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Director of Transportation

Employer
Boston Public Schools
Location
Boston, MA, US
Salary
Competitive

Job Details

Boston Public Schools seeks a Director of Transportation.

REPORTS TO : Chief of Operations

Job Description
The Boston Public Schools is the largest school district in Massachusetts with approximately 57,000 students and a $1.2B budget. The Department of Transportation is one of the largest departments in BPS overseeing a $120M annual budget (~10% of total district spending). On a daily basis, our 600-plus buses drive 45,000 miles bringing over 25,000 students to more than 200 schools across the Boston area -- not just Boston Public Schools but local parochial, private, and charter schools as well.

Boston Public Schools seeks an innovative, ambitious, and data-driven leader to drive performance improvements, manage a complex array of technical tasks, work strategically on district policy, and oversee all aspects of school bus transportation services for the City and the District. This is an exciting opportunity for a talented individual to leverage recent innovations and advancements while overseeing the transformation of one of the most complex and important operational departments in the district.

There are three major focus areas for this position:
  • Leadership and Management:
    • Overseeing a multifaceted department consisting of:
      • Routing, operations, school support, finance, logistics, safety, and compliance staff;
      • A robust customer service call center that receives ~70,000 calls annually;
      • A recently reorganized bus monitors unit which includes leadership staff and 400-plus monitors;
      • A third-party vendor, Transdev, responsible for managing all bus operations, including a workforce of nearly 750 drivers;
      • A total of nearly 1,500 BPS and Transdev employees.
    • Holding all staff accountable for high standards of operational excellence.
    • Managing the third-party vendor to ensure close alignment with BPS goals and directives, high levels of performance, and responsible financial controls.
    • Providing inspirational leadership to sustain a positive, results-driven culture; to bring cohesion to the department across functional divides; and to motivate staff to reach new levels of success.
    • Exhibiting cross-cultural competencies to guide an extremely diverse and partially unionized workforce.
    • Managing crucial relationships with other BPS departments, including Special Education, Welcome Services, and the Office of Instructional and Information Technology; and outside partners such as the MBTA and local educational or research institutions.
    • Monitoring and maintaining compliance with an extensive array of federal and state laws, rules, and regulations, while also advocating, where appropriate, for change that would support the department.
    • Using a strategic mindset, a passion for organizational improvement, and a talent for deriving insights from departmental data to both monitor performance and generate new opportunities for growth.
    • Leveraging innovation and creative decision-making to drive the department in new directions and to achieve increased operational efficiency.
    • Overseeing a budget of roughly $120M, while constantly looking for opportunities to pursue cost savings without risking operational success.
  • Operational Efficacy
    • Ensuring that all students get to and from school safely and on time, every single day -- doing so not just BPS students, but also students attending private, parochial and charter schools.
    • Managing the development, maintenance, and oversight of a routing system that covers ~45K miles a day.
    • Ensuring that 400-plus bus monitors are efficiently distributed and, more important, are providing safe and reliable service to our students and schools.
    • Working with the third-party vendor to ensure compliance with all safety standards; close oversight of all bus operations, including proper management of the driver force; and high levels of on-time performance.
    • Ensuring that BPS has accurate, real-time data, on everything from ridership to performance metrics.
  • Customer Service
    • Ensuring that families, school leaders, and all other stakeholders are easily able to communicate with the department - both through online tools and through the customer service call center; holding staff accountable for professionalism, responsiveness, clear communications, and a solutions-driven approach to customer support.
    • Effectively communicating departmental goals, strategies, and outcomes to indirect stakeholders, ranging from the district's executive leadership team to elected officials.
    • Learning from operational shortcomings to produce improvements across the department.
    • Pursuing opportunities for in-person interactions with principals, parents, and all other customers to produce solutions to problems and engender trust.

