MPTA Executive Special Assistant

Department: Charlotte Area Transit System Department

Salary: $81,226.00 - $116,762.94 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 Executive Special Assistant provides high‑level, strategic support to the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), serving as a trusted advisor in managing executive priorities, complex initiatives, and sensitive organizational matters. They coordinate and advance multifaceted projects, communications, and stakeholder relationships while overseeing executive office operations with exceptional judgment, discretion, and political awareness.

This role ensures the CAO and CEO are fully supported and prepared by managing competing demands; organizing high‑visibility meetings, briefings, and executive materials; and independently driving follow‑through on issues, requests, and action items. The Executive Special Assistant is expected to anticipate needs, uphold confidentiality, manage sensitive information responsibly, and help maintain alignment across strategic initiatives and organizational commitments.

Characterized by strategic coordination, independence, and trusted-advisor engagement, this role plays a critical part in sustaining effective executive decision support, issue management, and stakeholder continuity for the organization.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

Strategic Executive Support

• Provide high‑level, strategic support to assigned executives, ensuring administrative, operational, and communication activities align with organizational priorities and leadership expectations.
• Manage executive priorities, scheduling demands, commitments, and workflow with strong foresight, anticipating needs and proactively preparing required materials.
• Prepare, refine, and coordinate polished executive correspondence, presentations, briefings, talking points, reports, and other strategic materials.
• Ensure executives are fully informed, equipped, and supported for meetings, decisions, public engagements, and internal leadership interactions.

 

Complex Project and Issue Coordination

• Coordinate and support highly complex, high‑visibility assignments, projects, initiatives, and follow‑up actions on behalf of executive leadership.
• Track deadlines, commitments, decision points, major initiatives, and deliverables requiring executive attention or organizational follow‑through.
• Gather context, data, and insights from departments, leaders, and stakeholders to support issue resolution and inform executive decision‑making.
• Independently advance assigned matters, navigating barriers and resolving issues within delegated authority while maintaining alignment with expectations.

 

Executive Communications and Workflow Management

• Oversee and prioritize executive-level communications, including emails, correspondence, requests, and scheduling matters, ensuring clarity and responsiveness.
•  Identify and elevate urgent, sensitive, high‑impact, or politically relevant issues requiring timely executive awareness or action.
•  Draft, refine, and coordinate routine and semi‑routine communications, ensuring professional tone and accuracy.
• Serve as a trusted gatekeeper for the executive office, managing access, maintaining communication flow, and ensuring appropriate follow‑up.

Stakeholder and Relationship Coordination

• Coordinate interactions with internal leaders, board-related functions, external agencies, regional partners, vendors, and community organizations to support executive relationships and priorities.
• Maintain continuity and professionalism in executive relationships by tracking follow‑up items, commitments, and stakeholder concerns.
• Represent the executive office with credibility and diplomacy in communications, scheduling, and coordination activities.
• Ensure stakeholder inquiries, concerns, and requests are organized, monitored, and addressed promptly and appropriately.

 

Board, Leadership, and Executive Office Support

• Coordinate materials, agendas, logistics, and follow‑up for board-level, leadership, and executive meetings, ensuring accuracy, clarity, and readiness.
• Organize records, calendars, executive files, tracking tools, and reference materials to maintain a high-functioning executive office.
• Support administrative processes related to reporting cycles, special initiatives, leadership meetings, and executive operational controls.
• Maintain structure, consistency, and accountability across executive office operations by ensuring alignment and documentation integrity.

 

Confidential and Sensitive Administrative Support

• Manage confidential, politically sensitive, legal, financial, personnel, and operational information with exceptional discretion and sound judgment.
• Exercise professionalism and maturity when handling sensitive communications or high‑risk matters requiring careful navigation.
• Identify reputational, operational, or organizational risks early and respond appropriately through coordination, communication, or escalation.
• Uphold confidentiality, integrity, and professionalism in every facet of executive support and information management.

Core Competencies:

Strategic Thinking: Ability to interpret executive priorities, organizational dynamics, and the broader implications of decisions; align support activities with strategic direction; and anticipate how issues, stakeholder interests, and timing influence executive outcomes.

• Aligns daily actions, communication, and workflow with executive priorities and organizational goals.
• Anticipates how issues, decisions, and emerging trends may impact broader operations and relationships.
• Balances immediate demands with longer-term strategic needs, organizing work to support both effectively.

 

Advanced Problem Solving: Ability to assess complex executive and administrative challenges, analyze information, identify viable options, and independently move issues toward resolution within delegated authority.

• Resolves high‑complexity coordination and operational issues with minimal direction.
•  Identifies barriers, risks, and dependencies, taking proactive action to mitigate or resolve them.
•  Elevates matters requiring executive attention with thoughtful context, options, and supporting information.

 

Project Management: Ability to coordinate and sustain momentum across high‑stakes, multi‑step initiatives involving multiple contributors, tight deadlines, and executive decision points.

• Monitors major initiatives, commitments, deadlines, and action items with precision and clarity.
• Coordinates logistics, materials, communication pathways, and follow‑up across complex assignments.
• Maintains continuity and visibility across moving pieces to keep projects organized and progressing.

 

Stakeholder Management: Ability to build and maintain professional, diplomatic, and credible relationships with senior leaders, internal staff, external agencies, regional partners, vendors, and other stakeholders.

• Engages effectively and respectfully with leaders and stakeholders across organizational boundaries.
• Supports continuity and responsiveness in executive-level relationships and interactions.
• Navigates sensitive situations with tact, professionalism, and sound judgment.

 

Proactive Decision-Making: Ability to anticipate needs, assess priorities, and take timely action within delegated authority to prevent delays, resolve issues, and maintain executive momentum.

• Anticipates executive needs and initiates action without unnecessary prompting.
• Distinguishes urgent matters from routine workflow and responds appropriately.
• Makes informed decisions that sustain executive progress and support uninterrupted operations.

 

Minimum Qualifications

• Associate degree and seven (7) years of progressively responsible clerical, administrative support, customer service, or general office support experience, including at least four (4) years supporting a senior executive, chief, or other executive-level leader; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

 

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, office administration, public administration, communications, political science, or a related field.
• Experience supporting executive leadership in a public agency, transportation organization, or similarly complex operating environment.
• Experience coordinating board-related materials, executive briefings, leadership communications, or high-visibility strategic initiatives.
• Experience serving in a trusted executive support role requiring mature judgment, discretion, and independent action.
• Experience managing highly sensitive information, executive priorities, complex scheduling, high-level communications, and cross-functional coordination.
• Experience supporting complex projects, executive follow-up, stakeholder interactions, and executive office operations with substantial independence.
• Experience using standard office software, including word processing, email, spreadsheets, calendar applications, presentation software, and collaboration tools.

 

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.