Career Opportunity

Chief Planning Officer – Transit Division – SF Municipal Transportation Agency (9182)

Recruitment: RTF0140132-01118271

Published: September 19, 2023

Accepting applications until: October 03, 2023

Apply using SmartRecruiters, the City and County of San Francisco's application portal.

About:

Application Opening Date: September 19, 2023
Application Filing Deadline: October 3, 2023
Recruitment ID: PEX-9182-140133, RTF0140132

Please note: A resume and cover letter must be attached to the online application.

Appointment Type: Permanent Exempt – This position is excluded by the Charter from the competitive Civil Service examination process and shall serve at the discretion of the Appointing Officer.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA or “the agency”) connects San Franciscans with their communities to enhance the economy, environment and, ultimately, the quality of life in the city. As an agency within the City and County of San Francisco, the SFMTA is responsible for managing the city’s transportation network. The agency has more than 6,000 employees who are responsible for the management of all ground and some underground transportation in the city. The SFMTA has oversight over public transit, as well as bicycling, paratransit, parking and curb management, street operations, walking, and taxis.

Division: Transit
Section/Unit: Planning, Scheduling, and Safety Services
Work Location: 1 South Van Ness, 7th Floor, San Francisco, CA, 94103
Work Schedule: Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Role description

The Chief Planning Officer is a vital member of the Director of Transit’s senior management team. The chief will provide overall guidance and direction to the Planning, Scheduling, and Safety Services (SP3) subdivision — a dedicated team highly regarded for their work in transit priority and service design, earning national recognition. In addition, Planning, Scheduling, and Safety Services (SP3) has built a strong culture of collaboration with the Operations and Maintenance subdivisions and is deeply respected and well-integrated. The successful candidate has the strategic vision and track record to continue to deliver this outstanding program and maintain and strengthen the culture of collaboration.

The Planning, Schedule, and Safety Services subdivision is organized into multiple departments responsible for service planning, short- and long-range transit capital planning, operations planning for special events and construction, scheduling, and collision reduction planning and implementation.

This position is responsible for developing and managing programs, policies, and procedures to enhance transit performance, reliability, and safety. The incumbent provides highly complex management and policy support and may be required to perform duties in the absence of the Director of Transit.

The Transit Division of the SFMTA provides ongoing planning, operation, and maintenance of the public transportation network, connecting San Francisco communities at every step in the process. The Transit Division works collaboratively with other SFMTA Divisions and other city departments to provide services to our customers by operating and maintaining infrastructure and vehicles to support five unique transit modes – buses, trolley buses, light rail, historic and vintage street cars, and the beloved cable car system.

Examples of Important and Essential Duties:

• Directs the development and delivery of service and capital investments to optimize transit performance, safety, and reliability.
• Directs the development of operating schedules for all SFMTA's transit services.
• Directs the development and implementation of safety initiatives to reduce transit-involved collisions.
• Directs the development and execution of service changes in response to special events and construction activities.
• Effectively carries out all aspects of staff hiring, development, and management, including establishing priorities, managing workloads, evaluating performance, and reducing barriers to successful outcomes.
• Consistently empowers, coaches, mentors, and motivates staff.
• Oversees subdivision's operating budget and serves as capital program manager for transit improvement and expansion investments.
• Responds quickly and effectively to unanticipated events and emergencies and provides guidance and direction to staff.
• Presents complex material to various audiences, including Board members, elected officials, and community participants.
• Makes recommendations to the Director of Transit and the agency's Executive Director.
• Facilitates positive and constructive relationships with labor unions.
• Effectively communicates to team about broader agency and city activities and facilitates communication across teams.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

How to qualify

Minimum Qualifications:

1. Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university; AND
2. Eight (8) years of experience at a mass transit agency in service planning & implementation, capital planning & implementation, operations planning & implementation and/or service collision reduction planning & implementation; AND
3. Four (4) years of general experience in a managerial capacity supervising staff. 

Notes:

1. Four (4) years of managerial experience supervising staff need not be in addition to the eight (8) years of experience.  It may be gained concurrently, or separately if one does not have managerial experience supervising staff at a mass transit agency in the functional areas listed above.
2. A resume and cover letter must be attached to the online application.
3. Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications at the time of filing date unless otherwise noted.

Substitution:

1. Education Substitution: Additional qualifying experience at a mass transit agency as described above may substitute for the required education on a year-for-year basis for up to four (4) years.  One-year (2000 hours) will be considered equivalent to (Thirty (30) semester unit/forty-five (45) quarter units).

Desirable Qualifications:
The stated desirable qualifications may be used to identify candidates advancing to the interview process and/or to identify job finalist(s) at the end of the selection process when referred for hiring.

• Knowledge of SFMTA's operations, services, and administration activities.
• Knowledge of general principles of transportation planning, transit service planning, and scheduling.
• Expertise in supervision, staff development, and performance management.
• Knowledge of transit facilities, systems, personnel allocation, and fiscal considerations.
• An understanding of all aspects of safety and incident responses.
• Experience delivering successful transit-priority investments.
• Experience working on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
• Experience delivering successful public outreach and stakeholder participation processes.
• Experience working directly with transit operations and maintenance personnel.
• An understanding of the relationship between land use/the built environment and transportation.
• Familiarity with regulations, such as the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), Title 6, and relevant federal, state, and local safety requirements.
• Experience preparing and presenting comprehensive reports.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Experience working with a large and diverse workforce of people with different cultures, backgrounds, and opinions.
• Ability to prioritize and organize multiple high-priority assignments and projects.
• Experience handling highly confidential and sensitive personnel issues appropriately.
• Management experience working with senior-level staff.
• Ability to navigate and equitably manage relevant personnel processes.
• Experience with labor unions.
• Ability to demonstrate excellent political acumen.

What else should I know?

Verification:
Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. More information can be found at: https://sfdhr.org/information-about-hiring-process#verification. Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.

Selection Process:
Applications will be screened for relevant qualifying experience. Additional screening mechanisms may be used to determine candidates' qualifications.  Only those applicants who most closely meet the needs of the Agency will be invited to move forward in the selection process.

• Information About the Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview
• Equal Employment Opportunity
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

For questions or inquiries, please contact: Keaney Chan, Human Resources Analyst at Keaney.Chan@sfmta.com.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.