Senior Schedule Planner at King County – Seattle, Washington

NOTE: The application period has now closed. Only Priority Placement Program participant applications will be added to the candidate pool.

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This position is open to: *PER LOCAL 587 CONTRACT RULES THIS OPPORTUNITY IS OPEN TO METRO'S FIRST LINE BUS SUPERVISORS, FIRST LINE RAIL OR O&M SUPERVISORS, OR OSS COORDINATORS. A RECENT MOU WITH L587 NOW ALLOWS RAIL & O&M SUPERVISORS WHO DO NOT HAVE PREVIOUS BUS SUPERVISION TO APPLY. SUPERVISORS-IN-TRAINING (SITs) ARE NOT ALLOWED TO FILL THIS POSITION UNTIL THEIR SIT TRAINING IS COMPLETE. SITs CAN APPLY IN ANTICIPATION OF COMPLETING THEIR TRAINING IN TIME FOR THE START OF THIS ASSIGNMENT.

Metro's Service Development Section has an exciting Career Service opportunity to work as part of the Scheduling group.

Individuals with previous “Scheduling Trainee” experience are highly encouraged to apply for this position.

Senior Schedule Planners develop and implement new and revised transit service schedules to improve service quality and productivity, while creating and updating vehicle and operator assignments. Work involves assessing and adjusting transit service schedules to address changing road/traffic conditions and changes to service while balancing that with optimizing workforce and fleet requirements, and cost to Metro. The Scheduling group and its Schedulers also support rail scheduling, special service requests, as well as the general administration of HASTUS as it pertains to Scheduling’s work.

Work is often performed independently but also involves collaboration within the group and with partners across Metro, elsewhere within King County, and even with external organizations. The work is conducted under the general supervision of the Scheduling Superintendent.

This recruitment will be used to fill 1 Career Service position. In addition, this selection process may be used to generate an eligibility list for future Career Service, Term Limited Temporary, and Special Duty Assignment vacancies that may occur in this classification within this workgroup. The eligibility list will be retained for 12 months from the date of posting and may be used at the discretion of the hiring authority.

Applying equity and social justice principles is a daily responsibility and a foundational expectation for all King County employees. You will apply equity and social justice principles that exemplify shared values, behaviors, and practices to all aspects of the work. You will also:

• Use scheduling software HASTUS to coordinate the development of new and revised transit schedules for regular bus, light rail, streetcar, marine, contract, and special event related transit service, as required.
• Conduct "what-ifs". Establish operator and vehicle assignments according to union contract and service requirements.
• Develop draft and final production schedules of new and revised transit service using customer and driver feedback, advanced HASTUS software modules and ATP/runtime analysis.
• Incorporate input from and coordination with service and facilities planners and operations staff and service performance data including ridership and running time.
• Consider Metro's Service Guidelines, developing schedules to optimize customer service, operator working conditions and cost efficiency.
• Monitor and evaluate service performance to ensure schedules are accurate and fulfill desired objectives.
• Collaborate with other transit personnel, service planners, operators, and the public to gather information for continued improvement of service schedules.
• Review customer concerns and respond accordingly per agency protocol.
• Coordinate and consult with other Transit Division staff on bus layover requirements, operator restroom access, adverse weather planning, data integrity and appropriate dissemination of schedule information; answer questions and follow-up with staff as required.
• Produce documents and reports in support of Operations and other internal and external users of schedule information.
• Support Operations during adverse weather events, by staffing the DOC at the Road Relief desk when required.
• Coordinate with external agencies to deliver or alter transit service based on negotiated contract specifications or in response to special events or other external circumstances coordinate with internal staff to deliver revised or special event service.
• Serve on project and committee work teams to support and implement new capital investments or service-related programs and projects.
• Forecast required number and type of coaches required to meet new and changing service demands. Explore and inform discussions around optimal base assignment for service.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

We are looking for candidates who have:

• A strong interest in the technical work behind transit schedules
• Good written communication skills, especially in the form of written instruction
• An ability to work in a team environment, collaborate with others, and build increasing strong technical skills as a Scheduler.
• Knowledge of city and county geography, and area traffic patterns
• Knowledge of various types of coach equipment
• Excellent oral and written communication skills; excellent interpersonal skills
• Customer service skills
• Ability to work independently and set priorities to meet production deadlines.
• Skill in working with a variety of individuals from diverse backgrounds.
• Skill in mathematics and statistical calculations
• Skill in entering and extracting information from information systems.
• Skill in planning, assigning, balancing, and checking work.
• Previous experience as a Scheduling Trainee is preferred.

Application & Selection Process
*PER LOCAL 587 CONTRACT RULES THIS SDA OPPORTUNITY IS OPEN TO METRO'S FIRST LINE BUS SUPERVISORS, FIRST LINE RAIL OR O&M SUPERVISORS, OR OSS COORDINATORS. A RECENT MOU WITH L587 NOW ALLOWS RAIL & O&M SUPERVISORS WHO DO NOT HAVE PREVIOUS BUS SUPERVISION TO APPLY. SUPERVISORS-IN-TRAINING (SITs) ARE NOT ALLOWED TO FILL THIS POSITION UNTIL THEIR SIT TRAINING IS COMPLETE. SITs CAN APPLY IN ANTICIPATION OF COMPLETING THEIR TRAINING IN TIME FOR THE START OF THIS ASSIGNMENT.

Required Application Materials and Forms:
An online employment application, answers to the supplemental questions, and a letter of interest describing your qualifications are required.
The required letter of interest should explain why you are interested in this position and how you meet the qualifications described in this job posting. Applicants will be screened for competitiveness, completeness, and written communication skills.

Who May Apply
We are accepting applications from King County Metro employees only. (Must be compliant with Local 587 contract rules above)

Work Schedule
The work week is Monday through Friday, day shift; a flexible work schedule is available with approval. Variations in hours are occasionally necessary.

Union Representation/Job Code/Grade
LOCAL 587/241806/Grade 45

Work Location
This is a hybrid position. The main work site for this position is King Street Center, 201 S Jackson St., Seattle, WA 98104. The team works in a hybrid model, with days in the office as well as telecommuting. Currently, there will be a minimum of one day per week (Tuesdays) required in the office. The ratio of remote to onsite work will be dependent on business needs and is subject to change. Employees will have access to shared workspaces at various King County facilities. Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

To Apply
If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact: Tracy Bylund @ tbylund@kingcounty.gov

Forbes named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.

Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.Guided by our "True North", we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles - we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer

No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.

To Apply

If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions, please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.