Department: Charlotte Area Transit System Department

Salary: $126,009.00 - $181,137.64 Commensurate with Experience

SUMMARY
The Director of Transit System Safety provides strategic and operational leadership for safety across all CATS modes, including bus, rail, paratransit, construction safety and construction code compliance. Reporting to the CSSO, this role ensures compliance with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), state, and local safety regulations, and oversees implementation of the Safety Management System (SMS) and CATS' Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP).

This position leads the Safety Management team, including modal safety managers, supervisors, specialists, and training staff, and is responsible for accident and incident investigations, safety compliance, training, construction safety, and video support for investigations. The Director drives a culture of proactive hazard identification, risk mitigation, and continuous improvement across all CATS operations and facilities.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

Safety Program Leadership

• Lead the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of CATS' SMS and PTASP.
• Led preparation for FTA audits, SSOA reviews, corrective action plans (CAPs), triennial reviews, special investigations, and regulatory compliance activities.
• Ensure safety compliance for bus, rail, and construction operations in accordance with federal and state requirements.
• Coordinate official agency response to federal and state safety findings, recommendations, enforcement actions, and requests for information.
• Provide oversight of cross-functional safety initiatives and monitoring involving Operations, Maintenance, Capital Programs, Emergency Management, and Quality Assurance
• Establish policies, procedures, and reporting structures to strengthen safety performance.

Incident and Risk Management

• Direct investigations of accidents, incidents, and near-misses, ensuring timely root cause analysis and corrective action.
• Oversee hazard identification and risk assessment processes across all modes.
• Coordinate with Risk Management on hazardous materials management and incident reviews.

Training and Compliance Oversight

• Supervise safety training programs for operators, supervisors, and support staff.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA, NFPA, fire codes, and environmental health and safety standards.
• Maintain documentation and certification processes for safety compliance.

Construction and Facility Safety and Code Compliance

• Oversee safety and code compliance for capital construction projects, facility improvements, and other construction-related work.
• Ensure contractors comply with applicable safety requirements, construction codes, permits, approved plans, and CATS standards.
• Conduct or oversee site audits, inspections, and compliance reviews for facilities and projects.
• Coordinate with project teams, contractors, inspectors, and code officials to address hazards, deficiencies, and corrective actions. Leadership and Engagement

• Supervise safety managers, supervisors, and specialists across bus, rail, and construction.
• Build safety awareness through communications, campaigns, and recognition programs.
• Represent CATS with regulators, oversight agencies, and peer organizations on safety matters.

Resource and Budget Management

• Manage safety program budgets, resources, and grants related to safety initiatives.
• Recommend capital safety investments and technology upgrades to improve system safety.

Core Competencies

Transit Safety Leadership: Ability to provide strategic and operational leadership for system safety across bus, rail, paratransit, facilities, and capital project environments, and to translate agency priorities and regulatory expectations into an effective, organization-wide safety program.

• Establishes clear direction, priorities, and accountability for bus safety, rail safety, construction safety, and construction code compliance programs and staff. Aligns safety and code compliance activities with CATS' mission, operating realities, and long-term system needs.
• Promotes consistent safety and compliance expectations across multiple modes, departments, and work environments.
• Reinforces leadership ownership of safety and code compliance outcomes throughout the organization.

Safety Management Systems and Regulatory Compliance: Advanced knowledge of Safety Management Systems, PTASP requirements, and related transit, occupational, fire/life safety, and construction safety standards, and the ability to apply those requirements in practical, sustainable ways.

• Leads implementation and continuous improvement of SMS and PTASP processes across the agency.
• Ensures safety programs and practices support applicable FTA, OSHA, NFPA, and related requirements.
• Establishes policies, procedures, reporting structures, and documentation standards that support compliance and accountability.
• Maintains readiness for oversight reviews, audits, certifications, and regulatory follow-up activities.

Hazard Identification, Investigation, and Risk Management: Ability to identify hazards, assess risk, direct investigations, determine root causes, and implement corrective and preventive actions that reduce exposure and strengthen system safety.

• Oversees hazard identification, reporting, and risk assessment processes across modes and facilities.
• Directs investigations of accidents, incidents, near-misses, and other safety events with attention to root cause and system factors.
• Uses risk-based thinking to prioritize mitigation strategies, corrective actions, and safety investments.
• Strengthens organizational learning by converting findings into process, training, and control improvements.

Construction Safety and Construction Code Compliance:Advanced knowledge of construction safety management, applicable construction codes and standards, plan review, permitting, inspection, testing, commissioning, and project acceptance requirements, and the ability to lead consistent application of those requirements across CATS capital projects and facilities.