RESPONSIBILITIES :
  • Manage all staff, holding them accountable for achieving results, while supporting and coaching them in their efforts to accomplish personal and departmental goals.
  • Implement and oversee strategic, systematic, and data-driven approach to the BPS transportation system to achieve safe, on-time, and reliable performance.
  • Develop and maintain performance management processes, continually develop and hone metrics to measure outcomes, and pursue innovative practices and improvements throughout the operation.
  • Implement changes that increase the quality of the department's customer service.
  • Lead and direct transportation improvement projects with strict deadlines and high expectations for staff buy-in and performance.
  • Communicate complex issues clearly and effectively, verbally and in writing; this may include presenting and responding to questions in public forums thoughtfully and accurately, while always remaining mindful of the culturally diverse populations we serve.
  • Develop and exhibit a strong understanding of the details of our operation and an ability to explain departmental details at a high level to senior district or city leadership.
  • Regularly report on departmental activities, when needed or requested, to Chief of Operations or designee.
  • Use applicable technology to oversee the creation of clear, concise reports that analyze and evaluate issues in easy-to-understand terms.
  • Strategically develop and use communication channels with BPS departments, contractors, other City or State entities, and the public.
  • Engage at high levels with District and City policy makers and strategic planners on transportation policy, school schedules, budgetary issues, student safety, and other areas impacted by or influential to BPS Transportation.
  • Develop and implement standard operating procedures in compliance with applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations.
  • Provide oversight and evaluation of transportation services, including those under the control of department contractors, and implement immediate improvements when needed.
  • Effectively use all relevant technology (computerized routing, data analysis tools, Microsoft Office/Excel, GPS/GIS, others) to generate or maintain operational and financial success; evaluate the effectiveness of existing technology and research and procure advancements in technology where needed.
  • Drive operational excellence for ~$100M in contracted services - including managing the bidding process for contract services and implementing and maintaining contracts; this will require contractors to develop management action plans with specific objectives for all contracted services.
  • Hold all contracted partners accountable for meeting expectations and desired outcomes.
  • Manage departmental budgeting process to ensure effective and efficient use of resources, in part by working with the Finance Department to analyze and manage key cost drivers; this may require the creation of improved resource analysis and audit procedures.
  • Perform other responsibilities as required.

QUALIFICATIONS - REQUIRED :
  • Bachelor's degree and a minimum of five years in senior leadership roles and ten or more years overall in a transportation-related field; a candidate without a bachelor's degree will be required to have a minimum of ten years in senior leadership roles and 15 or more years overall in a transportation-related field.
  • Extensive experience managing complex projects in a fast-paced environment, with a demonstrated ability to manage critical relationships with outside stakeholders.
  • A proven ability to prioritize, plan, execute, and deliver successful outcomes
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word and Excel) and other technology required to access and analyze data.
  • Extensive data analysis skills and experience implementing data-driven performance management processes.
  • An ability to analyze and communicate complex issues effectively, both verbally and in writing.
  • An ability and willingness to frequently work outside the usual business hours on evenings, weekends, and as needed to respond to emergencies.
  • Current authorization to work in the United States; the selected candidate must have such authorization by the first day of employment.

QUALIFICATIONS - PREFERRED :
  • Master's Degree, specifically in a transportation, business, operations, education, public policy, or urban-planning field
  • Excellent public speaking ability, including the ability to communicate in public forums, answer questions clearly and calmly, and demonstrate sensitivity to an ethnically and culturally diverse student, family and employee population
  • Experience managing within a complex unionized environment.
  • Five-plus years of substantial senior level management.
  • Union contract negotiations experience.
  • Demonstrated expertise in developing and implementing efficient systems for transporting students, especially students with highly specialized needs, including a thorough knowledge of applicable laws and regulations.
  • Working knowledge of Versatrans routing software (or other bus routing software) and Zonar GIS software.
  • Experience with STATA, advanced Excel/VBA, SQL, and Balanced Scorecard methodologies and tools.

TERMS : Managerial Tier E. This position is subject to the City of Boston residency requirement. Occasional weekend and evening work required.

Please refer to www.bostonpublicschools.org/ohc (under "Employee Benefits and Policies") for more information on salary and compensation. Salaries are listed by Unions and Grade/Step.

The Boston Public Schools, in accordance with its nondiscrimination policies, does not discriminate in its programs, facilities, or employment or educational opportunities on the basis of race, color, age, criminal record (inquiries only), disability, homelessness, sex/gender, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, genetics or military status, and does not tolerate any form of retaliation, or bias-based intimidation, threat or harassment that demeans individuals' dignity or interferes with their ability to learn or work.

Company

As the birthplace of public education in this nation, the Boston Public Schools is committed to transforming the lives of all children through exemplary teaching in a world-class system of innovative, welcoming schools. We partner with the community, families, and students to develop in every learner the knowledge, skill, and character to excel in college, career, and life.

Company info
Telephone
(617) 635-1550
Location
2300 Washington Street
Roxbury
MA
02119
United States

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