Metropolitan Transportation Authority Careers

This position is eligible for teleworking which is currently one day per week. New hires are eligible to apply 30 days after their effective date of hire.

Metro-North Railroad reserves the right to remove this posting before the Application Deadline.

Opening:

MTA Metro-North Railroad is a dynamic organization, operating out of the jewel of New York City, Grand Central Terminal.  We provide service to over 86.5 million customers, traveling in and out of New York and Connecticut.  A subsidiary of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Metro-North Railroad is one of the busiest commuter railroads in the nation.  MTA Metro-North Railroad strives to provide a safe and reliable commute, excellent customer service, and rewarding opportunities to its employees.

Position Objective:

The purpose of this position is to provide leadership that results in strategy, methodology, and business intelligence development as well as deliver value-adding and meaningful outcomes for Metro-North Railroad in the realms of standard work, productivity, data and new technology, best practices, research, and strategic governance. This will involve the execution of projects that enable the alignment of operational maintenance and right-of-way business requirements, process improvements, and systems implementations across the agencies and headquarters. This position leads cross-functional teams to deliver value-added projects related to complex business improvements, process analytics and improvements, and information systems and projects that cut across operating agencies, organizational levels, and business functions. 

This position will help identify, execute, and communicate a portfolio of standard work-related activities across the Metro-North (MNR) agency.  This position will work with operating agency leadership to identify, quantify, and deliver improved outcomes in Maintenance of Way, Maintenance of Equipment, Transportation, and capital investment around the approximately $1B of physical assets in the MNR network. Initiatives led by this Director role will be centered around delivering operational benefit from the processes, standards and data that make up the FBR/Operations Efficiencies Information System, and other relevant supporting data sets.  

Responsibilities:

• This role will collaborate with the executive and corporate leadership teams to define enterprise-level business requirements and optimize end-to-end business processes to solidify existing standards and set new standards for the railroad across all operational departments and functions while assisting MNR achieve operating strategic and fiscal goals.
• Assist in the exploration of initiatives to improve reliability and productivity, culture, management impact/value, and savings; this would include identification of root cause, and working with operations and maintenance personnel to change how business is done on a day-to-day basis (from gap analysis, training and accountable performance and sustainment)
• Identify areas and practices to drive cost efficiencies; this would include the ability to utilize a variety of techniques as needed such as process flow optimization, business analysis, resource allocation and optimization, risk analysis, forecasting and valuation models, and estimation of impact to service delivery and other strategic agency goals and metrics.
• Collaborate meaningfully with relevant agency leaders and support MTA analytics efforts; this would include being a trusted resource who can review business circumstances and provide valued ideas from an unbiased perspective. 
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

Required Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Must have experience in a high-pressure, high-volume, publicly visible environment preferably in a 24/7 operation in a transportation business.
• Ability to demonstrate competency in using personal computers in a Microsoft Windows Environment (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Must possess strong management, leadership, and interpersonal skills with ability to effectively handle multiple issues, events, and circumstances simultaneously.
• Strong collaborative skills with an established record of successfully completing projects by obtaining group consensus and cooperation among people with no direct reporting relationship to the position.
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written, with the talent to discern different contexts and audiences and to reach consensus on strategy.
• Strong presentation, public speaking, and writing skills with effective organization, administrative, logical thinking, analytical, problem-solving, judgment, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to demonstrate effective communication skills in person and via electronic media under stress/emergency situations.
• Flexibility and adaptability skills with the ability to work various shifts (24/7), including days, evenings, weekends, and during operational incidents. 
• Knowledge of railroad maintenance/mechanical shops, federal policy, and maintenance practices in a rolling stock and asset-intensive organization, preferably in the transportation and rail industries. 
• Knowledge leveraging Six Sigma Process Improvement, Kaizen and/or Standard Work development in a transportation or comparable industry; preferably in the transportation industry.
• Excellent quantitative, analytical, and problem-solving skills, together with demonstrated proficiency in business case development and implementation planning.
• General knowledge and awareness of ISO 3700 (Governance), ISO 8000 (Data Quality) and/or ISO 9000 (quality and workflow management) series of principles.
• Must be able to follow through with implementation in a complex organization and assess the need for adjustments to achieve success.
• Ability to prioritize among competing needs and opportunities and manage multiple projects at the same time.
• Must have knowledge of transportation and/or commuter rail business operations, functions, strategies, and objectives.
• Must have knowledge of and experience in implementing process improvement and/or Standard Work programs in a transportation environment.
• Must have knowledge of enterprise-wide change management.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Ability to successfully negotiate conflict.

Required Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Economics, Finance, Public Administration, Public Policy, Urban Planning, Engineering, or a related field.  Demonstrated equivalent experience, education, and/or technical credentials to include four (4) additional years of related experience may be considered in place of a degree.
• Minimum ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in consulting, finance, administration, and/or a public transportation agency. Of which five (5) years managerial experience in a large corporate or government organization with responsibility for identifying, analyzing, and implementing new business practices and strategies among multiple functions across an organization.
• Five (5) years managerial experience of staff/employees; as well as experience managing various complex internal and external stakeholders.

The Following is/are preferred:

• Master’s degree in a related field.
• Strong managerial skills to effectively direct a staff of professional and technical employees in implementing the short- and long-term goals and direction for the area of responsibility.
• Familiarity with the MTA’s policies and procedures.
• Familiarity with the MTA’s collective bargaining (CBA) procedures.
• PMP (project management professional license/certification)
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (LSSBB) Certification

Other Information

According to the New York State Public Officers Law & the MTA Code of Ethics, all employees who hold a policymaking position must file an Annual Statement of Financial Disclosure (FDS) with the NYS Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government (the “Commission”).

Employees driving company vehicles must complete defensive driver training once every three years for current MNR drivers; or within 180 days of hire or transfer for an employee entering an authorized driving position.

Equal Employment Opportunity

MTA and its subsidiary and affiliated agencies are Equal Opportunity Employers, including those concerning veteran status and individuals with disabilities.

The MTA encourages qualified applicants from diverse backgrounds, experiences, and abilities, including military service members, to apply.