• Establishes construction safety and code compliance expectations for project teams, design consultants, contractors, inspectors, and other responsible parties.
• Ensures project designs, construction documents, construction activities, and completed work are reviewed and inspected for conformance with applicable codes, permits, approved documents, contractual requirements, and CATS standards.
• Coordinates with authorities having jurisdiction, code officials, design professionals, contractors, and internal project teams to resolve code interpretations, deficiencies, nonconforming work, and project acceptance issues.
• Maintains accountability for permits, reviews, inspections, testing, certifications, corrective actions, compliance records, and closeout documentation.

Training, Safety Culture, and Workforce Engagement: Ability to build a proactive safety culture through communication, training, coaching, and visible leadership engagement that strengthens awareness, accountability, and safe work practices.

• Ensures safety training programs support employee readiness, role clarity, and regulatory requirements.
• Promotes safety awareness through communication campaigns, reinforcement strategies, and leadership engagement.
• Builds shared ownership of safety by engaging managers, frontline employees, contractors, and project teams.
• Uses training and communication as tools to prevent incidents and strengthen operational discipline.

Cross-Functional Collaboration and Influence: Ability to work effectively across operations, maintenance, capital projects, risk management, and external stakeholders to embed safety into agency decision-making and resolve issues in complex operational settings.

• Builds effective working relationships with leaders and staff across multiple departments and disciplines.
• Coordinates with capital project teams, design consultants, contractors, code officials, authorities having jurisdiction, regulators, and partner agencies on safety planning, design and construction reviews, inspections, permitting, code interpretations, and issue resolution. Gains cooperation on corrective actions, mitigation measures, and safety priorities in environments with competing demands.
• Represents CATS credibly on transit safety and construction code compliance matters with regulators, code officials, authorities having jurisdiction, contractors, and external partners on transit safety matters with oversight agencies and external partners.

Leadership of People, Programs, and Resources: Ability to lead managers and specialized safety staff, establish performance expectations, and direct budgets, staffing, and program resources in support of risk-based priorities and organizational needs.

• Sets standards for leadership, responsiveness, technical quality, independence, documentation, and accountability across bus safety, rail safety, construction safety, and construction code compliance functions. Develops staff capability and supports effective supervision, succession readiness, and professional growth.
• Aligns staffing, technology, and budget resources with the most significant safety risks and operational priorities.
• Oversees multiple safety and code compliance programs while maintaining appropriate coordination, technical independence, and focus on long-term capability and performance improvement..

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Knowledge of:

• Public transit construction safety principles, practices, and risk controls across bus, rail, paratransit, facilities, and capital project environments. Safety Management Systems (SMS), Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP) requirements, and related FTA oversight expectations.
• Applicable OSHA, NFPA, fire/life safety, environmental health and safety, and construction safety laws, regulations, standards, and practices.
• Applicable building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, accessibility, fire/life safety, and other construction codes and standards relevant to transit facilities and infrastructure.
• Hazard identification, risk assessment, incident investigation, root cause analysis, and corrective action methodologies.
• Safety training principles, adult learning considerations, certification tracking, and compliance documentation practices.
• Safety audit, construction-site inspection, code compliance review, document review, testing verification, and field observation methods in operational and capital project settings.
• Public-sector program management, budgeting, grants, and resource planning related to safety initiatives and investments.
• Cross-functional operating environments in which safety must be integrated with service delivery, maintenance, construction, and organizational priorities.
• Construction permitting, plan review, inspection, testing, commissioning, occupancy approval, project acceptance, and closeout processes.
• Roles and responsibilities of authorities having jurisdiction, code officials, design professionals, contractors, construction managers, inspectors, and project owners in establishing and documenting construction code compliance.
• Construction documents, specifications, submittals, design changes, field modifications, nonconformance reports, corrective actions, and other records used to verify code and contract compliance.

Skill in:

• Leading bus safety, rail safety, construction safety, and construction code compliance programs in complex multimodal operating and capital project environments. Implementing and strengthening SMS, PTASP, hazard management, and corrective action processes.
• Directing investigations, analyzing incidents, and identifying practical, risk-based mitigation strategies.
• Conducting or overseeing safety audits, construction-site inspections, plan and document reviews, code compliance reviews, testing and commissioning verification, and project closeout reviews. Developing and supporting safety training and communication programs for varied audiences.
• Building effective working relationships with operations, maintenance, capital project teams, design consultants, contractors, code officials, authorities having jurisdiction, regulators, and partner agencies. Using data, trends, and findings to inform priorities, resource allocation, and continuous improvement efforts.
• Managing staff, budgets, and program resources in a way that aligns with operational risk and agency priorities.
• Communicating clearly and credibly on technical, regulato