Chief Safety Officer

About the role

The incumbent will have oversight and advisory responsibility for safety policies and strategy, and assessing the Agency's safety performance. The incumbent will assist and guide the agencies in their continuing development of consistent agency-wide, best practice safety strategies designed to support and enhance a world-class safety culture and establish the safest possible environment for our customers and our employees across the MTA and its agencies.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the Chair's senior adviser on issues related to safety, public health, and emergency management, and, in conjunction with the agency presidents, provide accurate and current information to the Chair on safety, public health, and emergency management.
• Provide strategic direction on all MTA-wide issues and monitor the ongoing activities of the departments of MTA agencies to ensure coordination and consistency of safety, public health, emergency management, and environmental compliance activities within the MTA system.
• Develop and disseminate a consistent and compelling agency-wide safety message that demonstrates and furthers top-level commitment to safety as a core value.
• Identify priority safety-related areas that may require attention and develop a strategy for addressing those areas, and periodically update the list of priority areas as necessary.
• Work with agency presidents' senior safety staff to ensure that the agencies are implementing recommendations resulting from industry peer reviews or external or internal investigations.
• Work with the agencies and with Policy & External Relations staff to ensure that the agencies file timely and appropriate comments in response to any safety or emergency management-related requests for public comment issued by any state or federal oversight agency; assist government relations staff in reviewing or drafting safety and emergency management-related state or federal legislation, in consultation with agencies and the Policy & External Relations staff.
• Ensure the development and implementation of comprehensive and effective emergency response plans and applicable metrics.
• Ensure all agency emergency lessons learned and best practices are communicated with the goal of interagency learning and enhancing agency performance.
• Develop and maintain relationships with senior staff of partner agencies.
• Represent MTA as needed at meetings and exercises at federal, state, regional, private sector, and local offices of emergency management and agencies.
• Inform and advise the Chair with regard to emergency preparedness and activation activities.
• Direct and oversee the strategy, development, and implementation of MTA’s emergency management program and coordinate with agencies on the development of agency emergency management programs, including best practices.
• Advances environmental compliance and sustainability initiatives associated with operations, facilities, and construction; Develops, trains, and manages environmental response and mitigation to incidents (fuel spills, water contamination, noise, etc.); Supports Risk Management to identify and mitigate legacy issues.
• Lead point of contact with NTSB, FTA, FRA, and all federal and state regulatory agencies during the investigation of any safety incidents.
• Conduct research and compile information necessary to serve as a resource on industry best practices and new innovative safety and emergency management concepts; work with agency safety and emergency management staff to implement best practices and new and innovative safety and emergency management concepts, and to identify and procure educational and other resources in support of the agencies’ overall safety and emergency management programs and initiatives.
• Serve as a resource to the Board on safety and emergency management issues.
• Report as necessary to the Board regarding ongoing safety and emergency management initiatives and efforts to promote best practices, preparedness, and a strong safety culture at the MTA agencies.
• Ensures MTA and agency compliance with federal, state, and local environmental standards.

Qualifications

• Must be knowledgeable in the areas of environmental, fire safety, Safety Management Systems (SMS), and Emergency Management.
• Must have excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Must have excellent organizational and presentation skills.
• Must have demonstrated ability to work with all internal levels within a given organization, including the MTA Board.
• Must have demonstrated ability to communicate and interact well with external agencies.
• Must have strong leadership and managerial skills to effectively direct a staff of professional and technical employees in implementing the short- and long-term goals and direction of the functional group.
• Must have demonstrated ability to complete short- and long-term projects effectively and as efficiently as possible.
• Must have demonstrated analytical capabilities and quantitative skills.
• Must have strong proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite or comparable applications, i.e., Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

Skills

• Must have a bachelor’s degree in Business, or a related field from an accredited college.
• Minimum 15 years of progressively responsible relevant experience in the management, administration, planning, and oversight of system safety, preferably in a transportation environment.
• Must have had experience with managing a large staff within a complex legal and political environment, including at least 7 years in a group and/or department head role in a large, multi-faceted, fast-paced organization or governmental body.
• Preferred advanced degree in safety, engineering, physical or social sciences, public administration, or a related field from an accredited university.
• Must have a working knowledge and understanding of the Federal Transit Administration and Federal Railroad Administration regulations; environmental regulations; MIL STD 882c; NFPA 130; and OSHA 1910 and 1926.
• Must have familiarity with the MTA’s policies and procedures.
• Must have familiarity with the MTA’s collective bargaining procedures.

Benefits

Pursuant to the New York State Public Officers Law & the MTA Code of Ethics, all employees who hold a policymaking position must file an Annual Statement of Financial Disclosure (FDS) with the NYS Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government (the “Commission”).

Pay

$260,000 - $285,000

Schedule

This position is eligible for telework, which is currently one day per week.