Service Delivery Improvement Manager

A best-in-class city that attracts best-in-class talent, Philadelphia is an incredible place to build a career. From our thriving arts scene and rich history to our culture of passion and grit, there are countless reasons to love living and working here. With a workforce of over 30,000 people, and more than 1,000 different job categories, the City of Philadelphia offers boundless opportunities to make an impact.

As an employer, the City of Philadelphia values inclusion, integrity, innovation, empowerment, and hard work above all else. We offer a vibrant work environment, comprehensive health care and benefits, and the experience you need to grow and excel. If you’re interested in working with a passionate team of people who care about the future of Philadelphia, start here.

What we offer

• Impact - The work you do here matters to millions. 
• Growth - Philadelphia is growing, why not grow with it? 
• Diversity & Inclusion - Find a career in a place where everyone belongs.
• Benefits - We care about your well-being.

Agency Description

The Managing Director’s Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems (OTIS) is charged with driving change through our transportation and infrastructure systems. OTIS leads a portfolio of departments, including Streets Transportation, Streets Sanitation, Philadelphia Water Department (PWD), and Office of Multimodal Planning (OMP) to provide cost-effective quality services with a focus on the resident. OTIS is the home department for the Infrastructure Solutions Team (IST) which leads a cross-departmental group supporting the City’s engagement with the Federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to ensure that these investments grow generational wealth for Philadelphians.

OTIS collaborates with a wide variety of partner entities within the Administration, including the Office of Innovation and Technology, Office of Sustainability, Police, Fleet Management, Parks and Recreation, and Commerce among others.  External partners include the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Philadelphia Gas Works, Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation and many more.

As an office environment, OTIS provides a unique opportunity for individuals who want to make meaningful and visible change in the place where they live. OTIS is staffed by people who believe that investments in the built environment can lift up communities and prepare our city for a vibrant, sustainable and equitable future.

Position Summary

The Service Delivery Improvement Manager position is best suited for a highly motivated, flexible, creative, and independent candidate with excellent communication, interpersonal, and project management skills to drive effective and efficient responses to special projects.  The work will involve planning, coordination and implementation of demonstrations and trials exploring improvements to delivery of city services, management of the right-of-way for unconventional, time-limited activities such as outdoor dining and non-routine transportation needs, and support for special events when required.  

The role may involve delegation to teams responsible for developing and/or implementing innovation.  This Manager will frequently be assigned to organize and lead coordination efforts across departments and entities to implement and trouble shoot deployment.  This work may or may not involve the implementation of new technologies.

This position will be staffed in OTIS but may be assigned to work under other Department leaders and/or their deputies as needed. 

Essential Functions

Planning and Diagnosis

• Confer with the Managing Director, Deputy Managing Directors and select department leads to map out service delivery and operational challenges and match these to Administration Priorities
• Prepare and maintain a prioritized work plan in consultation with Deputy Managing Director identifying candidate initiatives, key partners and proposing timelines and resource requirements.
• Convene and organize among department leads and problem owners to define specific challenges that can be improved through focused collaboration across multiple entities.
• In special circumstances stand up deep-dive diagnostic work on behalf of the Managing Director’s Office (MDO) to support improved delivery of clearly defined services and responsibilities that require improvement.

Collaboration and Communication

• Facilitate internal and external engagement to organize teams around advancing initiatives, demonstration efforts and other initiatives to set goals, support and amplify direction provided by the Managing Director and Deputy Managing Directors.
• Articulate and disseminate direction from Managing Director to achieve meaningful ‘buy-in’ and cooperation from key stakeholders and acceptance of roles and responsibilities.
• Identify and organize subject-matter experts, department leads to scope initiatives a broad range of possible subject areas within, and adjacent to, the portfolio of the Managing Director’s Office.
• Build relationships with staff across various City departments to better implement programs and projects.

Implementation

• Organize cross-functional and interagency teams to fully scope and implement quick win initiatives to address specified improvement objectives.
• Identify benchmarks for success, undertake evaluation in collaboration with department leads, and internal and external stakeholders with focus on learning that supports further improvement and scaling of effective practices and innovation
• Support and document potential and requirements to build out, scale-up and transfer effective
• Identify gaps in policy, direction and implementation that threaten success, then propose, undertake and document actions required to achieve goals. 

