Rail Senior Maintenance Manager (Transit Operations Manager)

King Countys Metro Transit Department has an exciting opportunity for a Rail Senior Maintenance Manager (Transit Operations Manager) in the Rail Division. This senior leader will report to Rails Division Director and will work in partnership with employees colleagues and stakeholders to ensure that Metro provides world- class service while advancing the following strategic priorities within Rail:

• Build a Culture of care
• Provide operational excellence
• Deliver on time expansions
• Maintain healthy and resilient partnerships with Sound Transit and the Seattle Department of Transportation our partners in Rail Service Delivery.

This Rail Senior Maintenance Manager will be charged with coordinating the Rail maintenance and asset management strategy between Sound Transit and King County Metro as well as leading and managing the implementation of this strategy for the Rail Division overseeing the Rail Maintenance Unit which includes the following sections and functions: Power Wayside Facilities Vehicle Maintenance and Asset Management Strategy. This position will ensure coordination between Sound Transit and Metro maintenance teams that will improve culture efficiency communication implement key strategic policy initiatives and track organizational performance metrics for continued improvement. The Rail Senior Maintenance Manager will be responsible for communicating effectively with diverse stakeholders across the Division working collaboratively with leaders administrative staff employees and Sound Transit to advance our collective maintenance delivery strategy.

This leadership role requires the ability to communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders proactively solve problems break down barriers oversee change management implement continuous improvement and build employee engagement to improve maintenance performance. The ideal candidate in this position will be skilled in navigating an ambiguous work environment have experience navigating complicated bureaucracies and be able to manage multiple competing priorities to successfully deliver a large body of work in a fast-paced environment. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in equity and social justice with experience making improvements for historically marginalized employee groups.

Who May Apply

Application Requirements

• A complete online King County application updated with accurate contact information and relevant work history going back at least 10 years (or more if necessary) with all job duties.
• Responses to the Supplemental Questions
• Letter of Interest (1-2 pages) describing why you are interested in this opportunity and how you meet the qualifications for this position; highlighting your experience in rail maintenance service delivery specifically driving results leading initiatives and working on high priority tasks.

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

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Metro Transits Rail Division is responsible for operating and maintaining Sound Transits Link Light Rail service on a 24.5- mile route from Angle Lake to Northgate. By the middle of 2026 our Light Rail is expected to expand to nearly 60 route miles in length with the planned addition of 19 more stations. These rail services complement Metros robust fixed-route bus system and mobility services and the Puget Sound transit agencies are working together to build an integrated system that lets people travel farther faster and more easily.

Applying equity and social justice principles is a daily responsibility and foundational expectation for all King County this role you will apply equity and social justice principles that exemplify shared values behaviors and practices to all aspects of this work. As a Rail Senior Maintenance Manager you will also:

Minimum Qualifications
We are looking for candidates who have the following:

• Option 1: A Bachelors degree and five (5) years of experience in Rail Maintenance delivery which includes experience driving results making recommendations and working on high priority tasks and/or projects simultaneously.

OR

• Option 2: An Associates degree and seven (7) years of experience in Rail Maintenance delivery which includes experience driving results making recommendations and working on high priority tasks and/or projects simultaneously.

OR

• Option 3: Nine (9) or more years of experience in Rail Maintenance delivery which includes experience driving results making recommendations and working on high priority tasks and/or projects simultaneously.

And

• Five (5) years of experience in leading and supervising people including:
  • Supervising multidisciplinary staff.
  • Developing and leading direct reports furthering peoples career goals providing
  • challenging and stretching tasks and assignments and effectively developing all levels of staff.
  • Engaging empowering training coaching and mentoring staff.

• Experience working with labor within unionized environments and ability to respect established processes fostering an environment of mutual respect.

Desired Qualifications

• Significant experience in a Rail environment including experience with Rail Service Delivery and safety requirements and regulations. Five (5) years is highly desired.
• Knowledge of and experience with the King County and Sound Transit relationship working conditions policies and procedures.
• Experience translating King Countys policies and procedures into Rails unique operating environment.
• Significant experience leading initiatives that contribute to more equitable outcomes increased employee inclusion and a felt sense of belonging among marginalized members of the workforce. Five (5) years is highly desired.

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Guided by ourTrue 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.

Application & Selection Process
Submit an online employment application and attach a cover letter at Yourcoverletter should describe why you are interested in this opportunity and how you meet the qualifications for this position; highlighting experience leading and supervising people and delivering complex organization/agency-wide projects.

Applicants will be screened for competitiveness completeness and written communication skills. The most competitive candidates may be invited to participate in a test and one or more interviews. Applications that are not complete or do not include the required attachments may be disqualified and not advance in the process.

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 Skyler Jones at.

Work Schedule

Work schedule may include non-standard work hours including evenings weekends and holidays as needed. This position is part of a workgroup that provides coverage and support 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Incumbents will need to have the ability to be on call nights and weekends (rotational). This position is exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and is therefore not eligible for overtime pay.