Technical Project Manager - Bus Technology

We are looking for a Senior Technical Project Manager to join our industry-leading in-house Bus Tech team and lead a vital investment in our on-board bus technology. Working side by side with MBTA and external stakeholders, you will lead a project to pilot off-the-shelf technology to automatically ticket motorists illegally blocking bus stops and lanes. Your work will play a pivotal role in enhancing bus service reliability and accessibility, directly supporting the MBTA’s commitment to improving transit equity and efficiency. This project aligns with the MBTA’s planned ~$200M investment over the next four years to upgrade bus stops and implement bus priority infrastructure. This initiative will put the MBTA on par with peer agencies such as New York City Transit, Los Angeles Metro, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, which have taken steps to implement similar technology following legislation.   You will lead the project in close collaboration with several MBTA teams: Transit Technology, Rider Tools, Bus Transformation, and the Regional Transit Planning team. This is a contract position with a fixed term of 18 months, offering an exciting opportunity to make a significant impact on the modernization of MBTA bus service. However, this position may be extended past the initial 18-month term.

• As a Senior Technical Project Manager in the Technology Innovation Department, you are the bridge between in-house technology staff, experienced MBTA partners, and modern external technology vendors. Successfully delivering technology projects within a complex government agency like the MBTA will require a wide set of skills. One day you may be writing technical language for a Request for Proposal (RFP), the next you might be wearing a safety vest for a site visit at a bus garage, and the next you might be delivering a high-level summary of your work to internal stakeholders.

• Systems thinking: The MBTA is a complex, 120-year old transit agency with a huge number of moving parts. Our team needs to understand the complexities of running transit services, the business operations of the MBTA, and how riders use our system to get around Boston in order to successfully deliver meaningful improvements.  

• Empathy: You think about our users (whether riders or operations staff) constantly and are always looking for ways to understand their lived experience. 

• Communication and Stakeholder Management: TID is an interdisciplinary team sitting within a large public agency. Succeeding means getting our many vendors and other partners bought into our vision. You’re able to communicate clearly and effectively about TID projects to internal and external stakeholders.  

• Stakeholder Engagement and Coordination 

• Build and maintain proactive relationships with MBTA and external stakeholders, including Bus Transformation, Bus Transportation, and peer transit agencies. 
• Understand key considerations, such as municipal coordination, revenue allocation, and transparency requirements. 
• Gain insight from peer agencies on policies, technologies, and lessons learned to inform project decisions. 
• Provide regular updates to stakeholders throughout all project phases, ensuring alignment and transparency.  
• Actively manage stakeholder relationships to address concerns early, minimize surprises, and recommend adjustments to project plans as needed. 

• Market Research and Procurement 

• Develop and issue a Request for Information (RFI) to understand the market landscape and engage potential vendors. 
• Lead the RFP process to procure a technology solution that meets the MBTA’s needs. 

• Pilot Planning and Execution 

• Create a pilot plan, detailing the scope, goals, budget, timeline, and deliverables. 
• Identify and prioritize critical path tasks to ensure the project stays on schedule.  
• Define success metrics and analyze data throughout the pilot to measure progress and outcomes.  
• Partner with Bus Technology, Vehicle Engineering, and Vehicle Maintenance teams to determine the configuration, testing, and installation needs of hardware and software solutions. 

• Project Team Leadership 

• Lead the project team, including facilitating regular team meetings and providing clear direction on tasks and priorities, conducting 1:1s with team members, communicating progress, challenges, and outcomes effectively, and delivering presentations to stakeholders. 

• Vendor Management 

• Serve as the primary point of contact for vendor communication, ensuring vendor staff understand what the MBTA expects of them and what they can expect of the MBTA.  
• Hold vendors accountable for deliverables and timelines, providing clear guidance and regular feedback. 

• Scalability and Operationalization 

• Evaluate pilot outcomes and recommend strategies for scaling and operationalizing the project beyond the pilot phase. 

• This is primarily an in-office job, and the candidate should be able to work successfully in an office setting including the physical demands of working at a desk and participating in in-person meetings within their assigned building and at other sites across the region.   
• Occasionally, we may ask you to visit the field: MBTA stations, stops, buses, trains, and garages.    
• The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

• Project Management Knowledge and Experience: Experience leading projects of varying scale and complexity. Ability to develop and communicate detailed project plans, develop and maintain project budgets. Approximately 4 or more years of experience in project management, engineering, technology, transportation operations, scheduling/planning, or a related industry.  

• Technical Expertise and Creativity: Proficiency in software development, engineering, data, or specialized skill set related to technology. Experience with administration or installation of networking equipment or technology hardware 

• Relationship Management: Experience maintaining relationships with stakeholders and managing and collaborating with vendors and external stakeholders.  

• Effective communication: Excellent customer service, conflict resolution and presentation skills 

• Subject matter expertise: Knowledge of curbside management, transportation planning, transit priority lanes, or broader transportation policy frameworks.
• Effective organizational, analytical, multi-tasking, time management and documentation skills. 
• Experience working in an agile development environment. 
• Experience using online collaboration tools (e.g. Slack, Asana, etc.)

• You will report to the Deputy Director of Bus Technology in the Technology Innovation Department.  

• Formal education in system administration, project or product management, computer science, transportation planning, engineering, or a related field (This could be a college degree, a bootcamp, a certificate program, or something else entirely).  

Location:

This role will be hybrid. Expect to be in the field/onsite 2-3 days per week on average.

As a contracted role for the MBTA, we are only able to employ people living in the following states - ME, MA, NH, RI, and VT.

At this time, we are only able to hire US residents who will reside in the US for the duration of their employment.

Compensation:

Pay rate range is $93 - $124 per hour (W-2), up to 1880 hours per year.