Documentation

• Document problem statements, scopes of work, performance, findings and outcomes in a manner suitable for scaling deployments and for establishing and disseminating best practices, scaling deployments.
• Prepare a quarterly report summarizing accomplishments, updating the work plan and projecting opportunities and resource requirements

Competencies, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

The is role is envisioned as a flexible internal consultant, capable of working effectively across multiple subject areas by leveraging communication and organizational skills with existing subject matter experts rather than relying on personal expertise or capacity to any exceptional ability learn on the job.

• Innovation – familiar with state-of-the-art approaches to project management, change management, technology deployment and municipal service delivery
• Communication – Strong written and verbal communication skills with emphasis on interpersonal skills and ability to cultivate strong working relationships with a variety of partners.
• Inclusion – Ability to work in diverse environments including office settings, work sites, and conducting community outreach.
• Critical Thinking – Excellent problem-solving skills.  Adaptable and effective working with imperfect information.
• Entrepreneurship – Action oriented approach with comfort setting goals and achieving results in non-routine and non-recurring
• Planning—can accurately scope out projects to their full extent, set goals, and evaluate progress against them.
• Active Listening—can hear people out; understands the importance of listening to and understanding a wide range of opinions.
• Organizing – can marshal resources to get things done; can orchestrate multiple activities at once to accomplish a goal; uses resources effectively and efficiently; arranges information in a useful manner.
• Partnership – Demonstrated experience developing, and maintaining interdisciplinary partnerships

Successful candidates will know the following:

• Agile management concepts and practices
• Stakeholder engagement best practices and fundamentals of partnership development
• Best practices in project management, and setting and tracking performance toward project goals
• Fundamentals of municipal public works project delivery and operation management

We welcome and encourage applicants with non-traditional career paths. Persons who do not exactly meet the qualifications outlined are encouraged to describe in a cover letter how their experiences equip them to excel in this position.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Completion of a bachelor's degree in public administration, business administration, transportation planning, urban planning, or a closely related field.
• Five or more years of professional project management experience in public infrastructure projects, technology projects, program evaluation, government/public sector project delivery, and/or experience working with constituents and community stakeholders.
• Demonstrable work experience in stakeholder engagement and contract management, budget, and scheduling.

Desirable Qualifications:  

• 10 or more years of experience combined in project management, technology implementation, public or private sector public works, and with municipal government departments focused on operations and service delivery.
• Familiarity with grant-funded projects, particularly in the context of the public sector.
• Proficiency in a second language.

A master’s degree may be substituted for up to two years of work experience.

TO APPLY: Interested candidates must submit a cover letter and resume.

Salary Range: $72,000 - $90,000

Discover the Perks of Being a City of Philadelphia Employee:

• Transportation: City employees get unlimited FREE public transportation all year long through SEPTA’s Key Advantage program. Employees can ride on SEPTA buses, subways, trolleys, and regional rail for their daily commute and more.
• Parental Benefits: The City offers its employees 8 weeks of paid parental leave.
• We offer Comprehensive health coverage for employees and their eligible dependents.
• Our wellness program offers eligibility into the discounted medical plan
• Employees receive paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays
• Generous retirement savings options are available
• Pay off your student loans faster - As a qualifying employer, City of Philadelphia employees are eligible to participate in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Join the ranks of hundreds of employees who have already benefited from this program and achieved student loan forgiveness.
• Unlock Tuition Discounts and Scholarships - The City of Philadelphia has forged partnerships with over a dozen esteemed colleges and universities in the area, ensuring that our employees have access to a wide range of tuition discounts and scholarships. Experience savings of 10% to 40% on your educational expenses, extending not only to City employees but in some cases, spouse and dependents too!

Join the City of Philadelphia team today and seize these incredible benefits designed to enhance your financial well-being and personal growth!

*The successful candidate must be a city of Philadelphia resident within six months of hire

Effective May 22, 2023, vaccinations are no longer required for new employees that work in non-medical, non-emergency or patient facing positions with the City of Philadelphia. As a result, only employees in positions providing services that  are patient-facing medical care (ex: Nurses, doctors, emergency medical personnel), must be fully vaccinated.

The City of Philadelphia is an Equal Opportunity employer and does not permit discrimination based on race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, source of income, familial status, genetic information or domestic or sexual violence victim status. If you believe you were discriminated against, call the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations at 215-686-4670 or send an email to [email protected].

For more information, go to: Human Relations Website: http://www.phila.gov/humanrelations/Pages/default.aspx