Transit Authority of the City of Omaha

Deputy Executive Officer

ABOUT METRO

Omaha, Nebraska is a thriving economic hub with quality universities, hospitals, Fortune 500 companies, and growing entrepreneurial and technological sectors. With low unemployment and cost of living, Omaha’s population continues to grow, and the metro area is quickly approaching one million residents ranking it the 42^nd largest city in the United States.

Omaha’s riverfront and downtown area have experienced tremendous growth with over two billion dollars in new development including a one-of-a-kind $22 million pedestrian S-bridge that curves its way across the Missouri River giving Omaha visitors a breathtaking view of the ever-changing skyline, as well as the CHI Health Center, a new convention center, and a new arena that attracts big name talents and hosts technology-rich venues for conventions. Additionally, Omaha is robust with public art displayed around the city including a $2 million public arts project called “Illumina” which houses over 40 sculptures inspired by the 13^th Century Carnival of Venice.

With all of Omaha’s tremendous growth and economic development comes a rising regional population that will result in increased traffic congestion and commute times. Metro provides the mobility services necessary to offset the negative impacts of continued growth.

The Transit Authority of the City of Omaha (“Metro”) is a public transportation agency offering both fixed route and commuter bus services as well as demand response paratransit to the metropolitan area of Omaha, Nebraska, serving a territory that is approximately 100 square miles or approximately 85% of the City of Omaha.  Metro also offers contracted commuter services to 4 other contiguous cities in Nebraska – Bellevue, Ralston, LaVista, and Papillion – and to Council Bluffs, Iowa. Metro has oversight of 2600 stops, 5 transit centers, and 50 passenger waiting shelters as well as a fleet of small, medium, and large buses for their fixed route services and cutaway vans for paratransit operations.

Metro is governed by a board of 5 mayoral appointments approved by Omaha City Council and the Douglas County Board of Commissioners.  Metro is funded through a combination of tax and fare revenue, federal and state funding, and contract agreements for service areas outside the Omaha city limits with a total operating budget of approximately $29.8 million.  The majority of Metro’s operating expenses are covered by tax revenue with bus fares making up a small portion of their funds.  Capital projects are funded by local and federal grants as well as through funding from local business partners. 

Metro ridership surpassed 4 million riders in 2012 and the city’s interest in expanding transit services has increased over the years.  Metro has been committed to growing their agency and providing high quality services to Omaha passengers, having undergone periods of transformation and rebranding that have successfully improved service quality and passenger experience. Metro recently launched its first rapid transit service line (ORBT), one of the most competitive transit investments in the region, that will improve services, sustainability, and passenger experience through innovative technology and roadway upgrades including new raised-platform stations, transit signal priority, and segments of designated bus lanes.  ORBT will vastly improve efficiency and increase service capabilities by connecting passengers along the spine of Metro’s system to hospitality, retail, recreation, employment, and more.  The new fleet consists of 60-foot articulated buses powered by compressed natural gas and equipped with improved passenger amenities such as on-board Wi-Fi.

Metro is a service-oriented agency dedicated to connecting people, places and opportunities through quality transit services. Current transit development projects are expected to bring Omaha to the forefront of the transit industry in the Midwest region and improve services to the growing Omaha community, bringing business development and increasing connection across the city while streamlining service and innovating passenger experience, sustainability, and transit design. Specific initiatives include:

• “Connect Go”, a partnership of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, which aims to establish an actionable and unified regional transportation plan, and the potential for Metro to transition to an independent regional transit authority with an enhanced budget.
• “Smart Cities”, a collaborative effort to utilize technology and innovation to solve transportation and mobility issues in the Omaha Metro area.
• “MetroNEXT”, a year-long strategic planning and public engagement initiative to improve transit in the Omaha region, launched March 2021 by Metro, to identify priorities for future ORBT lines, new service types, potential service expansion, and improvements to the current rider experience.
• No emissions vehicles. Metro is preparing for its first electric vehicles and charging stations in late 2021.

Metro recently undertook “Project Phoenix”, a strategic initiative aimed at making Metro a great place to work by creating a stronger culture and improving the way that employees work together. Building a stronger internal culture will allow Metro to more effectively respond to operational demands, which will allow Metro to expand and provide better customer service to the Community.

More details on Metro can be found at http://www.ometro.com/.

Metro’s Mission & Purpose

The Omaha metro area needs reliable, quality public transportation to grow sustainably and serve the diverse needs of their residents. Metro connects people, places and opportunities through quality transit services.

