About WSDOT

Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is the steward of an integrated, multimodal transportation system that helps to ensure people and goods move safely and efficiently throughout the state. In addition to building, maintaining, and operating the state highway system, WSDOT operates the largest ferry system in the nation, manages the world's longest floating bridge, and recently completed the world's widest tunneling project. 

The Opportunity

WSDOT is seeking an experienced engineering professional ready and willing to provide leadership, guidance, and support as the Northwest Region (NWR) Assistant Regional Administrator (ARA) for our Transportation Operations. The NWR Transportation Operations (TO) organization has been delegated the full responsibility to provide traffic engineering services, operate the multimodal transportation system in the NWR, as well as maintain all electrical & electronic systems including tolling infrastructure, striping & pavement markings, and large portions of the signing infrastructure. The NWR ARA for Transportation Operations also serves as the Region Traffic Engineer. The purpose of the NWR TO office is to ensure the transportation infrastructure is maintained in good working order; to continuously operate the transportation system to allow for the effective movement of people and goods across the state; to improve & maintain transportation safety by continuously evaluating, designing, and making investments in safety projects; to plan for and respond to natural disasters, weather events, construction impacts and emergencies. The TO office manages the labor, equipment, materials, and systems needed to achieve this purpose.

The NWR ARA for Transportation Operations leads and aligns these programs with the other business programs within the NWR, the Urban Mobility, Access and Megaprograms (Tolling, Management of Mobility, Regional Transit Coordination, SR 520/SR99, Gateway, I-405 and SR 167 Megaprograms) and WSDOT statewide transportation organizations. This position is responsible for providing strategic leadership, management, and oversight of the Transportation Operations (Q) program, and portions of the Highway Maintenance, Tolling and I&P programs. The TO Office is directly responsible for a 2023-25 biennial operating budget of approximately $56 million and 230 employees.

If you are interested in taking on this rewarding challenge, we invite you to apply to lead our NWR Transportation Operations, joining a team of outstanding staff who are delivering the operations and safety programs for the transportation infrastructure system throughout the region. 

What to Expect

Among the varied range of responsibilities held within this role, Transportation Operations ARA will:

• Provide strategic direction, manage & monitor activities of the Region Operations Office to ensure efficient expenditure of funds, utilization of staff, equipment & material resources, and implementation of highest value operational & maintenance changes.
• Approve & lead development of standards of traffic engineering/operations practices within the Region.
• Set policy, prioritization, and direct actions of the Region’s Safety Management Program, which monitors, assesses and responds to traffic safety needs within the Region.
• Lead traffic engineering expert involvement in defense of claims & lawsuits brought upon the State of Washington, related to highway vehicular and/or pedestrian collisions, and provide input to Risk Management & the State Attorney General’s office for legal strategy and in response to plaintiff’s claims.
• Lead coordination of actions and activities of the Region TO Office with local transportation, enforcement & transit agencies.
• Ensure and approve the safe and efficient design of the Region’s traffic control devices & pavement markings, and electrical & electronic transportation management systems, including ITS, construction work zone traffic control & emergency management.
• Direct prioritization and implementation of the Region’s active transportation low-cost investments, operations, and maintenance.
• Provide support and partnership to WSDOT’s regional Management of Mobility (MoM) planning organization, directly and through providing TO Office staff involvement.

Qualifications

To be considered for this opportunity, the following are required:

• Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering or similar degree
• Professional Civil Engineers License, State of Washington
• Significant experience managing/leading multimodal transportation engineering for arterial and freeway systems, transportation operations, transportation safety management & highway maintenance.
• Fifteen (15) years practical transportation engineering and operations experience.
• Four (4) years of experience in developing, implementing and/or managing arterial & highway roadway safety enhancements.
• Leadership skills to mentor, motivate, train staff; direct or participate in development of solutions to complex problems/issues; have proven positive experience with influencing outcomes of policy and issues outside of direct control.
• Valid Driver’s License

Expert Knowledge of:

• Multimodal transportation engineering principles, practices, policies & regulations in the areas of transportation operations, freeway operations, traffic control devices, transportation design, maintenance and safety management, and transportation planning.
• Current national & state standards/guidelines in transportation engineering, channelization design, application of the MUTCD, WSDOT Traffic Manual, specific WAC’s & RCWs, and transportation engineering related chapters of the WSDOT Design Manual
• Budget development, implementation & management of a large and complex operating budget
• Performance measurement standards & applications aligned with public agency expectations, both at the project & program level

It is preferred that qualified candidates also have:

• Professional Traffic Operations Engineer Certification, Washington State
• Master of Science in Civil Engineering – Transportation Engineering & Operations emphasis
• Master of Public Administration
• Post graduate degree in Transportation Operations
• Three (3) plus years of experience with: Design of traffic control device systems, including traffic signals, Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) & illumination; planning, development, and operation of freeway management systems and/or multi-modal arterial systems.