Principal, Rail Expansion Program

Job Title

Principal, Rail Expansion Program

Job ID

Company

TransLink

Location

Greater Vancouver

Full/Part Time

Full-Time

Regular/Temporary

Regular

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Marketing Statement

A career at TransLink and our family of companies means working with people with a wide range of skills and perspectives, all teaming up towards a common goal: preserving and enhancing the region's world-envied quality of life. Together, we connect the region and enhance its livability by providing a sustainable transit and transportation network, embraced by our communities and people.

At TransLink we are dedicated to building a workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities in which we live. We’re committed to fostering an inclusive, equitable and accessible workplace, recognizing the unique value and skills every individual brings.

Looking for a great place to work where your contributions are valued and you can make a difference in a vibrant city? At TransLink, one of BC’s Top Employers, you'll help make Metro Vancouver a better place to live, built on transportation excellence. Put your future in motion!

Responsibilities

PRIMARY PURPOSE

Leads the Rail Expansion Program Office, providing strategic direction, leadership, and advice to ensure outcomes are achieved for the modernization and expansion of the Expo and Millennium Lines. Ensures TransLink’s objectives are met for Program delivery related to budget, timing, customer experience, safety, and reliability. Represents TransLink at a senior level internally and with key external stakeholders.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Provides overall leadership and program management for the delivery of the Rail Expansion Program. Responsible for program controls, reporting, and coordination for modernization and expansion of the Expo and Millennium Lines ensuring objectives of the EMUP, BSP and SLS business cases are achieved. Ensures Program delivery meets partner, stakeholder and customer expectations, and the required service levels are achieved safely and reliably.

Ensures Program adherence to established program and project management methods, standards, guidelines, tools, and techniques. Oversees management of Program scope, schedule, budget, risks, and interdependencies. Directs the development of significant capital budget proposals and program change requests with large strategic impact and/or financial impact.

Presents and reports to the executives and the Board on overall Program delivery performance, including progress of key projects, strategic impact, and issues of critical and/or broad impact. Advises executives on critical risk management strategies as they relate to the delivery of the Program.

Provides strategic advice on contract engineering services, developing procurement strategies in collaboration with Procurement and evaluating proposals/bids based on best value. Oversees the management of highly sensitive agreements and contracts.

Chairs working groups, ensuring that Program issues and decisions are appropriately reviewed and vetted prior to being raised to the steering committee for resolution. Provides support to the steering committee in bringing forth recommendations from the Working Group, and ensuring decisions are properly assigned and actioned.

Manages internal relationships with other TransLink divisions and operating companies to facilitate decisions at project and program level to support Program outcomes and the resolution of issues and concerns with significant and long-term impacts on operational procedures. Develops and maintains strong partnerships with municipal governments, the province, key stakeholders, and industry to share information, anticipate needs, manage expectations, resolve controversial issues, proactively address concerns, and minimize risk in the delivery of the Program.

As a member of departmental leadership team, supports the Vice-President and Director, Transit Expansion in the creation and delivery of the annual divisional Business and departmental Business Plans, and in strategic planning activities. Translates key divisional and departmental strategies into plans and programs for all reporting areas and ensures achievement of divisional and departmental goals.

Provides broad direction for reporting managers, including selection, training, coaching, development, performance management and all other people management practices. Manages staff, consultant, and contractor resources for the development aspects of the Rail Expansion Program Office.

Operates within a matrix organizational structure as a member of the Rail Expansion Leadership Team, formally reporting to the Director, Transit Expansion (TransLink) and matrixed into the Executive Director, Capital & Expansion Programs (BCRTC), providing integrated leadership across project delivery, operational readiness, and stakeholder groups to achieve program objectives

Qualifications

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

University degree in Engineering, Planning or a related discipline, P.Eng. designation or PMP certification, plus ten (10) years of experience including progressive levels of management accountability in an agency specializing in planning or transportation; with senior level experience working with projects that require technical skills and political acumen.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Expert leadership skills to provide coaching, development and performance management to multiple programs and projects reporting Managers, Project Managers, and other professionals, and to drive change and promote a culture of responsibility and quality throughout the department.

Expert relationship building with multiple internal and external stakeholders to identify mutually acceptable solutions, and work to achieve consensus between groups; includes negotiation skills as they pertain to contracts, multi-party agreements, and conflict resolution.

Expert analytical thinking and problem-solving skills to resolve critical and high impact issues, and to identify and assess the impacts of multi-program related risks and opportunities in an integrated, multi-disciplinary environment.

Expert financial acumen to allow for effective planning, management, and expenditure of operational and capital costs.

Expert time management and organizational skills to balance and coordinate effort across multiple, concurrent activities

Excellent executive presence, business partnering, and interpersonal communication skills.

Expert reporting and presentation skills for communication with both internal and external stakeholders

Other Information

The Principal, Rail Expansion Program supports the successful delivery of a complex portfolio of rail expansion and capacity improvement projects by leading a multidisciplinary team within a matrix environment and providing strategic oversight across the program. The role facilitates alignment and integration between projects delivered by the Province and internally, operations, maintenance, technical stakeholders, and project delivery organizations to ensure dependencies, interfaces, risks, and opportunities are proactively identified and managed.

Working closely with project teams and senior leaders, the Principal establishes effective governance, reporting, and decision-making processes that enable informed trade-offs, timely issue resolution, and organizational alignment. Success in this role is demonstrated through strong internal and external alignment, effective coordination across multiple projects and stakeholders, and ultimately the successful readiness and in-service delivery of major transit expansion initiatives, including the Broadway Subway Project and Surrey Langley SkyTrain.

Recruitment Process: An applicant will be required to demonstrate their suitability for this position by meeting the minimum level of qualifications and experience in order to be invited into the selection process. A standard interview format will be used including general, scenario and behavioural descriptive inter