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Director - Third Party Agreements - 90361655 - New York, DC or Philadelphia (Onsite)

Date:  Mar 17, 2025
Location: 

New York, NY, US, 10119

Company:  Amtrak

Your success is a train ride away!

As we move America’s workforce toward the future, Amtrak connects businesses and communities across the country. We employ more than 20,000 diverse, energetic professionals in a variety of career fields throughout the United States. The safety of our passengers, our employees, the public and our operating environment is our priority, and the success of our railroad is due to our employees.

 

Are you ready to join our team?

Our values of ‘Do the Right Thing, Excel Together and Put Customers First’ are at the heart of what matters most to us, and our Core Capabilities, ‘Building Trust, Accountability, Effective Communication, Customer Focus, and Proactive Safety & Security’ are what every employee needs to know and do to be most impactful at Amtrak. By living the Amtrak values, focusing on our capabilities, and actively embracing and fostering diverse ideas, backgrounds, and perspectives, together we will honor our past and make Amtrak a company of the future.

 

SUMMARY OF DUTIES:

The Director - Third Party Agreements (Joint Projects), is responsible for agreements with project partners for Amtrak capital projects as well as agreements with third parties for non-Amtrak led projects. The Director will prepare agreements and supporting documentation, develop negotiating strategies and positions, take a lead role in negotiations, brief leadership on agreement status, coordinate with internal and external stakeholders, and execute agreements. The position is responsible for agreements with agencies such as NJ TRANSIT, MTA, SEPTA, PennDOT, Michigan DOT, and various other commuter railroads and state and local entities and third parties for Amtrak capital projects and third-party projects, including drafting agreements and key provisions, development of negotiating strategies and positions, taking a lead role in negotiations of agreements, coordination with internal stakeholders, and execution of agreements. This position is responsible for agreements for a number of agencies, including but not limited to NJ Transit, the MTA, the PANYNJ, SEPTA, Metra, PennDOT, and others. Areas of responsibility include coordination and development of agreements with agencies, authorities and departments (federal, state, local, and bi-state), Amtrak and private parties for the purposes of executing Amtrak’s capital program and for third-party sole benefit projects. This position will also coordinate with project teams, strategic planning, capital and operational budgeting, law, risk, and departments within Amtrak. 

                                                                                                                             


ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

  • Draft design phase, construction phase, project funding, and project development agreements to effectuate Amtrak’s capital program and third-party projects, including the development of key commercial terms within those agreements; 

  • Organize agreement kick-off meetings and coordinate the agreement development with internal stakeholders, such as Engineering, Law, Finance, Strategic Planning, Grants, and Risk, to ensure compliance with Amtrak legal and financial requirements and objectives;  

  • Negotiate the terms of agreements with external parties with the support of internal stakeholders, brief senior leadership on the status of negotiations and provide recommendations for the negotiating strategy;  

  • Obtain cost estimates and insurance requirements from internal stakeholders;  

  • Oversee the use of the online third-party portal for receipt of agreement applications and make recommendations for technical improvements;  

  • Develop and maintain procedures, processes, and templates for agreements with third-parties, including an agreement repository to store executed agreements;  

  • Ensure document management of in-process and executed agreements;  

  • Closely coordinate with the Amtrak Permits team to ensure that agreements are in place for the issuance of third-party permits and with the Engineering team to facilitate the design review process for third-party projects;  

  • Monitor expenditures for third-party projects to ensure compliance with the financial terms;  

  • Coordinate departmental planning, performance goals, operating and capital budgeting, forecasting and other issues. 

 


MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Bachelor’s degree in business, transportation or related field or equivalent combination of training, education, and relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a degree 

  • Relevant experience

  • Understanding of construction, design/engineering, and consultant contractual instruments including contract type and terms & conditions. 

  • Effective communication skills for developing relationships with project partners and leading negotiations of agreements.  

  • Excellent written skills in drafting and reviewing agreements, contracts, or other documents.

 


MINIMUM KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

  • Superior quantitative and analytical skills, along with strategic, business and political savvy. 

  • Demonstrated ability in customer service and contract negotiations and administration.  

