This position can be based in Washington DC or New York, NY. Job SummaryThe Senior Director of Operations leads a team of highly experienced operations leaders across Amtrak's Stations, Onboard Services, and Coach Cleaning functions on the Northeast Corridor (NEC), the core of Amtrak's national network. This role demands a strong and consistent presence in the field, within a 24/7 operating environment, maintaining high availability, including nights and weekends, to ensure operational stability and provide leadership during critical moments. The position demands a hands-on leader who actively engages employees and champions a culture rooted in safety, operational excellence, financial discipline, and customer satisfaction.
The Senior Director acts as a catalyst for transformation. A change agent who relentlessly questions how work is organized, staffed, and delivered. Challenging legacy structures, outdated processes, and long-held assumptions to uncover inefficiencies and redesign the operation for efficiency and customer impact. Every aspect of the operation is open for examination: organizational design, role clarity, shift patterns, workflow sequencing, resource allocation, and cross-team coordination. The mandate is to rethink, rebuild, and elevate.
The ideal candidate is a decisive, action-oriented, entrepreneurial leader who treats the organization as a high-performing business unit. A critical driver in preparing the organization for next-generation service delivery, both in stations and aboard the new Acela and Airo trainsets, advancing Amtrak's evolution from a traditional transportation provider into a hospitality-driven service organization.
Essential Functions- Develop and implement customer service strategies for stations and onboard services.
- Collaborate with internal stakeholders to establish service standards and ensure consistency.
- Build a safe work environment and safe travel experience by demonstrating the leadership required to sustain a zero incident, zero injury culture.
- Lead the team to achieve operational excellence that drives long term customer loyalty and retention.
- Develop talent through effective performance management, strategic hiring, effective training, and ongoing investment in employee growth to meet performance goals.
- Oversee budget development, manage operating costs, direct staffing practices, and drive productivity initiatives to strengthen overall financial performance.
- Monitor performance metrics, analyze customer feedback and act on improvement opportunities.
Minimum Qualifications- Bachelor's Degree or equivalent combination of education, training and/or relevant experience.
- Plus 13 years of relevant work experience.
Preferred Qualifications- Bachelor's Degree or equivalent combination of education, training and/or relevant experience.
- Plus 15 years of relevant work experience.
- Experience in the industries of hospitality or transportation are preferred.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities- Extensive leadership experience in multi-regional transportation or hospitality operations, with a proven ability to elevate customer service while delivering measurable financial gains.
- Strong leadership to inspire teams for service excellence.
- Excellent communication for collaboration with stakeholders.
- Proven success in driving customer service improvements.
- Knowledgeable in transportation industry practices and safety standards.
- Analytical skills to identify service gaps and implement solutions.
- Experience in managing customer service operations.
- Adaptability to changing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
The salary/hourly range is $187,500.00 - $242,892.00. Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to education, work experience, certifications, etc. Depending on an employee's assigned worksite or location, Amtrak may consider a geo-pay differential to be applied to the employee's base salary. Amtrak may offer additional incentive and pay programs to recognize and reward our employees, including a short-term incentive bonus based upon factors such as individual and company performance that is commensurate with the level of the position.
Health and WellbeingFinancial and RetirementWork and Family Life SupportHealth, Dental, and Vision Insurance401K with Employer MatchGenerous Paid Time Off Wellness ProgramsRailroad Retirement BenefitsPaid Caregiving Days and Backup CareHealth Savings AccountPublic Service Student Loan ForgivenessFertility and Family Building BenefitsNo-cost Personal Health AdvocateStudent Loan AssistanceAdoption and Surrogacy AssistanceMedical Plan Opt-out CreditTuition and Education ReimbursementPaid Family Leave Life InsuranceRail Pass Privileges Short- and Long-term Disability InsuranceEmployee Assistance Program No-cost Financial Advisor SessionsCommuter and Flexible Spending Accounts
Learn more about our benefits offerings here.
Requisition ID:166616
Work Arrangement:06-Onsite 4/5 Days Click here for more information about work arrangements at Amtrak.
Relocation Offered:Yes
Travel Requirements:Up to 25%
