Rail Safety Strategy Manager

Salary

$147,888.00 - $187,449.60 Annually

Location

Seattle, WA

Job Type

Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs / week

Job Number

2025SJ25271

Department

MTD - Metro Transit

Division

Safety, Security, and Quality

Opening Date

11 / 10 / 2025

Closing Date

11 / 24 / 2025 12 : 00 AM Pacific

FLSA

Exempt

Bargaining Unit

Z3 : KC Personnel Guidelines

Full- or Part-Time

Full Time

Hours / Week

40 hours / week

Summary

King County's Metro Transit Department has an exciting opportunity for a Rail Safety Strategy Manager (Strategic Planning Manager II) in the Safety, Security and Quality Assurance Division. This senior leader will report to SSQA's Division Director, with a dotted line to the Rail 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 :

• A culture of safety and 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 Safety Strategic Planning Manager will be charged with coordinating the safety strategy between Sound Transit and King County Metro as well as leading and managing the implementation of this safety strategy for the Rail Division. This position will ensure coordination between Sound Transit and Metro safety teams that will improve safety culture, communication, implement key strategic safety policy initiatives, and track organizational safety performance metrics for continued improvement. The Rail Safety Strategy 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 safety 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 our safety culture in the Division. 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. They will have a strong background in equity and social justice, with experience making improvements for historically disadvantaged employee groups. They will be passionate about creating positive and inclusive safety cultures that prioritize well-being and belonging of employees in a setting with diverse employees.

Who May Apply

This recruitment is open to all qualified applicants. This recruitment will be used to fill one (1) Career Service, Strategic Planning Manager II vacancy. This recruitment may also be used to establish a list or pool of qualified candidates for any future openings in the Strategic Planning Manager II classification within the next twelve months. Placement onto an eligibility list / pool is not a guarantee of placement into a future position.

Application Requirements

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

We highly recommend visiting the Career Support Services website for tips and examples on how to make your application materials most effective : Career Support Services - King County .

ABOUT METRO TRANSIT'S EXPANDING RAIL DIVISION

Metro Transit's Rail Division is responsible for operating and maintaining Sound Transit's 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 Metro's 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.

Learn how Metro connects you with what matters.

Job Duties

Applying equity and social justice principles is a daily responsibility and foundational expectation for all King County employees. In 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 Safety Strategy Manager , you will also :

Be a centralized source of safety information for Metro and Sound Transit by :

Promote and improve Rail's safety culture across the Division and within the Director's Office by :

Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills

Minimum Qualifications

We are looking for candidates who have the following :

OR

OR

And

Minimum competencies include :

Highly Desirable Qualifications :

Supplemental Information

Forbes recently named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.

Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.

Guided by our "True 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 https : / / www.kingcounty.gov / jobs . Your cover letter should describe why you are interested in this opportunity and how you meet the required qualifications for this position; highlighting your experience coordinating safety efforts and / or other initiatives that are cross-agency and cross-disciplinary.

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 skjones@KingCounty.gov .

Work Schedule

This classification is exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and is therefore NOT eligible for overtime pay. Work schedule is normally a 40-hour week Monday through Friday. Alternate work schedules may be considered. Work outside of the normal workday will be required for meetings, events, and outreach events.

Work Location The primary location of this position is 3407 Airport Way S. Seattle, WA 98134. This position will be expected to travel occasionally to the Operations and Maintenance Facility - East, located in Bellevue (1925 120th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98005) as well as other locations

Teleworking Requirement

The work associated with this position will be performed predominantly in a hybrid work environment working in the office and at home. The expectation is to be in the office 4 days a week. Employees will have access to shared workspaces at various King County facilities. Employees must reside in Washington State and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

Employees will be provided with a County issued laptop and must maintain a workspace with an internet connection (access may be supplemented in some situations) where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours. Please note that when employee conducts work that is likely to bring them in contact with another individual, safety precautions are required, including the wearing of masks in some situations. King County is committed to reducing our carbon footprint.

King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely. The individual selected for this opportunity will be joining an innovative and progressive team that is redefining how we work as we transition to the department's hybrid environment.

Union Representation : This position is not represented by a union

Class Code : 2453100 Strategic Planning Manager II

Questions about this recruitment? Contact Skyler Jones, 206-263-0629, skjones@kingcounty.gov

King County offers a highly-competitive compensation and benefits package designed to meet the diverse needs of our employees and support our employees' health and well-being. Eligible positions receive the following benefits and have access to the following programs :

For additional information about employee benefits, visit our Benefits, Payroll, and Retirement Page .

This is a general description of the benefits offered to eligible King County employees, and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. If any information on this document conflicts with the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the CBA prevails.

NOTE : Benefits for Term Limited Temporary (TLT) or Short Term Temporary (STT) positions, including leave eligibility and / or participation in the pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems, will vary based upon the terms and details of the position.Short Term Temporary positions are not eligible for an ORCA transit pass.

For inquiries about the specifics of this position, please contact the recruiter identified on this job posting.

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