Director of Capital Program Management

Department: Charlotte Area Transit System Department

Salary: $145,541.00 - $209,213.74 Commensurate with Experience

Thank you for your interest in joining the team that keeps Charlotte moving, at a very exciting time for our organization. At the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), we’re committed to delivering safe, reliable, and innovative transit services for our growing community, and we value employees who bring professionalism, passion, and a commitment to public service.

 

This position is currently employed by CATS, a department of the City of Charlotte. With the passage of the PAVE Act and last year’s sales tax referendum, CATS is preparing to transition from a City department to the newly created Metropolitan Public Transit Authority (MPTA). The MPTA was established to strengthen regional transit governance, improve accountability, and support long‑term investment in mobility. It’s an important and exciting step forward for transit in our region.

 

Employees hired into this role will remain City employees through December 31, 2026, and will transition to MPTA employment on January 1, 2027. Benefits and compensation will follow City provisions through 2026 and shift to MPTA provisions in 2027, with clear information shared in advance. Your core duties, reporting structure, and daily responsibilities will remain consistent, with no break in service. If anything delays the transition, your City employment, including compensation and benefits, will remain in place until the move to the MPTA occurs.

 

The creation of the MPTA positions us for a more modern, sustainable, and efficient transit system, one that can better support the Charlotte region for decades to come. We’re excited about what’s ahead and appreciate your interest in being part of it.

SUMMARY

The Director of Capital Program Management serves as the executive leader of CATS’ capital program management function, with authority over capital portfolio governance, capital planning, project controls, performance reporting, and related program support systems. Reporting to the Chief Development Officer, this role holds responsibility for the strategic direction, organizational design, governance frameworks, and operational performance of the Capital Program Management department, including capital planning and prioritization, grant strategy, transit asset management alignment, project controls, capital reporting, PMIS administration, and other enterprise functions supporting disciplined capital delivery.

The Director ensures that CATS’ capital portfolio is planned, prioritized, monitored, and governed in a manner that is transparent, fiscally responsible, data-informed, and aligned with agency strategy, asset condition needs, regulatory requirements, and delivery capacity. This position exercises executive judgment over capital investment governance, capital prioritization, project controls standards, risk and performance reporting, and the systems and processes used to support consistent capital program execution across the organization.
Operating through subordinate managers, analysts, coordinators, technical staff, and external partners, the Director leads continuous improvement and long-range development of CATS’ capital program management capability.
The role serves as a senior representative of CATS with executive leadership, governing bodies, federal and state oversight entities, regional partners, and other stakeholders on matters related to capital portfolio performance, investment strategy, and capital governance, and is accountable for helping ensure that the agency’s capital resources are directed and managed in a disciplined manner that supports organizational sustainability and public trust.

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

The following duties are standard for this position. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the classification if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment for this classification.

Capital Program Leadership

• Exercises decision-making authority within established policy, budget, and governance frameworks.

• Provide executive leadership and strategic direction for CATS’ Capital Program Management function, including capital planning, project controls, transit asset management alignment, PMIS stewardship, and related enterprise capital support activities.

• Ensure capital program management practices are aligned with CATS’ strategic priorities, approved budgets, delivery capacity, asset stewardship needs, and long-term infrastructure objectives.

• Translate executive and Board priorities into effective capital portfolio governance structures, performance expectations, and implementation strategies.

• Exercise authority over capital planning frameworks, governance standards, and portfolio support processes within established fiscal and policy parameters.

Strategic Capital Planning and Investment Governance

• Lead development and oversight of the Capital Investment Plan across short-, mid-, and long-range horizons, ensuring alignment with asset needs, service planning objectives, operational priorities, and funding constraints.

• Establish executive oversight and accountability for capital prioritization methods, evaluation frameworks, and investment decision support processes.

• Ensure capital planning decisions are data-informed, transparent, and aligned with agency strategy, state-of-good-repair needs, and long-term system development goals.

• Recommend capital investment strategies and prioritization approaches to executive leadership based on condition, risk, readiness, financial capacity, and organizational priorities.

Project Controls and Capital Performance Oversight

• Hold enterprise-level accountability for project controls standards, capital performance reporting, and related governance mechanisms across the capital portfolio.

• Establish and maintain capital program expectations related to cost control, schedule management, risk reporting, contingency oversight, change control, documentation discipline, and performance monitoring.

• Ensure consistent use of project controls methodologies, capital reporting tools, and PMIS platforms across the organization.

• Authorize and prioritize improvements to capital controls, forecasting methods, reporting structures, and related support systems.

Transit Asset Management and Lifecycle Integration

• Ensure capital planning and capital reporting practices appropriately incorporate transit asset management principles, lifecycle considerations, reliability needs, and state-of-good-repair priorities.

• Establish alignment between capital investment decision-making and asset condition, replacement cycles, long-term reinvestment needs, and lifecycle cost considerations.

• Support integration of TAM, capital planning, and capital reporting processes to improve visibility into future infrastructure and asset needs.

