Chief of Staff; COS

INTERCITY TRANSIT IS SEEKING A CHIEF OF STAFF!

Intercity Transit is an innovative, growing, and nationally recognized large urban transit system based in Olympia, Washington. We are a voter approved municipal corporation and are governed by an Authority Board that consists of elected officials, community representatives and a non‑voting labor representative.

Our mission is to provide and promote transportation choices respectful of the safety, comfort, and diverse needs of all our customers, to support an accessible, sustainable, livable, healthy, and prosperous community.

We provide zero‑fare public transportation that includes fixed route transit and ADA paratransit services. We also provide vanpool service to individuals who live or work in the greater Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater, and Yelm communities.

We are seeking an exceptional Chief of Staff (COS) to serve as a strategic partner and trusted advisor to the General Manager (GM). This newly created role offers a unique opportunity to advance the Agency’s mission and vision by promoting a unified framework for colleagues at all levels to understand their role in shaping the present and future success of Intercity Transit.

The COS will play a pivotal role in supporting the development and sustainability of our robust, inclusive transit system that meets the evolving needs of our community.

Honoring the knowledge and experiences of employees as the foundation of organizational success, the COS will foster alignment, collaboration, and informed decision‑making across the Agency to advance the Board’s strategic priorities. As a key liaison between the GM, internal and external stakeholders, the COS will provide strategic insight, thoughtful counsel, and change management leadership to ensure the successful implementation of agency‑wide initiatives.

• Lead by example and operate at the highest level of integrity while building trusting relationships with employees and labor partners.
• Serve as a public servant with a strong sense of ethics, practicing sound fiscal responsibility with public funds.
• Provide leadership in maintaining a welcoming work environment that encourages a culture of inclusion, continuous improvement, performance coaching, communication, accountability, and collaborative problem solving.
• Embrace an executive leadership team structure while modeling a healthy work‑life balance.
• Build and sustain relationships with community‑based organizations, local businesses, educational institutions and other community stakeholders to strengthen Intercity Transit's community presence and understanding of its service.
• Provide strategic direction for the agency with an ability to inspire employees to embrace a long‑term vision.
• Champion a growth mindset – embrace new technology, explore new ideas, engage in non‑traditional transit opportunities - while prioritizing and guiding changes inclusively.

Intercity Transit is a leader, major advocate, and prime source of information for public transportation in Thurston County. Our service area covers approximately 100 miles and has a population of 200,000 residents.

Intercity Transit’s ambitious short‑ and long‑range plans include expanding service to underserved populations, developing bus rapid transit, leveraging Intercity Transit’s Zero‑Fare demonstration project to increase ridership, remove transportation barriers for the entire community, and reduce emissions by expanding the use of hybrid and zero‑emission vehicles.

We believe public transportation is vital to the quality of life and economic vitality of Thurston County. We are passionate about providing excellent service and are committed to maintaining our reputation as an employer of choice in Thurston County.

We operate out of a new state‑of‑the‑art building and are currently in the middle of our next phase of the project, a significant renovation of our maintenance building.

• Lead and oversee critical, high priority initiatives and projects that cut across multiple departments or have agency‑wide impact.
• Collaborate with…