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Executive Director, Strategic Priorities

Job ID: 12251

Business Unit: Metro-North Railroad

Regular/Temporary: Regular

Department: Chief Engineer

Date Posted: Jul 8, 2025

Description

Job Title: Executive Director, Strategic Priorities

Department: Office of the President

MTA Agency: Metro-North Railroad

Primary Location(s): New York, NY

Salary Range: $ 142,005 - $193,332

Regulated/Safety Sensitive: Not Safety Sensitive

Union Affiliation: Non-Agreement

Closing Date (if applicable): Until Filled

Shift (if applicable):

Title 55-a (yes or no): No

Other: Telework eligible

JOB SUMMARY

The Executive Director Strategic Priorities a senior leadership position responsible for shaping and driving Metro-North Railroad’s comprehensive strategy. This role leads the development, execution, and governance of strategic initiatives and ensures alignment with long-term business goals. The Executive Director Strategic Priorities identifies and drives the implementation of best practices to enhance safety, productivity, customer experience, employee engagement, resiliency, and innovation. The Executive Director Strategic Priorities standardizes strategic processes and ensures consistent communication of organizational priorities and leads cross-functional planning efforts, driving innovation, operational improvement and cost efficiency. The Executive Director Strategic Priorities works closely with internal departments, senior management, and external stakeholders to foster a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

+ Serve as a senior advisor to the President on strategic initiatives, policy, procedure, and other high-priority initiatives.

+ Collaborate with senior leadership to guide strategy development, policy formulation, and continuous quality improvement efforts across departments.

+ Provide strategic direction and leadership for the Data Science & Systems Department, promoting data-driven decision-making to improve efficiency, safety, and reliability.

+ Lead the development and implementation of MNR’s strategy, with a focus on improving business processes, enhancing productivity, and driving cost efficiencies.

+ Provide direction and lead all stakeholders in strategic planning and identify opportunities for innovation and business improvements across all MNR. Assess findings from research, reviews, and innovation initiatives to recommend actionable improvements for MNR.

+ Oversee business process reviews, efficiency improvement programs, and cost-saving initiatives, ensuring alignment with organizational goals. Collaborate with all MNR operating departments to plan programs and projects that incorporate strategic improvements, innovations, and standards into day-to-day operations.

+ Oversee the integration of strategic initiatives within business processes and ensure effective change management for both short-term and long-term strategic goals. Drive short-term and long-term strategic change efforts to enhance the overall effectiveness and resilience of the organization.

+ Develop and implement data-driven solutions to improve efficiency, safety, and reliability of operations.

+ Lead the establishment of processes, vision, and team responsible for actionable data analytics at all organizational levels, in alignment with major system upgrades.

+ Work closely with the team of data analysts to build and refine analytics tools and techniques that drive actionable insights and inform senior management decisions.

+ Recruit, mentor, and lead a team of data analysts, ensuring that they are empowered to support business improvement initiatives and deliver high-quality analysis.

+ Foster a collaborative environment, working with other departments to identify areas for improvement and provide actionable data insights.

+ Develop and maintain strong working partnerships with external stakeholders to support strategic business improvement and communications functions.

+ Collaborate with departments to drive continuous improvement in service delivery, efficiency, financial responsibility, and employee productivity.

+ Select, develop, and motivate staff and provide career development for team members. Provide effective coaching and counseling. Manage team and individual performance. Create a professional environment that respects individual differences and enables staff to develop and contribute to their full potential.

+ Represents MNR in industry and regulatory forums, contributing to collaboration, policy development, and advancing industry best practices .

+ Serve as a resource for resolving critical departmental or operational challenges .

REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

+ Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration , Data Science, Computer Science, Computational Mathematics, Statistics, Transportation Engineering, or related field. Demonstrated equivalent experience, education and/or technical credentials to include four (4) additional years of related experience may be considered in lieu of a degree .

+ Minimum of twelve (12) years of progressive experience in a business or public sector environment with knowledge of transportation, project management, technology and/or related fields .

+ Minimum of seven (7) years of experience managing a diverse workforce.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

+ Demonstrated leadership of a team with the ability to foster teamwork and self-motivated employees.

+ Excellent customer service and interpersonal skills.

+ Demonstrated problem solving, analytical and administrative skills.

+ Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including excellent presentation skills with the ability to effectively communicate with Senior Management, MNR Departments, MTA HQ’s, Government and Community officials.

+ Complete understanding of descriptive, diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive analytics.

+ Experience with process mining or engineering.

+ Business Intelligence, data management and data mining experience.

+ Working experience with varied and complex data sets building extract transform load processes using scripting language.

+ Experience with data-centric tools and technologies. Such as data lineage, dictionaries, and common data access.

+ Experience with curating, organizing, and classifying data.

+ Demonstrated ability to plan and manage complex projects in a fast-paced atmosphere.

+ Excellent ability to coordinate the work and resources of several departments to accomplish shared goals.

+ Excellent ability to define and direct data analysis projects. Understand the interplay of operational KPIs, data, and techniques to collect, and impacts.

+ Working knowledge of MS Office, and/or comparable applications.

+ May be required to respond to emergencies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

+ Must possess excellent long and short-range planning skills.

+ Familiarity with unionized workforces and collective bargaining agreements.

+ Demonstrated ability to support diversity initiatives.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

The following is/are preferred :

+ Familiarity with SQL, Python, Cognos, PowerBI , Tableau, R, CPLEX, Hexagon, Bentley Linear Analytics, ESRI, and other systems used to analyze data.

BENEFITS

+ Commuter Assistance – based on operating MTA agency (complimentary transportation pass within the MTA’s jurisdiction and tax-advantaged accounts)

+ Low Premium – High Quality Health Insurance Plans (lifetime coverage for eligible retirees and their dependents)

+ Pension Plans and Retirement Savings Accounts for eligible employees

+ Generous Paid Time Off and Holidays provided.

+ Tuition Reimbursement for eligible employees

+ Employee Assistance Programs

+ MTA Exclusive Employee Discount Programs

+ Work Life Services team

+ Employee Resource Groups

+ Managerial Benefits

OTHER INFORMATION

+ This is a policy maker position. Pursuant to the New York State Public Officers Law & the MTA Code of Ethics, all employees who hold a policymaking position must file an Annual Statement of Financial Disclosure (FDS) with the NYS Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government (the “Commission”).

+ Actual salary offers may vary based on individual work experience. The annual salary range is subject to change and may be modified at the company’s discretion.

+ This position does not require a driver’s license. Employees driving company vehicles will be subject to License Monitoring and must complete defensive driver training once every three years for current MTA drivers; or within 180 days of hire or transfer for an employee entering an authorized driving position.

+ Current employee applicants should be in their current position 12 months prior to starting a new role and must possess a satisfactory work history, including attendance and discipline record.

+ Non- Safety Sensitive/Non-DOT Regulated

+ Telework Eligible

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY/ADA DISCLAIMER

MTA and its subsidiary and affiliated agencies are Equal Opportunity Employers and encourage qualified applicants from diverse backgrounds, experiences, and abilities, including military service members, to apply.

If you seek a reasonable accommodation for a medical condition or disability, or for a religious practice or observance, to participate in the job application or interview process, please notify your MTA representative once you have been contacted regarding the role.