• Promote disciplined use of asset information and lifecycle thinking in capital investment decisions.

Regulatory, Grant, and Capital Compliance Oversight

• Ensure capital program reporting and supporting processes comply with applicable federal, state, and local requirements, including grant conditions, oversight expectations, audit requirements, and related capital reporting obligations.

• Serve as the executive leader for capital governance and performance reporting related to audits, federal oversight reviews, external reporting, and similar compliance activities.

• Establish accountability for maintaining audit-ready records, defensible governance processes, and disciplined documentation across the capital program management function.

• Escalate significant capital compliance, reporting, or governance risks to the Chief Development Officer and recommend mitigation strategies.

Risk Management and Executive Decision Support

• Lead capital portfolio risk identification, assessment, and mitigation support processes related to cost, schedule, funding, delivery readiness, and long-term reinvestment needs.

• Oversee development of capital forecasts, scenario analyses, and executive decision-support materials related to portfolio performance and future capital obligations.

• Ensure performance data, risk information, and portfolio trends are translated into clear recommendations for executive leadership and governing bodies.

• Support informed decision-making regarding capital investment pacing, prioritization, corrective actions, and resource allocation.

Cross-Functional Coordination and Organizational Alignment

• Coordinate with Major Project Delivery, Engineering, Transit Planning, Operations, Finance, Procurement, Legal, Real Estate and TOD, and other internal functions to align capital governance, reporting, planning, and controls practices.

• Ensure capital program management processes support effective coordination among planning, delivery, asset management, financial, and operational functions.

• Resolve or elevate cross-functional issues affecting capital prioritization, reporting, readiness, or governance.

• Support alignment between capital portfolio decisions and broader agency delivery, financial, and operational constraints.

Organizational Leadership and Management

• Provide executive leadership for a multi-layered Capital Program Management organization through subordinate managers and program leads.

• Set department-wide performance expectations, accountability structures, leadership standards, and professional expectations for the Capital Program Management portfolio.

• Authorize organizational design, staffing models, consultant support strategies, and succession planning to support the evolving maturity of the capital program management function.

• Coordinate with Development and enterprise leadership to ensure staffing, tools, processes, and governance structures are scaled appropriately to agency needs.

Continuous Improvement and Program Development

• Lead executive planning and decision-making related to improvement of capital governance systems, project controls practices, capital planning processes, PMIS tools, and portfolio reporting methods.

• Assess emerging best practices in capital portfolio governance, asset-informed planning, and project controls and recommend appropriate process or system improvements.

• Provide executive leadership for the continued maturation of CATS’ capital program management capability as the agency transitions to a larger and more independent regional authority model.

• Translate lessons learned into long-term improvements in capital planning, controls, transparency, and organizational effectiveness.

Core Competencies:

The position requires demonstrated competency in the following areas:

Technical and Analytical Skills: Advanced knowledge of capital portfolio governance, project controls, planning systems, and related processes; ability to analyze complex problems, evaluate alternatives, and implement effective solutions, including development of new approaches where necessary. Ability to use performance metrics, financial data, risk information, and trend analysis to guide strategic decisions and ensure accountability across the capital portfolio.

• Applies technical expertise to improve capital governance systems and processes.

• Identifies root causes of portfolio, controls, or reporting issues and implements effective solutions.

• Introduces process improvements or systems enhancements when needed.

Fiscal and Asset Management: Ability to guide capital planning and portfolio management in a manner that links financial planning, capital strategy, and asset lifecycle needs; apply lifecycle costing and state-of-good-repair concepts in decision-making; and identify and quantify capital risks and opportunities.

• Guides capital investment planning and portfolio decisions in alignment with financial capacity and long-term infrastructure needs.

• Evaluates cost drivers, capital performance trends, and reinvestment implications.

• Uses lifecycle and asset management principles in capital prioritization and portfolio oversight.

• Identifies and quantifies capital and financial risks and opportunities.

Capital Governance and Project Controls Leadership: Ability to design and oversee governance structures, controls frameworks, reporting standards, and accountability mechanisms that support disciplined capital delivery and transparent decision-making.

• Establishes and enforces enterprise-level standards for controls, reporting, and governance.

• Ensures consistent use of capital performance metrics, PMIS tools, and documented processes.

• Maintains accountability for quality, consistency, and discipline in capital program support functions.

Strategic and Systems Thinking: Ability to align capital planning, portfolio governance, and delivery support functions with agency strategy, asset needs, delivery realities, and long-term system objectives; use data, risk analysis, and industry practice to guide decisions; and anticipate emerging capital planning and governance needs.

• Aligns day-to-day capital program management work with agency strategy and long-term infrastructure goals.

• Uses data, trends, and risk information to guide decisions.

• Anticipates portfolio challenges and governance needs proactively.

