Administrator III [SDA]

Role

King County Metro's Transit Department has an exciting opportunity for one Administrator III -SDA position to work within the Rail Division's Business and Administration section. This leadership role reports to the Administrator IV, and collaborates with employees, colleagues, and stakeholders to deliver exceptional service while advancing the following strategic priorities within the division:

• Developing a Culture of Care
• Providing operational excellence
• Delivering on time expansions
• Maintaining healthy and resilient partnerships with Sound Transit, our partners in Rail Service Delivery

This Administrator III position will lead a high-performing team responsible for managing various administrative functions to support Metro Transit's Rail Division. This role also requires effective communication with diverse stakeholders, proactive problem-solving, breaking down barriers, change management oversight, continuous improvement implementation, and fostering employee engagement to create a culture of care within the Division.

The ideal candidate will excel in navigating an ambiguous work environment, possess leadership experience, and manage multiple competing priorities to deliver substantial results in a fast-paced setting. Additionally, the candidate should have a solid background in equity and social justice, with experience in enhancing opportunities and support for historically disadvantaged employee groups.

About Metro Transit's Link Light Rail Expansion

King County Metro's Rail Division manages and maintains Sound Transit's Link Light Rail, a growing network spanning 60 miles and serving 38 stations across the Puget Sound region. Together with Metro's extensive fixed-route bus system and mobility services, the Link Light Rail system is the backbone of an integrated regional transit network that gives people real freedom of movement. As Puget Sound transit agencies work together to build a seamless, connected system, our light rail system plays a central role in expanding access, reducing barriers, and ensuring that everyone across our region can get where they need to go.

Joining Metro's Rail Division means joining an organization that is shaping the future of public transportation in the Pacific Northwest and setting the standard for modern rail operations nationwide. This is a division that values strategic thinking, collaborative leadership, and a deep commitment to the people we serve, both our riders and our teams. Whatever your role, your work here contributes to something that matters, a light rail system that thousands of people count on every day.

Position Information

Who May Apply: This position is open to current career service King County Metro RAIL employees that have completed the six (6) month probationary period (or will complete it by the closing date of this posting) in their current career service position. This recruitment will be used to fill one (1) Special Duty Assignment vacancy. This recruitment may also be used to establish a list or pool of qualified candidates for any future openings in this classification within the next twelve months. Placement onto an eligibility list/pool is not a guarantee of placement into a future position.

Job Duties

Applying equity and social justice principles is a daily responsibility and a 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.

• Lead a team to implement and oversee administrative support for the Division by:
  • Overseeing daily operations and supervising administrative staff.
  • Act as a key strategic and technical adviser to the Rail Administrative Services Superintendent and other management staff, to provide administrative solutions.
  • Directing the development and implementation of strategic goals, vision, workforce management, performance measures, strategies, and policies.
  • Supporting the development of a skilled and effective team, managing, and mentoring staff, and providing expertise in administrative best practices.
  • Addressing staffing resource gaps by allocating work assignments among administrative team.
• Deliver high quality administrative services to the division by:
  • Establishing performance standards, initiating corrective actions as needed, and reviewing operational and administrative policies to recommend improvements to the Rail Division's leadership team.
  • Developing and clarifying administrative policies and procedures in collaboration with Rail leadership, King County Metro Employee Services and Sound Transit personnel.
  • Representing the section in various internal and external groups, project teams, committees and task forces on topics that affect section systems and service delivery.
• Determine effectiveness and drive continuous improvement by:
  • Developing and managing administrative guidelines, processes, and procedures for administrative functions using tools like excel, word, PowerPoint, that assists administrative staff and evaluate performance and identify resource gaps.
  • Supporting business teams in implementing significant administrative business process improvements through process improvement methodologies.
  • Analyzing operational trends to optimize work assignments, staffing, absenteeism, leave usage, and forecasting future staffing needs.
• Furthering partnerships and relationships by:
  • Building collaborative relationships with collective bargaining units (Unions), ensure consistent application of labor policies and contract provisions, investigating grievances, and support legal or contractual conflict resolution.
  • Providing guidance on complex or sensitive issues to subordinate supervisors and staff.
• Act on behalf of higher-level supervisors as needed and perform other duties as required.

Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills

• An associate degree or equivalent in Business Administration (or a related field); and
• Experience in developing, supervising, and overseeing administrative functions performed for a workgroup, section and/or division or 1 or more years of experience leading people in an advanced Business Administrative work group.
• OR Any combination of experience/education/training that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the work.

Additional Minimum Qualifications

• Strong commitment to equity, inclusion, and belonging for all employees.
• Proven experience in communication and internal employee engagement, including:
• Effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work well with diverse individuals and populations.
• Experience and passion for fostering positive, inclusive cultures that prioritize employee well-being and belonging.
• Demonstrated skill and experience in leading and supervising people, including:
• Developing and leading direct reports, supporting career growth, assigning challenging tasks, and effectively supervising administrative staff.
• Commitment to empowering, mentoring, and training staff, with a focus on process improvement and employee engagement.
• Building respectful, equitable relationship with employees and customers and solving problems for collective benefit.
• Demonstrated ability to be detail-oriented, organized, and show initiative involving matters internal to Metro, as well as external matters involving suppliers, contractors, and vendors.
• Demonstrated ability to be detail-oriented, organized, and show initiative involving matters internal to Metro, as well as external matters involving suppliers, contractors, and vendors.
• Data analysis skills that support the ability to make data-driven decisions, identify trends, and track program effectiveness.
• Demonstrated strong attention to detail.
• Proven ability to multi-task and remain organized in a fast-paced environment with multiple deadlines and changing priorities.
• Intermediate level proficiency with software and tools generally used by business and administrative staff, including Office products such as Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams and SharePoint.
• Experience in maintaining strict confidentiality in the handling of sensitive data and information involving matters internal to Metro, as well as external matters involving suppliers, contractors, and vendors.
• Experience in performing data analysis to support the ability to make data-driven decisions, identify trends, and track program effectiveness.
• Experience in maintaining strict confidentiality in the handling of sensitive data and information involving matters internal to Metro, as well as external matters involving suppliers, contractors, and vendors.
• Experience in performing data analysis to support the ability to make data-driven decisions, identify trends, and track program effectiveness.

Supplemental Information

• Work Schedule: The base work schedule is 40 hours per week, and normally day shift Monday through Friday, however, due to the 24 hour/7 day a week operation of a public transit service, this position may require off-shift work. The position is exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act and is therefore not eligible for overtime pay.
• Work Location: The work associated with this position will be performed predominantly in a hybrid work environment working both in the office and at home. The expectation is to be working on site 2-3 days a week. Employee will have access to shared workspaces at various Sound Transit facilities. Employee must reside in Washington State and within a reasonable distance to their worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements. The primary location for onsite work is the Operations and Maintenance Facility at 3407 Airport Way S, Seattle, WA. Some work out of other locations may be required, including the Operations and Maintenance Facility - East at 1925 120th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA and any future Sound Transit Link facilities.
• Employee will be provided with a Sound Transit 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.

How To Apply

This position is open to current career service King County Metro RAIL employees that have completed the six (6) month probationary period (or will complete it by the closing date of this posting) in their current career service position. If you are interested in this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. Required Forms And Application Materials To apply for this position, you must meet the minimum requirements and complete the following:

• Responses to supplemental questions
• A cover letter (1-2 pages) that describes:
• Why are you interested in this SDA opportunity?
• What you hope to achieve or accomplish in the role,
• And How your experience, qualifications, knowledge, and skills align with or exceed the requirements outlined in the job posting.
• Note: A full application with work history is required for this recruitment. Hiring decisions will be based on the evaluation of qualifications as demonstrated through the cover letter and supplemental question responses. Applicants should respond to all components of the cover letter prompt, as incomplete responses may limit further consideration.
• Selection Process: Hiring decisions will only be based on the evaluation of qualifications as demonstrated through the cover letter and supplemental question responses. Depending on qualifications and alignment with the role, an offer may be extended without an interview. However, highly competitive applicants may be invited to interview. All final offers are subject to successful completion of required pre-employment processes, such as reference checks or internal record reviews.