Director of Transportation

• Forbes named Mesa Public Schools in their list of 2024 Best Employers in Arizona.
• East Valley Tribune names Mesa Public Schools as Best Place to Work in East Valley for multiple years.

The Director of Transportation serves as Mesa Public Schools leader for all district transportation services, providing strategic direction and operational oversight to ensure safe, efficient, and compliant student transportation across the district. The Director is responsible for long range planning, fleet management, routing systems, regulatory compliance, fiscal oversight, and personnel leadership across multiple transportation facilities. Reporting to the Chief Business Officer, this position ensures transportation operations align with district priorities, student needs, and applicable federal and state regulations.

Through strong leadership, data informed decision making, and cross departmental collaboration, the Director of Transportation advances operational excellence, risk mitigation, and continuous improvement in support of the district’s strategic goals, vision, and promise.

Director II, Full-time

$97,301 - $126,491

Years of administrative experience and education considered

Vacation, sick leave, holidays, matched retirement through the Arizona State Retirement System, health, and life insurance

Available annually

Administrative Exempt, 12-month position

Chief Business Officer

• Provide leadership for all district transportation operations, including routing, dispatch, scheduling, fleet management, and daily service delivery.
• Lead strategic planning and continuous improvement initiatives to enhance safety, operational efficiency, and service reliability across multiple transportation sites.
• Ensure full compliance with all federal, state, and district regulations, including FMCSA, Arizona Department of Public Safety, Arizona Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division, and Department of Public Service requirements.
• Oversee fleet lifecycle management, including vehicle acquisition planning, equipment standards, fuel systems, maintenance coordination, and submission of required state vehicle inventory reports.
• Direct emergency preparedness and response efforts related to transportation, including accident investigations, contingency planning, and coordination with district safety and external agencies.
• Supervise and develop transportation leadership and staff, including recruitment, retention, evaluation, and performance management across geographically dispersed facilities.
• Foster a high performing, safety centered team culture grounded in accountability, collaboration, and professional growth.
• Develop and manage the department budget; monitor expenditures; coordinate procurement activities; and ensure fiscal stewardship of transportation resources.
• Lead student count and mileage reporting, including submission of required 110 day reports and other compliance documentation to the Arizona Department of Education.
• Ensure transportation services meet the needs of Special Education students, McKinney-Vento students, Foster Care students, and other specialized populations in compliance with applicable laws and district policies.
• Serve as primary liaison with city, state, and regulatory agencies regarding traffic safety, vehicle compliance, and infrastructure considerations.
• Collaborate with the City of Mesa regarding street construction, traffic flow adjustments, and long-term route planning.
• Oversee the implementation and effective use of routing software and transportation technology systems to support data informed operational decisions.
• Act as a partner to district leadership, school administrators, families, and community stakeholders to ensure responsive, transparent, and high-quality transportation services.

• Minimum of five years of experience in commercial or public school transportation management.
• Demonstrated experience supervising and evaluating staff in a transportation or logistics environment.
• Experience in public school district transportation systems.

• Bachelor’s Degree in transportation management, business administration, logistics, or related field.
• Knowledge of strategic planning, resource allocation, and fiscal management in a public sector environment.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) through the State of Arizona.
• Experience managing multi-site or geographically dispersed teams.

To perform the job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The qualifications for this job description represent the knowledge, skill, abilities, and other characteristics necessary for this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

KSAOs necessary for this…