Bus Operations Division Director

We are only accepting applications from current Metro Transit employees

Building the Workforce That Powers King County’s Vision

King County Metro has an exciting opportunity for our next Bus Operations Division Director. This leadership role will contribute to improving processes, make data-driven decisions, and implement innovative initiatives and transformational policies and practices that ensure the success of all Metro divisions. The Director will work in partnership with employees, colleagues, and stakeholders to ensure Metro provides world-class service while advancing King County’s Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE values in everything the division does.

This senior leader will report directly to Metro’s Deputy General Manager, Ernest Kandilige, and in partnership with the Bus Operations Deputy Director, provide strategic direction and leadership to the Bus Operations Division and deliver results for General Manager Michelle Allison’s leadership team.

Our Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE Values

King County’s Vision is a vibrant, inclusive, and resilient region where every individual and community is safe, connected, housed, healthy, and empowered to succeed. Our Mission is to be a high-performing organization that delivers excellent services, drives progress, improves lives, and strengthens our region. Our ACTIVATE values are our shared expectations for how we act, make decisions, and deliver change for the people of King County:

• Accountable — we own our commitments and our outcomes
• Collaborative — we achieve more by working across teams and with our partners
• Timely — we deliver when we say we will
• Impactful — we focus our effort where it matters most
• Value Employees — we invest in the people who do the work
• Accessible — we make our services and our workplace easy to reach and understand
• Trusted — we act with integrity and transparency
• Equitable — we work to close gaps and expand opportunity for all

Every Bus Operations Division Director candidate should be prepared to lead through these values — not as a slogan, but as the operating standard for how the division runs 24/7, 365 days a year.

About Bus Operations

The Bus Operations Division operates Metro Transit buses 24/7 and 365 days a year on over 200 routes, nine of which are operated for Sound Transit. Metro carries roughly 286,400 riders on an average weekday and about 94.5 million riders a year — more than any other transit agency in the northwest United States — across a fleet of approximately 1,540 buses supported by around 2,477 full- and part-time operators. The division is organized into two sections:

Base Management: Focusing management attention and support toward our transit operators who provide direct service to the riding public at Metro’s eight bus bases: Atlantic Base, Bellevue Base, Central Base, East Base, North Base, Ryerson Base, South Base, and Tukwila Base.

Service Management: Provides critical support services to fixed-route operations to ensure exemplary service. The section is comprised of five work groups: Transit Control Center, Service Quality, Systems Impacts, Bus Operations Training, and Planning and Technical Support.

This is a pivotal moment to lead Bus Operations. The King County Council’s adopted 2026–2027 budget adds more than 400,000 hours of bus service, connects riders to new Sound Transit Link light rail stations, and continues investment in zero-emission fleet conversion, facility safety, and cleaning. The division is also extending the Safety, Security and Fare Enforcement (SaFE) Reform initiative, advancing the Service & Workforce initiative to hire and train the operators who deliver that growing service.

By providing safe, clean, reliable, and equitable public transportation services, we can — and will — improve regional mobility and quality of life in King County. If you are ready to join us on this journey and would like to have a confidential discussion about the opportunity, you are invited to contact our HR Manager, Angela Alcaraz, at [email protected] or (206) 263-2466. 

To learn more about the Metro Transit Department, visit kingcounty.gov/en/dept/metro/about.

Applying our ACTIVATE values — being Accountable, Collaborative, Timely, and Impactful; how we Value Employees; staying Accessible; building what’s Trusted; and acting Equitably — is a daily responsibility and a foundational expectation for all King County employees. Our Bus Operations Division Director will:

• Provide strategic direction and leadership to the Bus Operations Division and deliver results. Guide the Division in executing its four strategic priorities: Operations, Workforce Development, Strategy and Planning and Alignment with King County Executive’s Focus Areas. For more information, please refer to the Bus Operations Strategic Plan (2026–2030), available here: Bus Ops Strategic Plan_2026-2030.pdf.
• Align the work performed with the vision and strategic goals of the Metro Transit Department.
• Build teams and foster a positive environment in diverse work environments while creating strong morale, instilling vision and purpose, and fostering open dialogue within the Bus Operations Division. Cultivate employee engagement and create developmental opportunities for all employees.
• Lead employees and maintain the highest level of service for customers in a growing organization while managing the expansion of facilities, infrastructure, fleet size, and service — including the service growth funded by Metro’s 2026–2027 budget.
• Work with a variety of stakeholders including internal Metro staff, Sound Transit executive leadership and staff, the City of Seattle, elected officials, law enforcement, other governmental agencies, transit customers, and the broader community to maintain current high standards of operations and contribute to Metro’s Long Game.
• Partner and collaborate with Metro divisions and across King County service divisions with the ultimate goal of providing and maintaining the highest quality of customer service.
• Develop and foster a commitment to safety and security across Bus Operations and the organization as a whole, including continued implementation of the SaFE Reform initiative.
• Solve complex operating challenges and develop strategic solutions to uphold the organization’s commitment to customer experience.
• Understand and manage the technical aspects of passenger service and communicate technical details with both internal and external stakeholders in a clear and concise manner.
• Develop relationships and treat all employees and customers equitably, with respect and dignity, and solve problems for the good of all.
• Partner with unions to resolve problems and address labor-management issues in a collaborative manner.
• Develop and oversee the division budget; determine and allocate resources.
• Continue to demonstrate the value of public transit to grow capacity and resources, resulting in more service and measurable outcomes.

