Director of Government Relations

Job Summary

Under the general direction of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), initiates, responds to, and coordinates routine contact between San Joaquin Regional Transit District (RTD) and government officials; recommends and develops policies involving legislative and administrative issues related to transit; provides timely assessment of local, state, and federal programs or initiatives that have implications for RTD; works with RTD management, staff, state and federal lobbyists, and key agencies; ensures that accurate, timely, and appropriate responses are provided in order to create sound public policies and an understanding of these policies in the communities served by RTD; and performs related duties as assigned. This single incumbent class is primarily responsible for performing supervisory, administrative, government affairs, and internal or external coordination. An incumbent's work mainly involves problem-solving and mediating highly conflicting, unexpected, and unusual problems and issues involving multiple groups.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The following statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified.

1. Monitor monthly San Joaquin Council of Governments (SJCOG) Board agenda packets, prepare written and verbal briefings for RTD's Board member who is an ex-officio to the SJCOG Board and RTD's CEO regarding policy, program, and funding items.
2. Represent RTD on the SJCOG Interagency Transit Committee (ITC), Social Services Transportation Advisory Council (SSTAC), and Technical Advisory Committee (TAC).
3. Represent RTD's CEO if/as needed on the SJCOG Management and Finance Committee, Executive Committee, and Board meetings.
4. Represent RTD as an ex-officio on the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission and provide RTD updates.
5. Participate in biweekly legislative meetings with RTD's federal and state legislative advocates.
6. Serve as liaison to Caltrans Headquarters and District 10 for issues pertaining to RTD.
7. Serve as liaison to the California Transportation Commissions (CTC) for items relating to RTD.
8. Conducts detailed research on transit industry data and provides statistical analyses; identifies issues which may impact RTD, including existing and proposed local, state, and federal legislation, and assists senior management in providing appropriate responses; analyzes and evaluates complex policy issues and makes recommendations on actions to be taken; prepares complex reports, documents, and correspondence.
9. Represents RTD at meetings with the Board of Directors, legislative staff, public and private sector organizations, and other external groups; participates in internal and external committees and meetings.
10. Writes issue papers and official correspondence; writes proposals and technical specifications; formulates or recommends strategy to guide RTD's state and federal legislative and regulatory initiatives; communicates RTD's needs or programs to legislators.
11. Establishes strategy and manages the analysis of public policy issues for internal decisions; manages RTD in the development of public policies; produces reports, including position papers and briefing documents on key policy issues.
12. Initiates and maintains ongoing communication with legislators and regulators to advocate RTD's policies and to secure funding; prepares and presents RTD's testimony before both local and national governmental bodies; monitors the authorization and appropriations of relevant agency-related legislation at the state and federal levels to ensure adequate support for transit-related programs.
13. Coordinates RTD's response to major events or changing policy; monitors, and researches items as directed by the CEO; prepares reports of findings and recommendations.
14. Attends outside meetings during both workday and evenings in the community; develops and manages the execution of agency-wide community and legislative outreach strategies; manages the execution of strategy to identify and analyze community needs, concerns, and perceptions early on in the formulation and advancement of RTD's capital projects; manages maximum integration and leveraging of legislative and community relations functions.
15. Provide the CEO with timely information on emerging issues in the policy arena so that RTD can take appropriate action.
16. Participate in state and local project development teams (PDT) project studies including the Interstate 205 Managed Lanes Project and the State Route 99 Multimodal Comprehensive Study.
17. Coordinate and prepare support letters for grants, projects, and proposed legislation.
18. Represent and coordinate RTD's involvement with the SJCOG Regional Transportation Impact Fee (RTIF) program updates and funding requests.
19. Coordinate policy, funding, and other items relating to the SJCOG Measure K program.
20. Performs other incidental and related duties as required and assigned.

Qualifications

Knowledge of:

1. Transportation planning and programming.
2. Federal and California State environmental laws and regulations.
3. Federal and state grant requirements including TrAMS and BlackCat grant processing systems.
4. Metropolitan Planning Organizations/Regional Transportation Planning Agencies functions and structure.
5. Interpersonal and group dynamics.
6. Transit challenges and an understanding of various issues relating to transit.
7. Methods and techniques of preparing complex analysis reports and correspondence.
8. Contract language and laws.
9. Budget planning, management, and administration methods.
10. Practices of working with elected officials and media organizations.
11. Electronic document filing, storage, and retrieval.
12. Specialized applications and project management methods.
13. Principles and practices of public relations.
14. Local, state, and federal transportation laws, policies, funding, and legislative processes.
15. Principles, practices, and trends of public and business administration, governmental function, organization, and relationships.
16. Analytical methods and techniques used for staff and budgetary analysis, statistics, and policy analysis.
17. Principles of budget preparation and control.
18. Program analysis and cost and benefit analysis.
19. Research methods and analysis techniques.
20. Principles and practices of internal consulting.
21. Organization and functions of a public board.
22. Principles and practices of sound business communication.
23. Principles and practices of effective management and supervision.
24. RTD human resources policies and procedures and labor contract provisions.

Ability to:

1. Work comfortably with people of varying socioeconomic backgrounds.
2. Interpret, synthesize, and implement decisions.
3. Write complex technical specifications and contract scopes of work.
4. Enforce RTD policies, programs, and practices with employees, outside vendors, and the public.
5. Represent RTD interests with outside agencies and community groups.
6. Elicit cooperation and compliance from internal and external groups; coordinate activities with internal and external groups.
7. Respond to requests for complex information in a timely manner.
8. Stay current with all applicable laws and regulations.
9. Read, understand, and interpret complex legal documents, regional transportation policies, and comprehensive transit related materials.
10. Prepare and maintain a variety of comprehensive reports and documents.
11. Research, analyze, evaluate, and present a variety of policy issues and management analysis data.
12. Recommend and implement solutions to complex policy and administrative problems.
13. Prepare clear, concise, and comprehensive correspondence, reports, studies, and other written materials.
14. Communicate effectively orally and in writing.
15. Exercise sound, expert independent judgment within general policy guidelines.
16. Exercise tact, discretion, and diplomacy in dealing with sensitive, complex, and confidential personnel issues and employee situations.
17. Exercise sound, expert independent judgment, and diplomacy while representing RTD and various local and state meetings including governing boards and councils with elected officials, agency staff, and the public.
18. Establish and maintain effective working relationships with all levels of RTD management, Board of Directors, employees, employee organizations and their representatives, other governmental officials, community groups, and the public.
19. Multi-task on several complex and time sensitive projects.

Education, Training and Experience: A typical way of obtaining the knowledge, skills, and abilities outlined above is: Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with major coursework in business, political science, public policy communication, public relations, or a closely related field. Ten years of progressively responsible experience in government affairs and/or community relations in a liaison-type position with governmental, civic constituencies, and the general public,