Transit Services Manager

Job description

A recruitment by The Hive Consulting. For the full position brochure, visit the Brochure About Marin County Transit DistrictFormed by a vote of Marin County residents in 1964, Marin County Transit District, known as Marin Transit, is the public agency responsible for funding, planning, and managing local public transit services throughout Marin County. Marin Transit supports mobility across urban corridors, rural communities, schools, and visitor destinations, serving residents and visitors who depend on transit for daily access. As a lean, community-serving agency, Marin Transit staff lead planning, capital investments, financial management, and operations oversight, while working closely with contracted operators and regional, local, and community partners. For more information, visit www.marintransit.gov. Marin Transit provides about 3.4 million passenger trips a year across more than 210,000 revenue hours of service, with a fleet of more than 110 buses and about 84,000 Marin Access trips a year. Its services include local fixed-route, rural, school, and Muir Woods Shuttle service, paratransit, and mobility programs. About Marin County. Located just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, Marin County is a dynamic, economically and culturally diverse community of 260,000 informed and involved residents. The county is marked by beautiful beaches, groves of redwoods and oaks, rolling foothills, and scenic valleys. It is known for its combination of rural and suburban lifestyles and is a recreation destination for the entire Bay Area, with more than 140,000 acres of federal, state, and county parkland, county open space, and water district lands.

The RoleThe Transit Services Manager is a newly created management role at the center of the decisions that shape daily transit in Marin County. The Manager leads fixed-route and Marin Access service planning, oversees scheduling, and guides a diverse portfolio of mobility and customer programs, staying involved as plans become the schedules, service changes, and improvements riders experience every day. Because Marin Transit’s service is run by contracted operators, good plans depend on close working relationships. The Manager works with Operations, Data, contractors, and partner agencies to make sure plans are thoughtful, practical, accessible, and ready to deliver, and brings the service perspective to capital projects, bus stop improvements, and partnerships across Marin County. The Manager also represents Marin Transit on technical advisory committees, in agency projects, and in community conversations. The position reports to the Director of Operations and Planning, supervises assigned staff, and is based in San Rafael, CA, with a hybrid schedule. Transit Services plans the service and its programs, working alongside Operations, which delivers the service each day, and Data, which keeps the information reliable.

Ideal Candidate ProfileMarin Transit seeks an experienced planner and leader who can represent the District. The successful candidate may be an experienced transit planner ready to take on a management role, or a transportation professional with a strong background in planning and project coordination, with the demonstrated ability to evaluate service options, communicate recommendations clearly, work effectively with partner agencies, and lead a team. Experience with specialized transportation and ADA programs is highly desirable.

The ideal candidate will:

• See the whole system, considering riders, service connections, accessibility, service quality, costs, and operational realities.
• Communicate with clarity, comfortable in technical committees and community settings and able to explain both the what and the why.
• Build working relationships, bringing operators, agency partners, consultants, and internal colleagues into the work, and following up.
• Understand public planning, with solid working knowledge of CEQA, project review, and transportation funding, as well as ADA and paratransit experience.
• Manage the moving pieces, keeping contracts, budgets, programs, and schedules on track while managing competing priorities.
• Help a team grow by coaching staff, setting expectations, delegating thoughtfully, and creating room for people to do their best work.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead fixed-route and Marin Access service planning, deliver the Short Range Transit Plan, and manage fixed-route scheduling.
• Coordinate service changes and detours with contractors and Operations, from schedules and GTFS to rider information and readiness.
• Oversee Marin Access services and eligibility, customer programs, school transportation, and the Muir Woods Shuttle.
• Bring rider needs into bus stop and capital planning, and guide contracts, procurement support, and interagency work.
• Represent Marin Transit with partner agencies and the community, listening carefully, explaining the District’s perspective, and bringing what is learned back to the team.
• Guide and develop the Transit Services team.

QualificationsAny combination of education and experience that provides the required knowledge and skills is qualifying. A typical path includes:

• Education: Equivalent to a four-year college degree with major coursework in transportation planning, public or business administration, urban or regional planning, mobility management, engineering, social services, or a related field. Additional qualifying experience may substitute for education year for year.
• Experience: At least five years of increasingly responsible professional experience in transit planning, scheduling, specialized transportation, mobility or program management, contract management, and/or project coordination; at least two years of lead or supervisory responsibility.

Required License(s) and Certification(s)A valid California driver’s license is required.

How to ApplySubmit an online application with a resume and a cover letter. In the cover letter, tell us what draws you to this role and give one example of a service, program, or project you helped plan or change. Describe your role, who you worked with, the problems you solved, and the result. The recruiter reviews applications, speaks with promising candidates, and shares a shortlist with the District. Selected candidates are invited to panel interviews. More detail is in the recruitment brochure. Applications are open until filled, with priority review the week of December 7, 2026. Panel interviews are targeted for December 17-18, 2026, with an expected start in January 2027.

Marin County Transit District is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of any legally protected status. Applicants who need reasonable accommodation during recruitment or to perform essential job functions, including driving-related duties, may contact Rafael Silva, Recruiter, The Hive Consulting, at recruiting@thehive.consulting.

Benefits

The anticipated hiring range for this position is $145,000 - $165,000. Pay within the range depends on experience, qualifications, and internal equity.

• Health & Insurance: Paid premiums for employees’ medical insurance and 95% of the base HMO premium for families; employer-paid dental and vision insurance; employer-paid life insurance and long-term disability insurance; optional flexible spending account.
• Retirement: Employer contribution of 10%-15% of salary to a 401(a) retirement account, based on years of service; participation in Social Security; deferred compensation plan.
• Time Off: 80 to 160 hours of vacation accrual per year, based on years of service; 16½ days of other paid time off, including holidays and management leave.
• Other Benefits: Employer-paid Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and transit benefits.