JOIN OUR TEAM AT BI-STATE DEVELOPMENT AND HELP SHAPE THE FUTURE OF TRANSPORTATION IN ST. LOUIS!

We are excited to announce that Bi-State Development is seeking candidates for the role of Director, Programs, Policies and Strategic Initiatives. This is a rare opportunity to join a dynamic organization, and we are looking for a visionary leader to guide our continued growth and success.
As a public transit organization committed to driving economic development, we’re looking for someone who is passionate about creating a more connected and sustainable community.
Ready to make a real impact? We offer a competitive starting salary range of $128,700.00 to $171,600.00 annually and an excellent benefits package, including health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, and professional development opportunities.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Demonstrated leadership skills.
• Organized, analytical, politically astute, and highly effective at managing both details and big picture strategy in a fast-paced public transit environment.
• Ability to navigate cross-functional teams, manage stakeholder relationships, and maintain visibility of high-priority initiatives across the agency.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including executive-level reporting and presentations.
• Demonstrated ability to work across departments and build consensus in a complex organizational environment.
• High emotional intelligence, sound judgement, and discretion.
• Big-picture thinker with a bias toward execution.
• Politically savvy and solutions-oriented.
• Proactive, organized, and detail-attentive.
• Ability to thrive in a high-stakes, fast-moving environment
• Passion for improving public transit systems and rider experience.
• Advanced knowledge of Excel and other MS products, including Microsoft Project.
• Ability to analyze situations, identify problems, recommend solutions, and evaluate outcomes.
• Experience leading cross-functional committees and task forces related to transportation, operations, and maintenance.
• Ability to develop new concepts and ideas to improve programs, policies, and initiatives that adhere to Metro policy and applicable rules, laws, and regulations.
• Possess effective customer service skills

THE ROLE

The Director of Programs, Policies, & Strategic Initiatives will lead key efforts that require coordination between departments, alignment with agency-wide goals, and real-time visibility into Metro’s most mission-critical work.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Acts as an extension of the EVP, COO by managing the flow of information, priorities, and communications between executive leadership and internal/external stakeholders.
• Leads the day-to-day execution of complex agency-wide transit strategy and initiatives, including transit programs, operational improvements, and organizational projects.
• Coordinates cross-functional teams to ensure strategic alignment, timely execution, and risk mitigation.
• Monitors and reports out on the status of program and policy development and continued implementation and effectiveness
• Owns the program tracker and dashboard tools used to drive project prioritization, risk analysis, and service coordination.
• Identifies opportunities to streamline departments, groups, and processes, ensuring work is coordinated effectively to optimize efficiency and reduce costs.
• Prepares high-quality executive briefings, talking points, presentations, and reports for internal and external audiences.
• Supports the EVP, COO with time and priority management, meeting planning, and follow-up on action items.
• Facilitates collaboration across Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, Grants, Planning, Project Management Office, and Communications.
• Works with the transit division managers to monitor operations costs to help identify issues and negative trends.
• Develops and manages internal policies and procedures that support transit operations, planning, and governance needs.
• Participates in meetings and proposes improvements if necessary.
• Participates in project, maintenance, and operations progress meetings and proposes improvements if necessary.
• Conducts data-driven analyses and briefings to support executive decision-making, including reports, dashboards, and presentations.
• Develops recommendations for policy and administrative procedural changes that contribute toward continuous improvement and streamlining efforts.
• Communicates with the general public, agency employees, officials, and representatives of other organizations concerning activities, schedules, and procedures.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Demonstrated leadership skills.
• Organized, analytical, politically astute, and highly effective at managing both details and big picture strategy in a fast-paced public transit environment.
• Ability to navigate cross-functional teams, manage stakeholder relationships, and maintain visibility of high-priority initiatives across the agency.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including executive-level reporting and presentations.
• Demonstrated ability to work across departments and build consensus in a complex organizational environment.
• High emotional intelligence, sound judgement, and discretion.
• Big-picture thinker with a bias toward execution.
• Politically savvy and solutions-oriented.
• Proactive, organized, and detail-attentive.
• Ability to thrive in a high-stakes, fast-moving environment
• Passion for improving public transit systems and rider experience.
• Advanced knowledge of Excel and other MS products, including Microsoft Project.
• Ability to analyze situations, identify problems, recommend solutions, and evaluate outcomes.
• Experience leading cross-functional committees and task forces related to transportation, operations, and maintenance.
• Ability to develop new concepts and ideas to improve programs, policies, and initiatives that adhere to Metro policy and applicable rules, laws, and regulations.
• Possess effective customer service skills.

Education
Experience
Degree:
Minimum – 4 Year/Bachelors Degree
Preferred – Graduate Degree
Years: Minimum of ten (10) years of related professional experience (business, IT, procurement, customer service, maintenance). Minimum of five (5) years of leadership experience.
Field: Business administration, Data Analytics,
Information Technology, or related field.
Field: Experience in experience in
transit, infrastructure, government, or strategic
operations strongly preferred.