Metro’s Vision

Metro strives to be a valued transportation choice for all members of the community and a vital partner in Omaha’s future.

Metro’s Values

• UNITY: Metro is a team with a common purpose.
• RESPONSIBILITY: Metro takes pride in their work and are committed to going above and beyond.
• CARE: Metro cares about their customers and each other.
• RESOURCEFULNESS: Metro is adaptable and driven to overcome challenges.
• LEARNING: Metro is always training for tomorrow.
• APPRECIATION: Metro is motivated to provide a quality of life for employees and their loved ones through competitive wages and compensation.

SCOPE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Metro is seeking a dynamic and strategic Deputy Executive Officer. The Deputy Executive Officer reports directly to the CEO and has operational and administrative oversight for the agency. This role has responsibility for much of the daily operations including oversight of planning, operations, IT, safety, maintenance, capital projects and communications/marketing. As a key member of the senior leadership team, the Deputy Executive Officer will serve as a key advisor and manager in running agency operations and supporting Metro’s goals, visions, and initiatives. The successful candidate will have a strong background managing a complex operating environment, and will be an innovative and strategic thinker with a passion for delivering the best possible services to the community.

The Deputy Executive Officer’s responsibilities will include the following essential functions.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Provides leadership for transit operations and administration in a large, complex organization with a focus on customer service, safety, reliability, and cost efficiency.

• Maintains an understanding of current transit and mobility trends and practices both nationally and internationally that are meeting the rapidly changing needs of customers and oversees the implementation of industry best practices and innovative initiatives in a complex operating environment.

• Oversees the operation of an aging fleet of vehicles and infrastructure and provide asset management oversight to ensure that utilization is being maximized and repairs and replacements are being conducted timely and efficiently.

• Leads innovative interdepartmental initiatives and programs in order to achieve agency-wide performance goals.

• Establishes and enforces safety policies and procedures to maintain a safe and efficient environment for all employees, customers, and community members.

• Assists in the development of budgets and the allocation of resources for assigned departments, to include: planning, operations, IT, maintenance, safety, special projects, and communications/marketing. Effectively balances service needs with available infrastructure, financial resources, and personnel.

• Oversees the tracking and analysis of performance metrics, and utilizes data to improve customer experience and service operations.

• Works collaboratively with other members of the senior leadership team, and provides updates as needed on projects, programs, initiatives, operations, and performance to the Chief Executive Officer and the Board.

• Serves as a representative and an advocate for Metro and its services with internal and external stakeholders, to include employees, customers, partner organizations, community members, government officials, and Board members.
  
  
• Recruits, develops, mentors, and retains a diverse staff and maintains a culture of respect, accountability, safety, customer service and success across the organization.

• Provides strategic vision and guidance to ensure that the agency has successful succession and employee development plans in place and provides leadership to encourage employees to take initiative and develop within the organization.

SKILLS, EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE

The ideal candidate will have the following skills, experience, and knowledge:

• Demonstrated experience managing operations, staff, and resources in a complex, customer-focused environment.

• Demonstrated ability to manage agency assets in order to optimize the utilization of public-private partnerships, grant programs and allocations, farebox revenues, and public funding; knowledge and experience balancing available resources with service needs.

• Demonstrated financial management skills and experience, and the ability to work with staff to prepare annual budgets, monitor progress, and initiate changes (to operations and/or to budgets) as appropriate.

• Strong management and leadership capability and the ability to empower, mentor, and motivate staff, maintain an inclusive working environment, and achieve a cohesive agency-wide vision.

• Strong communication skills and the ability to present information to employees, peers, community members, partner organizations, the CEO, the Board, and all other stakeholders in a way that is clear and engaging.

• Experience working with union leadership and represented employees and understanding collective bargaining agreements.

• Ability to gather, interpret and utilize performance metrics and data to make sound decisions to address specific challenges and opportunities.

• Demonstrated ability to oversee complex projects, programs and initialtives.

• Unquestioned integrity, ethics and professionalism.

EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

The successful candidate will have a minimum of five (5) years executive management experience with a transit agency or another public or private entity of comparable nature, complexity, and size to Metro. A Bachelor’s degree in transportation, transportation management, engineering, business management, or equivalent is required. A Master’s degree or other advanced degree is preferred. In lieu of a Bachelor’s and/or Master degree, an equivalent combination of education and experience consistent with the required qualifications will also be considered.

For additional information or to submit a resume, please contact Gregg A. Moser at gmoser@kapartners.com.