AVP Digital & Distribution - 90389211 - Washington

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 AVP, Digital & Distribution is a transformational, innovative leader responsible for pushing boundaries and driving growth for Amtrak’s digital channels and experiences. This includes maximizing performance and customer satisfaction for Amtrak’s commerce channels (website, mobile app, kiosk, and onboard) and non-transactional digital interfaces (station, train information and onboard). This strategic role further maximizes Amtrak’s digital revenue and ridership contribution through growing accretive partnerships with corporate and leisure third-party entities (multiple partners and points of sale). Leads and develops key disciplines within the Digital & Distribution organization: Design & Product Management, User Acceptance Testing and Third-Party Distribution Strategy Teams. This ensures holistic channel management and focus on delivering best-in-class experiences to Amtrak customers. Maintains a strong pulse on all areas within the field and identifies candidates for application to Amtrak’s customer experience (e.g., AI, IoT, wearables, voice, AR, VR) and emerging MarTech capabilities and platforms (CMS, DAM, CDP). Strong strategic and executional partner with Technology Team, Legal Compliance, Operations, Commercial Real Estate, Product Development, Marketing, Pricing & Revenue Management and Analytics teams. Ensures the total Commercial digital roadmap is prioritized and enacted per cross-functional alignment. Stewards multi-million-dollar Capital and Operational budgets on behalf of Amtrak, ensuring highest best use of the funds across the organization. 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
Strategy & Leadership

• Leads, coaches, and develops key disciplines within the Digital & Distribution organization: Design & Product Management, User Acceptance Testing and Third-Party Distribution Strategy Teams.
• Drives digital transformation. Shepherds opportunities to maximize the performance of Amtrak’s digital products (website, mobile app, kiosk and onboard) and in-station and onboard non-transactional digital experiences. Ensures a data-driven approach, prioritizing revenue, conversion, and customer satisfaction. 
• Develops, in close coordination with the Pricing & Revenue Management Team, business line owners, product team, marketing, operations, finance and IT teams, a strategy for digital-based sales distribution. This strategy must address both short-term and long-term investments. 
• Partners with the Technology Team and other organizations to secure and manage appropriate funding and support resources, either IT, vendor, or contractor, as necessary for implementation
• Partners with Technology teams, ensure that (a) technology is maintained and operating for optimum / targeted performance, and (b) elevated levels of system security is maintained, drawing on IT, staff, and contractor management.
• Fosters an environment where employees maintain expert technical, product, design, distribution, and analytical skills.
• Monitors and analyzes KPIs related to digital and distribution performance to illuminate insights and enact otpmizations. Ensure course correction and optimization as required, managing Digital Direct and Third-Party Distribution channels holistically. 
• Champions key projects on behalf of Digital including Amtrak’s next iteration of Digital Payments and Reservations systems.

Design & Product Management

• Oversees the design and development of the digital customer experience including, journey mapping, prototyping, analytic decision making, graphic design and user interface elements consistent with Amtrak brand standards that are professionally executed, promote ease of use, and project a positive image for Amtrak in the marketplace. 
• Ensures proper digital research and testing of new conversion driving initiatives.
• Ensures optimal UX and design best practices are followed, leading to quality, brand right, streamlined customer-facing digital experiences.
• Grows partner relationships and outcomes including CMS providers, language translation, virtual assistant, travel insurance and payment providers; Ensures Amtrak is maximizing value and innovation from these providers.
• Drawing on the strategy, oversees documentation of plans, project financial requirements, business cases, and information necessary to secure senior management support and funding through Amtrak’s capital planning process. 
• Leads strategy for product growth initiatives and backlog.

User Acceptance Testing

• Oversees functional and front-end testing and quality assurance for all digital form factors prior to delivering to market.
• Ensures TDD and testing automation is implemented, and team is scaled for efficiency and quality.
• Ensures front and back-end rigor and quality in testing activities.
• Ensures best-in-class framework for documenting, reporting, and resolving identified issues. 

Third-Party Distribution Strategy

• Oversees the development and enactment of the third-party distribution strategy that is revenue and ridership accretive.
• Seeks out new ventures and partnerships to grow the business. Maximizes value with existing partnerships.
• Partners with Pricing & Revenue Management Teams to identify the optimal strategy by partner and point of sale.
• Performs technical distribution leadership in partnership with I.T. to deploy and maintain success on new partners.
• Analytics and reporting on business performance to highlight trends and insights. Ensure course correction and optimization as required.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Exceptional leadership, communication, and presentation skills; strong listening skills; demonstrated ability to ask effective questions, comfortable presenting in front of senior management and executives.
• Exceptional strategic thinker and negotiator
• Proven track record of leading successful digital and third party distribution transformation initiatives 
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Exemplary critical-thinking skills, attention to detail and ability to perform responsibilities with a high degree of quality and accuracy.
• Ability to simplify difficult situations into pragmatic solutions  
• Ability to develop and maintain excellent working relationships at all organizational levels with internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to work in a dynamic, fast-paced environment that requires the individual to manage simultaneously several tasks, while paying attention to detail and quality.
• 10+ years of experience in the digital and third party distribution field with OTA ground and leisure partners
• 10+_years of leading a team of 15+ individuals.
• Bachelor’s degree in digital and/or business discipline

MINIMUM KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Advanced leadership and management skills with proven ability to motivate others; effective writing, presentation, meeting, and facilitation skills; interpersonal communication; time management; and conflict resolution and investigation skills.
• Demonstrated experience communicating orally and in writing with the corporation and externally.
• Expertise in financial analysis, forecasting, budgeting, and reporting
• Expertise in MarTech platforms and technologies necessary for building digital experiences and content (e.g. iOS, Android, Adobe, CMS, Salesforce, APIs)
• Expertise in web, mobile app UX and design and UX best practices
• Excellent interpersonal, organizational, motivational and team building skills.
• Maintains a strong pulse on all areas within the field and identifies candidates for application to Amtrak’s customer experience (e.g., generative AI, IoT, wearables, voice, AR, VR) and emerging MarTech capabilities and platforms (CMS, DAM, CDP). Self-starter who initiates actions and follows up to get results; conscientious with consistent attention to detail and quality.
• Articulate, with excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master’s Degree in a digital discipline or a related field
• Extensive related work experience with, and strong functional knowledge of, reservation systems or travel industry reservation and ticketing systems.
• Strong functional knowledge of Amtrak’s operational and technology systems.
• Strong knowledge in customer experience methodology and design.
• Knowledge of Agile methodology and development.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• A dynamic, fast-paced environment that requires the individual to manage many initiatives and requests simultaneously, while ensuring detail and quality.
• Additional working hours may be required.
• Travel: 15%

COMMUNICATIONS AND INTERPERSONAL SKILLS:
Must have excellent oral and written communication skills.

PAY TRANSPARENCY:

The salary/hourly range is $208,200-$269,900. 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:164116
Posting Location(s):District of Columbia; New York; Pennsylvania

Work Arrangement:06-Onsite Click here for more information about work arrangements at Amtrak. 
Job Family/Function:Research & Strategy 
Relocation Offered:No 
Travel Requirements:Up to 25% 

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..