation needs of the Commonwealth. Information about MassDOT’s inclusive culture and career opportunities can be found at mass.gov/massdot-careers.
MassDOT’s divisions include Highway, Registry of Motor Vehicles, Aeronautics, and Rail & Transit. Headquarters (Planning & Enterprise Services) provides business and administrative support and policy leadership for each of the four (4) divisions.
MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS
Applicants must have at least (A) six (6) years of full-time or, equivalent part-time, professional, administrative, supervisory, or managerial experience in business administration, business management, public administration, public management, clinical administration or clinical management of which (B) at least two (2) years must have been in a project management, supervisory or managerial capacity or (C) any equivalent combination of the required experience and substitutions below.
Substitutions
I. A certificate in a relevant or related field may be substituted for one (1) year of the required (A) experience.
II. A Bachelor's degree in a related field may be substituted for two (2) years of the required (A) experience.
III. A Graduate degree in a related field may be substituted for three (3) years of the required (A) experience.
IV. A Doctorate degree in a related field may be substituted for four (4) years of the required (A) experience.
For questions regarding the job posting, please email the MassDOT Talent Acquisition Team at talentacquisition@dot.state.ma.us.
- For general questions regarding MassDOT, call the Human Resources Service Center at 857-368-4722.
- For a disability-related reasonable accommodation or alternative application method, call Lucy Bayard, ADA Coordinator, at 857-274-1935.
Comprehensive Benefits
When you embark on a career with the Commonwealth, you are offered an outstanding suite of employee benefits that add to the overall value of your compensation package. We take pride in providing a work experience that supports you, your loved ones, and your future.
Want the specifics? Explore our Employee Benefits and Rewards!
The Commonwealth is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, veteran status, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. Research suggests that qualified women, Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color (BIPOC) may self-select out of opportunities if they don't meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage individuals who believe they have the skills necessary to thrive to apply for this role.