01 Nov VTA announces nationwide search for Director, Construction
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA)
Position Description – Director, Construction
ABOUT:
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is seeking a highly qualified Director of Construction. VTA is an independent special district that provides transit services throughout Santa Clara County, California. Its services include bus, light rail, and paratransit services, and VTA is a funding partner in regional rail service including Caltrain, Capitol Corridor, and the Altamont Corridor Express. In addition to operating and funding transit service, VTA serves as the county’s congestion management agency and has responsibility for countywide transportation planning to include highway, pedestrian and bicycle improvement projects and the promotion of transit-oriented development. To learn more about VTA, please visit www.vta.org.
Under the general direction of the Chief BART Silicon Valley Program Officer, the Director of Construction plans, designs, and oversees design and construction of VTA highway projects, bus and rail facilities, and other capital projects, including VTA’s BART Silicon Valley Phase II Project. VTA’s BART Silicon Valley Phase II Extension Project is the largest single public infrastructure project ever constructed in Santa Clara County. The project will extend BART service 6-miles from the Berryessa Transit Center into downtown San Jose and ending in the City of Santa Clara and includes the construction of a tunnel that will be approximately five-miles long. The Director will serve an integral role in the design and construction of this project.
TYPICAL TASKS:
Typical responsibilities of the Director of Construction include the following.
- Selects, supervises, trains, motivates, assigns, evaluates, counsels, and disciplines staff;
- Plans, organizes, directs, staffs, coordinates, controls, and manages design and construction for VTA’s highway program and/or rail and facilities construction programs;
- Directs the planning, environmental analysis, design, and oversight of the construction of major highway and road improvement projects and/or transit facilities, ensuring they are built on time, within budget, and to appropriate standards;
- Performs strategic planning activities associated with the implementation of VTA’s highway improvement program and/or rail construction program;
- Participates in the development and negotiation of contracts and cooperative agreements with Caltrans, local cities, utilities, regulators, and other government agencies, as well as with construction contractors and consultants;
- Approves expenditures, implements adjustments and authorizes contract payments;
- Represents VTA in design and construction related legal and financial issues, contractual matters, public safety, and related issues;
- Manages groups of in-house and contract planning, engineering, and construction personnel engaged in diverse and complex highway and rail improvement activities;
- Represents VTA before the Board of Directors, city councils, governmental agencies, boards and commissions, and local citizens in public meetings and hearings;
- Oversees and participates in the development and administration of the division’s annual budget; approves the forecast of funds needed for staffing, equipment, materials, and supplies; approves expenditures and implements budgetary adjustments as appropriate;
- Prepares reports and correspondence;
- Assures compliance with VTA policies and procedures regarding equal employment opportunity and discrimination and harassment prevention;
- Performs other related duties as required.
EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS:
Development of the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is most typically obtained through training and experience equivalent to graduation from an accredited college or university with major work in civil or transportation engineering, business administration, public administration, or a related field and extensive, increasingly responsible experience in the management of major capital improvement projects in a public or private transportation engineering or public works organization.
Registration as a professional civil engineer in the State of California is highly desirable, but not required.
Knowledge of:
- State and federal laws relating to transportation design, construction, financing, real estate, and environmental requirements and programs;
- Principles and current practices of:
- Public works management and administration, with particular emphasis on state and local transportation programs;
- Transportation planning, engineering, design, and construction administration, as applied to structures, roadways, facilities, and related transportation projects;
- Project and program management, including cost and schedule control, quality assurance, and claim avoidance;
- Real estate appraisal, acquisition, and relocation;
- Environmental compliance;
- Local, regional, state and federal funding programs and processes;
- Construction and professional service contracts, joint powers agreements, and cooperative agreements.
Ability to:
- Plan, organize, direct, coordinate, and supervise the work of engineering and construction management staff and/or firms;
- Provide direction in a variety of operational settings;
- Deal with issues involving diverse governmental functions;
- Define problems, collect, analyze, interpret and evaluate data; define and select alternatives; establish rationale for and project consequences of decisions and/or recommendations;
- Communicate clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing;
- Interpret complex regulations, laws and guidelines;
- Prepare and present concise and logical oral and written reports explaining policy, procedures or recommendations on a wide variety of issues;
- Plan, organize, direct, implement, and evaluate the achievement of VTA and division goals and objectives;
- Assume initiative in seeking logical problem-solving solutions to issues;
- Establish and maintain effective working relationships with state and local officials, consultants and contractors, and the general public;
- Select, supervise, train, motivate, assign, evaluate, counsel and discipline staff;
- Prepare and control the budget;
- Effectively represent VTA before the Board of Directors, city councils, other governmental agencies, and the public;
- Develop and maintain positive working relationships with peers and staff.
TO APPLY:
VTA has engaged Krauthamer & Associates (“K&A”), a retained executive search firm, to assist with the recruitment for the Director of Construction. To request more information or to submit a resume and cover letter, please contact Gregg Moser, Partner at K&A, at gmoser@kapartners.com.