Supervision Given to:

• Assistant Director, Project Controls

• Capital Planning Manager

• TAM Manager

• Art in Transit Program Manager

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in public administration, engineering, business administration, finance, planning, construction management, project management, or a related field and seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in capital program management, capital planning, project controls, infrastructure portfolio management, transit asset management, or a related field; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Experience leading complex capital planning, project controls, or portfolio governance functions with accountability for performance, reporting, and organizational outcomes.

•  Experience managing professional and managerial staff within multi-layered organizations.

• Knowledge of and experience applying regulatory, grant, or oversight requirements governing capital programs and public-sector infrastructure investment.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in public administration, engineering, business administration, finance, planning, transportation, or a related field.

• Experience in a public transit agency, transportation authority, public infrastructure, or similarly complex public-sector capital environment.

• Experience overseeing project controls systems, PMIS platforms, capital reporting, or enterprise capital governance processes.

• Experience integrating asset management, lifecycle planning, and capital prioritization practices.

• Experience engaging federal or state oversight entities, governing bodies, or regional partners in a public-facing leadership role.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Knowledge of:

• Capital portfolio governance, capital planning, project management processes, cost estimating methodologies, schedule management, earned value principles, and PMIS/e-Builder or equivalent platforms.

• Federal, state, and local requirements affecting capital planning, grant reporting, oversight reviews, audits, and public-sector infrastructure investment.

• Asset lifecycle planning concepts and integration with capital planning, prioritization, and state-of-good-repair strategies.

• Public-sector budgeting, capital contracting processes, and governance expectations in transit or regional authority settings.

• Best practices in capital controls, risk management, capital performance reporting, and long-range capital planning.

Skill in:

• Providing executive leadership for complex capital program management functions with multiple support disciplines and delivery interfaces.

• Designing governance systems, capital prioritization frameworks, budget and schedule tracking models, and performance reporting structures.

• Interpreting and applying oversight, compliance, and grant requirements to capital governance and reporting practices.

• Analyzing capital portfolio data, trends, risks, and performance indicators to identify issues and improvement opportunities.

• Leading cross-functional collaboration across planning, engineering, delivery, finance, procurement, legal, and operations functions.

• Communicating complex capital planning, financial, and portfolio issues to executive leadership, governing bodies, regulators, and external stakeholders.

• Representing the organization in public forums, oversight engagements, and interagency coordination related to capital investment and governance.

• Exercising independent judgment in managing a high-visibility capital portfolio support function with significant financial and public accountability implications.

• Balancing strategic planning, fiscal discipline, delivery realities, and asset needs in capital decisions.

• Leading and developing senior staff and program leaders with clear accountability and performance expectations.

• Anticipating and mitigating capital governance, reporting, and performance risks.

• Translating organizational strategy and policy direction into effective capital management practices and decision-support frameworks.

• Maintaining professionalism, integrity, and transparency in all aspects of capital governance and external engagement.

Working Environment and Physical Demands:

• Works primarily in an office environment but regularly engages with administrative, planning, and project delivery settings related to capital portfolio management and governance.

• Requires periodic site visits, participation in meetings at various locations, and attendance at executive, Board, oversight, or partner meetings, which may occur outside of standard business hours.

• Involves extended periods of sitting, standing, walking, and use of standard office equipment such as computers, phones, and meeting technologies.

• May occasionally be required to review project or asset conditions in the field, observe capital work environments, or access facilities with varying physical conditions.

• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the role.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

The City’s Background Check Policy requires background checks to be conducted on final internal or external candidate(s) applying for any position with the City of Charlotte. The type of information that will be collected as part of a background check includes, but is not limited to: reference checks, social security verification, education verification, criminal conviction record check, and, if applicable, a credit history check, sex offender registry and motor vehicle records check.

Background checks must be in compliance with all federal and state statutes, such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The checks must be consistent with the guidelines set forth by these laws requiring organizations to obtain a candidate’s written authorization before obtaining a criminal background report, motor vehicle records check or credit report; and to properly store and dispose of information derived from such reports.

Final candidates must pass a pre-employment drug-screening test and physical examination. During the selection process, candidates may be asked to take a skills test, and/or participate in other assessments.

The City of Charlotte is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, national origin, marital status, age, disability, sexual orientation, political affiliation or on the basis of actual or perceived gender as expressed through dress, appearance, or behavior.

Our culture is to serve the community honorably.

HOW TO APPLY

Apply online.

Federal law requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please tell us if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job.

You are welcome to visit the City of Charlotte Human Resources Department lobby, where self-service application kiosks are available. They are located in our office at 700 East 4th Street, Suite 200, Charlotte, NC 28202. We are open Monday through Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (EST), excluding official City holidays.

For questions about your application or the hiring process, please email [email protected]

The City of Charlotte is committed to making our services and programs accessible to all. Upon request, auxiliary aids, written materials in alternate formats, language access, and other reasonable accommodations or modifications will be provided. To make a request, please fill out the Innovation & Technology ADA request form or call 704.336.4120.

BENEFITS

The City of Charlotte provides a comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees.

Click here to learn more about the City of Charlotte’s benefits.

The City of Charlotte is a drug and alcohol-free workplace.