Transit Base Chief - Bus Operations

Lead People. Deliver Service. Make a Difference.

Metro Transit’s Bus Operations Division is seeking to hire five (5) Transit Base Chiefs! These career service positions are open to all qualified applicants. As a Transit Base Chief, you'll help lead a diverse workforce in a fast-paced, seven-day-a-week operation. Working as part of a base leadership team under the direction of a Transit Superintendent, you'll supervise Transit Operators and First-Line Supervisors while helping deliver safe, clean, reliable, and customer-focused transit service.

King County Metro operates one of the nation's leading public transportation systems, connecting people throughout King County to work, school, healthcare, and the communities they call home.

Bus Operations work is guided by a shared vision:

Safety comes first for us and our customers. We serve with pride, respect each other, and solve problems together. We are one team. 

If you're passionate about developing people, leading through challenges, and making a meaningful impact in your community, we encourage you to apply.

About the Role:

Transit Base Chiefs provide day-to-day leadership within Bus Operations by balancing employee support, operational priorities, safety, labor relations, and customer service. Every day presents new opportunities to lead, requiring sound judgment, adaptability, collaboration, and the ability to build trust while navigating a variety of operational and employee situations.

Working closely with a Transit Superintendent and other Base Chiefs, you'll help create a positive workplace culture while supporting reliable transit service for the communities we serve.

• Lead, coach, and support Transit Operators and First-Line Supervisors.
• Promote a safe, respectful, and inclusive workplace.
• Support safe, reliable, and efficient daily transit operations.

• Manage employee performance through coaching, recognition, investigations, and corrective action.
• Interpret and apply labor agreements, County policies, and Metro procedures.
• Conduct grievance hearings and help resolve employee relations matters.
• Use sound judgment to balance operational priorities while supporting employees and customers.
• Build collaborative relationships with employees, labor representatives, and internal partners.
• Perform additional leadership responsibilities and special projects as assigned to support Bus Operations' operational priorities.

We're looking for leaders who are committed to public service, operational excellence, and developing others.

Candidates must meet the following minimum qualifications to be considered for the position:

• Three years of progressively responsible leadership experience in public transportation or another complex operational environment, including at least two years in a supervisory or lead role.
• Experience supervising employees in a unionized or similarly complex workplace.
• Experience addressing employee performance and workplace issues.
• Experience interpreting and applying policies, procedures, or labor agreements.
• Strong leadership, communication, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• A commitment to safety, equity, inclusion, and customer service.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and the ability to learn new technology.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience with grievance administration.
• Experience in workforce planning.
• Experience in operational performance analysis.
• Experience using workforce scheduling or comparable operational management software.
• Experience using Microsoft 365.
• Experience in continuous improvement initiatives.

To Apply:

If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions, please contact Kam Kaur, Talent Advisor at [email protected]. 

Required Application Materials:

• Submit an online application through our careers site. Update your application with all relevant work history going back at least 10 years (or more if necessary), including detailed job duties, dates of employment, and clear explanations for reasons for leaving.
• Thoroughly respond to all required Supplemental Questions within the application.

Please visit this page if you need assistance with your application, need links to Career Support Services, and for Application FAQs - Find a job with us - King County, Washington.

Selection Process:

Applications and required documents will be reviewed for clarity, thoroughness, competitiveness, and writing skills. Your application must confirm and support your answers to the supplemental questions. If responses cannot be validated within your application, or if applications are missing the required materials listed in this job announcement, candidates may be removed from consideration.

The most competitive candidates may be asked to participate in one or more panel interviews. Final scores may be weighted to consider overall application materials, relevant experience, and interview scores. Offers and start dates will be finalized after completing any required pre-employment screenings, such as reference checks and/or internal record reviews.

Work Schedule and Location: 

This position is exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and is not over-time eligible. Transit Base Chiefs support Bus Operations throughout King County. Initial work location, schedule, and assignment are based on operational needs and may include leadership responsibilities at any transit base, including Transit Rover assignments. Work schedules vary and may include weekdays, weekends, evenings, holidays, or other shifts. You may be assigned to any King County Metro Bus Operations bases such as Atlantic, Bellevue, Central, East, North, Ryerson, South, or Tukwila.

Final interview candidates will have an opportunity to ask questions about anticipated work location, schedule, and assignment. Applicants are encouraged to apply based on their interest in serving as a Transit Base Chief rather than a specific work location or schedule.

Safety Responsibility: Immediate Supervisor

• Ensure that SMS is implemented and executed within their areas of responsibility
• Ensure that performance of SMS is measured and documented in all areas of their responsibility
• 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
• Work on hazard identification analysis, tracking, and mitigation as safety concerns are brought forward
• Provide onsite safety orientation to all new or transferred employees
• Hold and document required safety meetings
• Work on hazard identification and mitigation are brought forward
• Ensure the maintenance of a safe workplace in conformity with Metro Transit safety programs
• Report safety and security concerns and ideas

Union Status: This position is represented by the C3: PROTEC17-Transit Chiefs
 

King County's Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE Values unite us.

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.

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.