Regional Manager - MidWest/Texas states

The Ray’s Vision: Zero Carbon. Zero Waste. Zero Deaths.

The Ray’s Mission: To reimagine how we connect our communities, our lives and the world in a way that is safer, more responsive to the climate, more regenerative to the environment, and more capable of creating economic opportunity through innovative ideas and technologies that will transform transportation infrastructure.

Background: Ray C. Anderson, the founder of flooring company Interface, ignited a global movement towards sustainable business practice when he had the courage to ask, “What if?” Founded in 2015 by Ray’s daughter, Harriet Langford, The Ray is the next leap in that journey, born of the same question: “what if we reimagine transportation in a way that’s safer, more responsive to the climate, more regenerative to the environment, and more capable of creating economic opportunity—today and for generations?”  Our work begins at the world’s first sustainable highway, an 18-mile stretch of Interstate 85 in West Georgia where we test and demonstrate the evolving ideas and technologies that will transform transportation infrastructure. We then partner with public, private and philanthropic partners (P4) to facilitate similar projects with transportation agencies at the local, state and federal level, and enable the scaling of new technologies and innovations in transportation. Working together to create a regenerative transportation ecosystem, we are leading the way with some of the world’s boldest thinking and most promising innovation, with the aim of building a zero carbon, zero waste, zero death transportation system.

For full-time employees, The Ray offers a competitive benefits package including a generous paid leave policy; 401k employer match; healthcare, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits, and; opportunities to pursue professional development courses, training and related opportunities.

Midwest/Texas Regional Manager

About this Position:

Title: Midwest/Texas Regional Manager

Reports to: Director of Regional Programs 

Position Type: Salaried, full-time position

Location: This is available as a hybrid position or an in-office position in Atlanta or Austin.

Schedule: Monday – Friday, occasional weekends

The Ray has a regional strategy for nationally accelerating net-zero transportation project concepts, from planning and analysis to project development and procurement. Organizing partner activity by region and distributing the pipeline of projects and analyses between regional teams at The Ray creates process efficiencies that produce faster results for transportation agencies – helping the agencies themselves to go faster. Regional coordination of agency partner activity also facilitates the visibility and viability of opportunities for multi-state collaboration. To accomplish this, the Midwest/Texas Regional Manager directly supports transportation agencies in executing net-zero projects. A strong candidate will have demonstrated leadership skills, possess or be capable of developing expertise in the technologies and innovations developed on The Ray, and have direct experience and knowledge of the processes and authorizations of large transportation organizations. 

The Midwest/Texas Regional Manager will be responsible for the following:

• Support the design and execution of projects by transportation owners/operators in the United States and abroad that duplicate and scale the technologies, best practices, innovations and innovative approaches of The Ray.
• Deliver technical assistance to the staff of transportation owners/operators that are existing partners of The Ray (“partner organizations”), including various State departments of transportation (State DOTs), as well as tollway and turnpike authorities, local governments, metropolitan planning organizations, airports, and transit operators.
• Act as a technical resource and advisor to the transportation agency to support innovative projects and/or program delivery. 
• Provide permitting and procurement assistance through project deployment and execution. 
• Provide consistent and timely information about The Ray technologies, best practices, innovations, and innovative approaches. 
• Provide consistent and timely responses to questions, concerns, and implementation challenges.
• Provide direct and facilitated connections to technology providers.
• Represent The Ray by delivering presentations and/or by personally participating in peer exchanges, association meetings, as well as critical or high-level meetings of a partner organization’s staff and/or leadership.
• Leverage programmatic outreach with partner organizations to cultivate new partnerships with other transportation owners/operators.
• Work with AASHTO, USDOT, State DOTs, and other industry colleagues to influence key policy and regulations.
• Respond to new requests from transportation owners/operators generated from other members of The Ray staff and board, from media articles and social media, and/or from www.TheRay.org.
• Endeavor to develop inquiries, casual or intentional, into formal partnership opportunities for The Ray and the transportation owner/operator.
• Support implementation of The Ray’s Strategic Plan and 5-Year Technology Plan.
• Team operations
• Regularly update and maintain the Project Tracker
• Participate in regular staff meetings, remotely or in person, and provide regular reports of partner organizations’ status, and/or specific project design, development, and execution
• Support information requests and networking opportunities related to The Ray fundraising and grant-making activities
• Participate in certain meetings of The Ray board and/or meetings of the Advisory Board of the Ray C. Anderson Foundation
• Provide regular updates to the Director of Regional Programs
• Provide updates to the Executive Director, Deputy Director, and/or Board of Directors, as warranted and as requested
• Other duties as needed or assigned 

Skills

• Four-year college degree in a related field or equivalent experience
• Five or more years of experience employed by USDOT, FHWA, State DOT, or a large transportation organization in a position of program management 
• Experience leading environmental, sustainability, energy, or innovative projects and/or programs in a transportation setting 
• Experience leading a team and managing personnel
• Demonstrated ability to work across multiple departments within a transportation agency
• Excellent public speaker with the ability to adapt presentation style and content based on audience needs 
• Understanding of government procurement requirements and processes
• Knowledge and experience handling confidential information 
• Sustainability and/or climate change accreditation preferred
• Multi-modal transportation knowledge and experience preferred

Personal Traits

• Passion for spreading innovation 
• Passion for sustainability and the stewardship of resources
• Dedication to The Ray’s net-zero transportation vision and mission: zero carbon, zero waste, zero deaths
• Ability to strictly maintain discretion and confidentiality
• Integrity, honesty, and attention to detail
• Outgoing and professional conduct

How to Apply

Please submit your resume, cover letter, and salary requirements to Beverly West at Beverly@theray.org with the subject line “Midwest/Texas Regional Manager Application.”