President & Chief Executive Officer

About the role

The President & Chief Executive Officer (P&CEO) plans, administers, directs, oversees, and assumes full responsibility for the activities of the Agency and is accountable to the Board of Directors for the overall performance of the Agency in carrying out DART's mission.

Responsibilities

• Builds and maintains a trusted, productive, transparent, and strategic relationship with the Agency's Board of Directors, internal staff, DART's 13 service area cities, local, state and national partners and supports the Board of Directors in accomplishing its role as the governing body of the Agency.
• Serves as the key internal leader, attracting, developing, coaching, and retaining high-performance team members; listens, observes, structures, leads, and empowers teams; participates in organizational design, provides guidance to the senior management team on goal alignment of all departments with established overall organizational objectives.
• Manages the current and trending financial state of the Agency, operations and maintenance of the Agency; partners with and advises the Board and works with service area cities on DART's finances and how those sales tax dollars are being utilized to provide transit solutions needed for their communities.
• Works with Agency representatives on employee relations and strategic operations, evaluates and makes recommendations on public private partnership opportunities and how to maximize efficiencies to generate alternative funding opportunities to support DART's services.
• Promotes opportunities for regional rail that unite all commuter rail services across a large geographical area.
• Champions and models DART's core values and demonstrates values-based behaviors in everyday interactions across the Agency and in the community and with DART's service area cities.

Requirements

Required Knowledge and Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in public administration, government relations, political science, business administration, communications, planning, engineering, or a related field or discipline.
• Fifteen (15) years experience in the public sector, local, state or national government, transit industry and/or in a public or private business where customer service, community engagement and value-based service is necessary is highly desirable, to include ten (10) years experience in senior management, executive level management, administrative, and supervisory responsibility or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Advanced principles and practices of government and legislative processes, public administration, and local government administration.
• Best practices in working with local, county, state, and federal government officials including appointed and elected office holders.
• Understanding of the local cultural and political landscape for the Agency's public transportation planning and operations.
• Knowledge and experience leading in a large complex operating environment where maximizing efficiencies, developing broad based solutions impacting and benefiting multiple parties using innovating solutions and technology.
• Understanding of the region, the uniqueness and differences of DART's 13 service area cities and its people and communities and how they collectively make the N. Texas region unique.
• Willingness to partner with traditionally underrepresented communities and groups to ensure DART is providing equitable opportunities for employment, operational support, and service to other stakeholder and community groups.
• Laws, ordinances, rules, and regulations affecting public transit and transportation.
• Strategic long-term fiscal planning and cost management, financial management, and information management systems required to operate a large complex quasi-government or government operating entity or high-capacity transit system.
• Planning, designing, and managing public transit projects.
• Advanced principles and practices of program development and administration.
• Knowledge of and experience leading: The operations, services, and activities of a regional transit authority.
• Principles and practices of governmental budget preparation and administration.
• Principles of supervision, training, and performance evaluation.
• A team of executives to lead their respective departments with transparency, collaboration, and focus on customer centric solutions that are outcomes-oriented to deliver on DART's mission.
• Continuous improvement efforts for large public agencies.
• Modern office procedures, methods, and equipment including computers.
• Collaborative, transparent, visionary partner to the Board of Directors in developing policy that can be executed by DART's leadership and employees.
• Partner with, listen to, and engage with community representatives, employees, labor, customers, business partners and other key stakeholders and address organizational issues, concerns, and needs.
• Manage and direct a comprehensive regional transit authority with coordination with the Board of Directors, executive leadership team, divisions, consultants, and associated staff.
• Meet with, engage, negotiate, and effectively partner with local jurisdictions and agencies, utilities, contractors, and community groups.
• Lead, motivate, engage, empower, and positively influence staff, drawing upon superior interpersonal and management techniques and demonstrating a consistent commitment and ability to observe, learn from, and work with diverse work groups and individuals.
• Foster a positive and progressive culture in a customer service environment.
• Delegate appropriate authority and resources to empower team members to achieve goals.