What are the responsibilities and job description for the Chief of Staff position at VIA Metropolitan Transit?
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF WORK:
The Chief of Staff (COS) reports directly to the President/CEO, acting as a strategic advisor and leader to ensure seamless execution of the CEO’s vision and alignment with VIA’s long-term strategic goals. The COS oversees strategic business initiatives from development to execution, improves processes for efficiency and productivity, and communicates the CEO’s perspectives and priorities to VIA executives and stakeholders. This role includes representing the President/CEO at meetings, advising on organizational issues with sound professional judgment, and fostering a culture of excellence. The COS ensures consistent communication of VIA’s vision, priorities, and values, while managing departmental personnel through planning, scheduling, delegating, and overseeing work assignments, vendor coordination, and performance evaluations. The ideal candidate brings high energy, dedication, and data-driven decision-making to drive positive impact within VIA and the communities it serves.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
Oversee all facets of the President/CEO’s office and Executive Department.
Establish and nurture highly effective relationships with all employees, customers, and stakeholders that support and advance business goals and objectives. Work to remove barriers that hamper inter- and intra-department communications, particularly at the Senior Executive Team level.
Develop relationships with key business and community partners to ensure communication and understanding of VIA’s perspective and strategic goals. Ensure external partnerships align with VIA’s strategic objectives by representing the CEO in high- level stakeholder meetings and managing interactions with detail and intentionality.
Oversee the creation, monitoring, and reporting of the VIA Strategic Plan. Serve as project champion, as needed, on projects in support of VIA’s strategic goals, with emphasis on optimizing operational processes and tracking performance metrics to ensure operational efficiency and long-term alignment with strategic objectives.
Develop and implement strategies on a wide range of topics to assist in resolving personnel and business issues to facilitate the accomplishment of VIA’s strategic goals.
Provide the President/CEO’s perspective on reports, senior leadership briefings, and presentations.
Support effective and transparent meetings of the Board of Trustees consistent with the President/CEO and Board of Trustees expectations and needs.
Provide strategic direction on priority initiatives, Board-related materials, briefings and other items, as necessary.
Represent the President/CEO in his/her absence, internally and externally as needed.
Monitor and ensure department budget accountability with a focus on detailed financial tracking and resource optimization to support organizational sustainability and strategic goals.
Integrate responsibilities for cross-departmental coordination on operational initiatives to ensure a unified, seamless execution of strategic goals and strengthen coherence across teams.
Always exhibit personal and professional integrity, consistent with the organization’s vision, mission, and goals.
Incorporate data analysis and insights into decision-making processes, to provide the President/CEO with actionable recommendations on critical operational and financial initiatives.
Responsible for compliance with records management standards and company policy. Perform other duties as assigned.
REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
A Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Communications, Liberal Arts, Public Administration, Public Relations, Ten (10) years of experience in public transit agency, including communications, public relations, government relations for a government or corporate entity.
Six (6) years of experience in a management position is required.
Experience is acceptable in lieu of a degree on a year for year basis up to 5 years.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
Experience in the areas of planning, research, program development or transportation.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
Attention to detail and commitment to high standards of excellence to drive organizational growth and further establish VIA as a leader in public transit.
Ability to effectively communicate in writing, including developing reports, presentations, press releases, and correspondence of all types on behalf of the Board of Trustees, the President/CEO, and the organization.
High level of analytical and creative skills and the ability to find solutions for complex interpersonal, professional, technical, and administrative problems.
Advanced interpersonal skills and the ability to effectively interact with all levels of employees, media representatives, the VIA Board of Trustees, the public, and all parties inside and outside of VIA in a diverse socio-economic and cultural environment.
Ability to effectively work as a team player. A self-starter responsive to organizational needs, committed to excellence and continual employee development.
Ability to comprehend complex materials such as technical reports and articles and to concentrate on details when coordinating activities, preparing speeches and articles, or developing media communications.
Knowledge of software applications, including word-processing, desktop publishing, spreadsheet, and database packages.
WORK ENVIRONMENT:
Work involves deadlines and multiple priorities. Generally works within normal office environment. Requires irregular hours and off-property travel.
Requires both local and out of town travel.
VIA Metropolitan Transit is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
