The Northeast Corridor Commission is seeking a highly motivated candidate to join its hard-working and enthusiastic staff. The Commission was established by Congress in the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 to coordinate the agencies that share the region’s core rail network. While the Commission has been administratively hosted by Amtrak since 2011, its staff is an independent team of transportation professionals. This position will support a variety of Commission initiatives, giving the successful candidate broad exposure to many technical areas. The position will support implementation of the Northeast Corridor (NEC) Cost Allocation Model as well as collecting and analyzing data for the Commission’s quarterly and annual reports.
This position will manage a variety of the Commission’s communications and member services functions. Tasks will include the development of public reports for external audiences (e.g., media, public, elected officials, transportation and business groups), outreach to and fielding requests from the media and external stakeholders, and managing communications with and access to information for Commission members and their staffs. This position will also support management of the Commission’s Cost Allocation, Planning, and Operations & Performance committees.
The position will support a broad range of the Commission’s initiatives, including its Cost Allocation Policy, CONNECT NEC service and infrastructure planning processes, Implementation Coordination Program, and performance reporting processes. This position will also help the Commission establish its role in communicating progress on implementing infrastructure projects funded by the historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).
This role requires strong written and visual communications skills, exceptional organizational skills, meticulous attention to detail, and experience managing stakeholders in a political environment. Experience working in transportation, particularly passenger rail or public transportation, is beneficial.
This position is intended to be located in Washington, DC. However, there may be flexibility to locate the position in New York, NY or Philadelphia, PA. Applicants should submit a resume, cover letter, and work sample at the link provided.
- Lead overall strategy for the Commission’s communications with its member agencies, their staffs, external stakeholders, and the public.
- Manage the written and graphic design aspects of the CONNECT NEC/Capital Investment Plan and the NEC Quarterly and Annual Report public documents in close coordination with the teams leading the Commission’s planning and performance reporting initiatives. Develop and manage a process for communicating progress on implementing infrastructure projects funded by IIJA.
- Manage communication with Commission members and their staffs. Manage the Commission’s SharePoint site for sharing information, documents, and data with Commission members and their staffs, including access to materials covered by non-disclosure agreements. Serve as main point-of-contact for general questions and information requests from Commission agency staffs.
- Manage the Commission’s public-facing website.
- Manage the development of memos and slideshow presentations for Commission members, elected officials, and other stakeholders.
- Manage outreach to and requests for information from the media, elected officials, and other stakeholders.
- Maintain the Commission’s various document templates and style guides.
- Support planning for and executing meetings of the Commission and its committees.
Required:
- Bachelor’s degree in communications, social sciences, transportation planning, public policy/administration, or a related field.
- Minimum 9 years professional experience, especially direct experience in passenger rail or transit. Relevant master’s degree may count towards years of experience.
- Excellent skills in written, verbal, and graphic communication of quantitative and qualitative information, including the ability to clearly express technical concepts to wide audiences.
- Excellent organizational and project management skills.
- Experience managing stakeholders in a complex political environment.
- Excellent computer skills in written and graphic communication particularly in Microsoft Office 365 and Adobe Creative Cloud (particularly Illustrator and InDesign).
- Experience using WordPress or similar software for maintaining websites.
- Demonstrated interest in passenger rail transportation and/ or the ability to learn the details of the Northeast Corridor rail infrastructure and its commuter, intercity, and freight rail operations.
Preferred:
- Master’s degree in communications, social sciences, transportation planning, public policy/administration, or a related field.
- Experience organizing information, documents, and data and administering access through Microsoft SharePoint. Experience with data visualization and dashboards such as Power BI and Tableau.
Submit your application through Amtrak’s Careers website (Position ID 90362933).