VP Project Development & Planning Services - 90381202 - Washington/Philadelphia/New York (Hybrid)

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 purpose of this position is to lead the Program Development and Project Services (PDPS) office within the Capital Delivery (CAPD) organization. The primary responsibilities of PDPS are to determine how projects will be delivered, ensure compliance with cultural and environmental regulations, and provide functional support, including scoping, commercial management, project controls (estimating, schedule & cost), project risk and quality for all program/project delivery teams. This office focuses on providing services and functional support aimed to increasing safe, on-time, on-budget delivery of high-quality assets. 

This office has significant impact on the success of the overall capital program, driving many of the early key decisions that are critical for project success, as well as setting the processes and procedures to support projects through delivery. 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
•    Leadership & Oversight: Provide strategic leadership and direction to the teams within the Program Development and Project Services (PDPS) office, ensuring effective collaboration and coordination across departments to maximize Amtrak’s interests.
•    Project Development and Commercial Management: Lead development of project, including determining delivery strategy and packaging strategy to maximize value to Amtrak. Provide leadership for Commercial management function, to support enabling project teams to develop commercially savvy structures and enforce contracts effectively.
•    Project Controls: Develop and deliver expert project controls support to project teams, including training project-based Project Controls Engineers. Set and implement Project Controls policies and procedures including for the following: Estimating, Scheduling, Cost Engineering and Project Risk Management. Influence project outcomes by building culture and tools to support Earned Value Management 
•    Environmental & Cultural Compliance: Provide support and technical guidance on navigating all federal and cultural resource regulations, such as the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). This will ensure each project is developed and delivered responsibly and in compliance with all applicable laws. 
•    Quality & Training / Document Management: Drives the standardization of processes across CAPD by supporting the other functional groups within PDPS in the development of procedures, providing training on those procedures and assuring compliance. Document management is a function within the Quality & Training department that establishes project document management processes and provides training across CAPD on the implementation of those processes. 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
•    Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Business or related field (degree requirement may be waived by an additional 4 years of relevant experience). 
 

MIMINUM KSA (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities):
•    Expert collaboration skills: Ability to partner with multiple stakeholders to creatively problem-solve to maximize Amtrak’s strategic interests. Ability to achieve and sustain strategic alignment across multiple levels of both internal and external organizations, with a track record of successful coordination across diverse stakeholders with competing objectives.
•    Expert ability to properly structure and resource projects and programs to optimize value and risk transfer. Extensive experience with project development and alternatives analysis and alternative project delivery methods.
•    Strong team building and people management skills, with experience with training or coaching.
•    Executive level oral and written communication skills across all levels of internal and external stakeholder groups. Ability to organize and present executive, board and congressional level reports, proposals, and other related information.
•    Experience developing plans of funding and finance from multiple sources. Knowledge and understanding of federal government funding protocols and regulatory compliance requirements related to publicly funded project and program delivery, including permitting and public engagement processes.
•    A demonstrable track record of delivering value for money outcomes on large complex programs, ability to drive decision-making through risk and data-based analysis. 
•    Executive level proficiency in Project Management core competencies; scope, schedule, budget, risk, quality, integration, resource management, prioritization, continuous improvement, and communications. 
•    Experience in major construction project management, engineering and/or construction, contract management, and commercial strategy.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
•    Master’s Degree in Business, Law, or Construction Management

     Minimum 20 years’ experience leading the development and/or delivery of complex infrastructure projects.

•    A track record of successful public-private partnership or multi-party agreement negotiations.
•    Experience with capital delivery within operating environment preferred.
•    Familiarity of railroad construction and operations. 

WORK ENVIRONMENT:
•    Position may be based Washington, Philadelphia, or New York and will require frequent daily travel between these and other cities along the Northeast Corridor. Occasional travel will be required to locations not located on the Northeast Corridor.
•    Travel: 25-35% (overnight) 
•    Constantly works in fast-paced, time sensitive environment with frequently changing priorities.
•    Frequently resolves problems with conflicting priorities in cognitively demanding situations.
•    Ability to work under pressure and with minimum direct supervision.

COMMUNICATIONS AND INTERPERSONAL SKILLS:

Must have excellent oral and written communication skills.

The salary/hourly range is $236,200-$306,100. 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 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:162834
Posting Location(s):District of Columbia; New York; Pennsylvania

Work Arrangement: On-site and Hybrid Work Schedule
Job Family/Function:Engineering; Research & Strategy 
Relocation Offered:Yes 
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 EOE/Affirmative Action Minority/Female employer, and we welcome all to apply. We consider candidates regardless of race/color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related conditions), national origin/ethnicity, age, 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.