  • Experience in PC based applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, financial planning/reporting systems, and other technology-based systems.  

  • Experience negotiating and administering various contract types of varying sizes and types of agreements within the architecture, engineering and construction industry. 

  • Strong advocacy and communication skills, including experience in making presentations to senior management and third parties.  

  • Strong verbal and written communication skills, including ability to articulate complex issues and interact with outside stakeholders as well as all levels of Amtrak employees. 

  • Ability to provide subordinates with guidance, direction, motivation and training to good negotiating strategies, value-analysis techniques, in-depth market research of market trends, and new negotiation techniques. 

  • Embraces learning new tasks, both complex and simple, to maintain effectiveness in this position. 

 

 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Master’s degree in business, transportation, law, or related field or equivalent combination of training, education, and relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a degree 

  • 11-14 years of relevant experience, including at least five years in the transportation industry. While a law degree is a preferred qualification, this person in this will not be acting as a lawyer for Amtrak.

  • Understanding of rail operations and infrastructure.  

  • Experience in working with governmental agencies or commuter agencies. 

  • Experience in negotiating complex issues and drafting appropriate contract terms with federal, state, and local officials and private industry representatives.

 

 

WORK ENVRIORNMENT:

  • Works inside a climate-controlled environment. 

  • Uses a personal to access standard office automation software and Amtrak-specific applications to perform a variety of tasks, including communications, creating and reviewing documents, and analyzing information. 

  • Performs tasks that require sitting for an extended period. 

  • Requires travel via a variety of modes and work during irregular hours.

 


COMMUNICATIONS AND INTERPERSONAL SKILLS: 

Must have excellent oral and written communication skills.

 

#LI-CD1

 

The salary range is $163,000-$211,140. Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to education, work experience, certifications, internal equity, 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 and/or long-term incentive plan compensation. In addition to your salary, Amtrak offers a comprehensive benefit package that includes health, dental, and vision plans; health savings accounts; wellness programs; flexible spending accounts; 401K retirement plan with employer match; life insurance; short and long term disability insurance; paid time off; back-up care; adoption assistance; surrogacy assistance; reimbursement of education expenses; Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility; Railroad Retirement sickness and retirement benefits; and rail pass privileges. Learn more about our benefits offerings here.

 

Requisition ID:164253
Posting Location(s):New York

Work Arrangement:06-Onsite Click here for more information about work arrangements at Amtrak. 
Job Family/Function:Engineering 
Relocation Offered:No 
Travel Requirements:Up to 50% 

You power our progress through your performance.
 

We want your work at Amtrak to be more than a job. We want your career at Amtrak to be a fulfilling experience where you find challenging work, rewarding opportunities, respect among colleagues, and attractive compensation. Amtrak maintains a culture that values high performance and recognizes individual employee contributions. 


Amtrak is committed to a safe workplace free of drugs and alcohol. All Amtrak positions requires a pre-employment background check that includes prior employment verification, a criminal history check and a pre-employment drug screen. 

Candidates who test positive for marijuana will be disqualified, regardless of any state or local statute, ordinance, regulation, or other law that legalizes or decriminalizes the use or possession of marijuana, whether for medical, recreational, or other use. Amtrak's pre-employment drug testing program is administered in accordance with DOT regulations and applicable law.  


In accordance with DOT regulations (49 CFR § 40.25), Amtrak is required to obtain prior drug and alcohol testing records for applicants/employees intending to perform safety-sensitive duties for covered Department of Transportation positions. If an applicant/employee refuses to provide written consent for Amtrak to obtain these records, the individual will not be permitted to perform safety-sensitive functions.

 

In accordance with federal law governing security checks of covered individuals for providers of public transportation (Title 6 U.S.C. §1143), Amtrak is required to screen applicants for any permanent or interim disqualifying criminal offenses. 


Note that any education requirement listed above may be deemed satisfied if you have an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.


Amtrak is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race/color, to include traits historically associated with race, including but not limited to, hair texture and hairstyles such as braids, locks and twists, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related conditions, such as lactation), national origin/ethnicity, disability (intellectual, mental and physical), veteran status, marital status, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, genetic information, citizenship or any other personal characteristics protected by law..
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