Director-Business Transformation

Salary range is $154k to $268k, with a midpoint of $211k.  New hires typically receive between minimum and midpoint, however, we may go slightly higher based on experience, internal equity and market.

Sound Transit also offers a competitive benefits package with a wide range of offerings, including:

• Health Benefits: We offer two choices of medical plans, a dental plan, and a vision plan all at no cost for employee coverage; comprehensive benefits for employees and eligible dependents, including a spouse or domestic partner.
• Long-Term Disability and Life Insurance.
• Employee Assistance Program.
• Retirement Plans: 401a – 10% of employee contribution with a 12% match by Sound Transit; 457b – up to IRS maximum (employee only contribution).
• Paid Time Off: Employees accrue 25 days of paid time off annually with increases at four, eight and twelve years of service. Employees at the director level and up accrue additional days. We also observe 12 paid holidays and provide up to 2 paid floating holidays and up to 2 paid volunteer days per year.
• Parental Leave: 12 weeks of parental leave for new parents.
• Pet Insurance.
• ORCA Card: All full-time employees will receive an ORCA card at no cost.
• Tuition Reimbursement: Sound Transit will pay up to $5,000 annually for approved tuition expenses.
• Inclusive Reproductive Health Support Services.
• Compensation Practices: We offer competitive salaries based on market rates and internal equity. In addition to compensation and benefits, you’ll find that we provide work-life balance, opportunities for professional development and recognition from your colleagues.

GENERAL PURPOSE: 

The position plays a key role in transforming Sound Transit’s financial, asset management and enterprise business processes. The Director of Business Transformation serves as a strategic advisor and trusted partner to identify capabilities required in the future-state organization and collaborates across different functions to optimize processes and strengthen the integration of agency data to support both near-term and long-term objectives. The role leads teams responsible for transforming financial, asset management, human resources and procurement systems and data, designs and delivers a suite of transformation services and drives organizational change for strategic initiatives. The Director also partners with functional leaders to develop and execute the agency’s strategic business services transformation roadmap.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
The following duties are a representative summary of the primary duties and responsibilities. Incumbent(s) may not be required to perform all duties listed and may be required to perform additional, position-specific duties.

• Enterprise Business Transformation Strategy: The role involves defining and advancing the Agency’s enterprise business transformation vision, strategy, and operating model. It includes establishing the future-state capabilities, prioritizing initiatives based on value and organizational capacity, and ensuring alignment across business and technology functions. The Director leads the development of a cohesive transformation roadmap and business architecture that drives efficiency, integration, and long-term organizational effectiveness. Responsibilities include: 
  • Creates a One Sound Transit transformation vision for business processes and financial systems. 
  • Defines strategic business transformation initiatives, vision, strategy, and roadmap in close partnership with IT, Finance, and business leadership. 
  • Defines to-be state and capability model for critical process improvements to increase efficiencies and effectiveness by utilizing a balance of structured and agile methodologies, end-to-end and in part. 
  • Develops total cost of ownership for impacted process and system changes to implement changes with clarity of outcome, cost benefit analysis, prioritization of initiatives, and assessment of agency bandwidth. 
• ERP/EAM Modernization Leadership & Continuous Improvement: The role focuses on delivering enterprise-wide business transformation outcomes across Financial, Human Resources, Procurement, and Enterprise Asset Management domains – this includes providing enterprise leadership, oversight, and coordination for the ERP and EAM modernization initiatives in close partnership with the CIO and business leaders; while ensuring alignment between system implementations, business process improvements, data integration, and organizational readiness. The Director drives continuous improvement by enabling process simplification, standardization, and data-driven decision-making, and ensures that transformation initiatives deliver sustainable business value through effective governance, stakeholder alignment, and benefits realization.
  • Drives ERP/EAM Transformation Program to replace existing JD Edwards and Enterprise Asset Management Systems and incorporate opportunities to consolidate systems. This role is responsible and accountable for the delivery of enterprise-wide Financial, Human Resources, Procurement, and Enterprise Asset Management transformation programs. The Director is responsible for ensuring that system implementations, business process changes, and organizational readiness are fully aligned and successfully delivered to achieve sustainable business outcomes. This responsibility includes:
  • Providing overall leadership and decision-making authority for the system implementation programs, including prioritization, sequencing, issue resolution, and trade-off decisions.
  • Owning the integrated delivery of systems, business processes, and organizational change, ensuring they function as a cohesive transformation effort.
  • Maintaining strong program and implementation governance, including executive reporting, escalation paths, dependency management, and vendor performance management.
  • Coordinating work across multiple system integrators, internal teams, and business stakeholders to ensure aligned and timely delivery.
  • Being accountable for on-time and on-budget implementation while managing organizational capacity, operational risk, and transition readiness.
  • Ensuring change management, training, and user adoption are delivered as core components of the system implementation effort.
  • Defines and utilizes data to re-design and re-engineer processes by breaking down the complexities to achieve simplification.
• Organizational Change, Stakeholder Engagement, Coaching & Culture: The role focuses on enabling successful adoption of transformation initiatives through strong stakeholder engagement, organizational change management, and leadership coaching. It includes building trusted relationships across business units, fostering alignment and accountability, and ensuring that change is effectively communicated, understood, and sustained. The Director promotes a culture of collaboration, continuous improvement, and values-based leadership across the Agency.
  • Oversees the Agency Enterprise Business Architecture Program in partnership with IT
  • Oversees the Agency’s Change Management Program in partnership with People & Culture
  • Leads change management efforts, builds and foster relationships with business units to scale transformation impact towards organization goals. 
  • Provides oversight of team and transformation initiatives by building and coaching a diversified team. 
  • Presents and communicates to large and executive audiences. 
  • Provides leadership to project teams including direct and indirect resources, business, and technology partners, as a servant leader to coach change. 
• Champions and models Sound Transit's core values and demonstrates values-based behaviors in everyday interactions across the agency. 
• Contributes to a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion in alignment with Sound Transit’s Equity & Inclusion Policy. 
• It is the responsibility of all employees to follow the Agency safety rules, regulations, and procedures pertaining to their assigned duties and responsibilities, which could include systems, operations, and/or other employees. 
• It is the responsibility of all employees to integrate sustainability into everyday business practices. 
• Other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Education and Experience: Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Business Administration, or a closely related field. Eight years of experience in leading business processes and technology transformations. Experience to leverage data and systems to align processes through automations, process simplifications and standardization. Experience in business process management or management consulting (internal/external) preferred; Or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Six years of leadership, budgetary, planning and workforce management experience.

Preferred Licenses or Certifications:  

• Six Sigma Blackbelt
• Change Management Certification
• Enterprise Business Architecture Certification 

Required Knowledge and Skills:

• Excellent at building executive-level relationships and responding to strategic business needs. Proven track record to lead and deliver large scale complex projects. 
• Strong strategic thinking, leadership, and relationship management with strong communication skills. 
• Proactive management of resources, priorities, and expert at leading high-performance teams. 
• Highly dependable and operates with integrity and transparency. 

Preferred Knowledge and skills: 

• Visionary leader, innovative change agent, and coach to define vision and land desired outcomes. 
• Managed and delivered at least 2 sizable ERP systems across multiple business units successfully, on time, on budget and on scope
• Strong collaboration skills across multiple stakeholders. 
• Ability to deal with ambiguity and complexity of processes.

Physical Demands / Work Environment:  

• Work is performed in a standard hybrid office environment. 
• The Agency promotes a safe and healthy work environment and provides appropriate safety and equipment training for all personnel as required. 

Sound Transit is an equal employment opportunity employer. No person is unlawfully excluded from employment action 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.