Our ideal candidate is an accomplished top-level transit leader who embodies our commitment to equity, inclusion, and belonging. We need someone who is decisive, proactive, and collaborative, with a proven ability to implement strategic plans aligned with our county’s vision.

We are looking for candidates who demonstrate the following:

• A successful track record in senior leadership within a transit agency, particularly in service delivery and operations, and experience navigating complex policies, managing budgets, and ensuring compliance with laws and regulations.
• High-level management experience in operations and/or service delivery.
• Are responsible stewards. Demonstrate financial acumen and a commitment to cost control.
• Expertise and knowledge about managing operations to conform with established labor regulations.
• Demonstrable ability to lead the delivery of smooth operations through political and organizational change.
• Experience providing oversight through the innovation and testing of new mobility service delivery models.
• Are able to see clearly ahead, anticipate future consequences, effectively set priorities, and have the broad knowledge and perspective to articulate possibilities and spend time on what is important.

The competencies below describe what ACTIVATE looks like in this role — the observable, repeatable behaviors we expect from the leader of Bus Operations.

Accountable — Ownership: Facilitates difficult conversations and creates a culture of accountability; owns commitments and outcomes even when circumstances are difficult.

Collaborative — Partnership: Is an outstanding colleague who strengthens the team; partners effectively with unions, Sound Transit, the City of Seattle, and other stakeholders to get results.

Timely — Delivery: Takes a results-oriented, data-driven approach to building operational excellence and delivering on commitments as the organization and its service grow.

Impactful — Systems Thinking: Thinks holistically about how systems function; solves complex operating challenges and develops strategic solutions that move the needle.

Value Employees — People Leadership: Inspires action in others and leads by example; cultivates employee engagement and creates developmental opportunities across a diverse workforce.

Accessible — Communication: Understands and manages the technical aspects of passenger service and communicates clearly with both internal and external stakeholders.

Trusted — Integrity: Demonstrates transparency and builds trust; shows the strength of character to lead through change with resilience and endurance.

Equitable — Equity in Action: Courageously and consistently acts upon a strong set of core values aligned with King County Metro Transit’s values, including those related to equity, race and other protected classes, safety, and sustainability.

Those interested must submit:

• An online King County application, updated with accurate contact information and relevant work history going back at least 10 years (or more, if necessary), with all job duties, dates of employment, and reasons for leaving explained clearly.
• Completed supplemental questions.
• A letter of interest (cover letter) detailing why you are interested in this position and how you meet or exceed the qualifications.

If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request an accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process, or have questions, please contact the recruiter, Angela Alcaraz, at [email protected]

Work Schedule

This position is exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and is not eligible for overtime pay. Typical work hours are between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Employees may be required to work extended hours, weekends, and holidays. Must be available to work an altered schedule, including swing and graveyard shifts as needed, and be willing to be on-call when deemed necessary to respond to job responsibilities.

Work Location

This position requires a minimum of 3 days per week onsite at King Street Center (201 S. Jackson Street, Seattle, WA) to support team collaboration, coaching, and in-person leadership presence, consistent with King County Metro's hybrid work expectations for supervisory roles.

Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements. King County has a robust collection of tools and resourcesto support working remotely. Employees will be provided with a County-issued laptop and must maintain a home workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours.

Safety Responsibility: Managers 

• Fully support this program and its proper implementation 

• Create a positive safety culture where employees are engaged in safety practices and processes 

• Resolve hazards and safety concerns within their purview 

• Ensure that SMS is implemented and executed within their area(s) of responsibility 

• Ensure that performance of SMS is measured and documented in all areas 

• Needs necessary for employees to perform job duties are communicated to the Accountable Executive and considered in resource requests 

• Provide time necessary for employees to receive sufficient training

• Establish accountability and corrective actions

Guided by our Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE values, we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion, and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal, we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest-quality workforce in our region — a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles: we are Accountable, we are Collaborative, we are Timely, we are Impactful, we Value Employees, we are Accessible, we are Trusted, and we are Equitable. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer

No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on sex, race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religious affiliation, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age except by minimum age and retirement provisions, pregnancy, status as a family caregiver, parental status, marital status, military status or status as a veteran who was honorably discharged or who was discharged solely as a result of the person's sexual orientation or gender identity or expression, citizenship or immigration status, genetic information, or other protected class. However, to the extent that distinction or differential treatment on the basis of citizenship or immigration status is authorized by either federal or state law, regulation, or government contract, it is not an unfair practice.

Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.

King County serves residents with a relentless sense of urgency, delivering on commitments with transparency and accountability. We are action-oriented, creative problem solvers who collaborate across roles, engage directly with communities, and challenge the status quo to achieve meaningful impact. As a unified team, we uphold high ethical and stewardship standards, embrace change, stay curious, and continuously improve. Across all interactions, we listen first, act quickly, and stay aligned as a team to earn and sustain public trust. Learn more about our Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE Values here and visit our Why work at King County page here.