9180-Manager VI, Senior Operations Manager of Maintenance for Bus/Rail - SF Municipal Transportation Agency
Recruitment: RTF0162912-01128618
Published: January 12, 2026
Contact:
Maggie Gonzalez Diaz - Maggie.GonzalezDiaz@sfmta.com
Department: Municipal Transportation Agency
Job class: 9180-Manager VI, Municipal Transportation Agency
Starting salary range: $183,144.00 - $233,766.00 (Range A)
Role type: Permanent Exempt What does this mean?
Hours: Full-time
About:
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA or “the agency”) connects San Franciscans with their communities to enhance the economy, environment and, ultimately, the quality of life in the city. As an agency within the City and County of San Francisco, the SFMTA is responsible for managing the city’s transportation network. The agency has more than 6,000 employees who are responsible for the management of all ground and some underground transportation in the city. The SFMTA has oversight over public transit, as well as bicycling, paratransit, parking and curb management, street operations, walking, and taxis.
APPOINTMENT TYPE: Permanent Exempt. Permanent-Exempt (PEX) Appointment. Pursuant to the City & County of San Francisco Charter, Section 10.104.13, any person occupying a position under exempt appointment shall not be subject to civil service selection, appointment and removal procedures. Exempt employees shall serve at the pleasure of the Appointing Officer.
Application Opening: Monday, January 12, 2026
Deadline to Apply: Application filing will close on or after Friday, February 27, 2026
1/22/26: Deadline to apply updated.
Recruitment ID: PEX-9180-EXEMPT
Salary: $183,144 - $233,766 annually (Range A)
Division: Transit
Section/Unit: Fleet Maintenance - Bus Maintenance/ Rail Maintenance
Work Location: 1095 Indiana Street, San Francisco, CA 94107 (Bus);
601 25th Street, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA (Rail)
Work Hours: Monday – Friday, 8 AM – 4:30 PM
⚠️IMPORTANT⚠️: You will be sent a link to a supplemental questionnaire once you submit your application. You will have a few days to complete and return the questionnaire.
Applicants must complete the supplemental questionnaire and the online application by the filing deadline. A cover letter and resume must be attached to the online application. The application, resume, and cover letter will not be reviewed without a completed supplemental questionnaire and vice versa.
Role description
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency is looking for two 9180 Manager VI Senior Operations Managers of Maintenance: one manager for Bus Maintenance and one manager for Rail Maintenance.
9180 Senior Operations Manager of Bus Maintenance: Under policy direction of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Director of Transit, the Senior Operations Manager of Bus Maintenance plans, organizes, directs and coordinates the major activities of the Bus Maintenance unit. The Bus Maintenance unit represents more than 8 maintenance sections with skilled craft personnel responsible for the service, maintenance and repair of fleet comprised of more than 850 bio-diesel hybrid buses, electric trolley coaches and over 500 non-revenue vehicles and equipment including support facilities.
9180 Senior Operations Manager of Rail Maintenance: Under policy direction of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Director of Transit, the Senior Operations Manager of Rail Maintenance plans, organizes, directs and coordinates the major activities of the Rail Maintenance unit. The Rail Maintenance unit represents more than 8 maintenance sections with skilled craft personnel responsible for the service, maintenance and repair of fleet comprised of more than 250 light rail vehicles, cable cars, and historic street cars including support facilities.
9180 - Manager VI: Senior Operations Manager of Maintenance: The positions are responsible for leading overall vehicle and equipment maintenance, collaborating with fleet engineering for rubber-tire and/or rail cars, developing vehicle fleet plans to support revenue service requirements and monitoring activities related to vehicle procurement. These positions direct activities to ensure compliance with local, state and federal guidelines, safety and regulatory policies including leading investigation of activities directly related to field safety and overall vehicle maintenance.
The 9180 Senior Operations Managers of Maintenance are responsible for implementing programs and processes to enhance all aspects heavy and light-duty transit vehicles, and/or light rail and historic service. These positions provide leadership and guidance to a team of skilled craft personnel and supervisors, deliver highly complex management and policy support, and may be required to perform duties in the absence of the Deputy Director of Fleet Maintenance. The positions are subject to 24-hour callback during emergency situations.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities for Bus and Rail Maintenance:
- Provides direction, planning and management of the daily activities of Transit’s Bus/Rail Maintenance section and coordinates the work of professional and technical personnel;
- Oversees heavy-duty transit vehicle maintenance/ light rail vehicle maintenance by monitoring daily fleet availability and vehicle maintenance reports for trends and coordinates with supervisory staff to ensure maintenance programs are developed and implemented to ensure vehicle availability;
- Ensures adherence to heavy-duty transit, light rail, historic, and/or cable car vehicle safety programs and re-evaluates existing programs;
- Assists in developing and implementing strategies for safe, accessible and reliable transit service;
- Analyzes operations to improve productivity within various work sections;
- Coordinates workforce planning through staffing analysis and required adjustments to work schedules and staffing levels to ensure maximum efficiency for fulfillment of vehicle service requirements and demands;
- May be involved with the design and review of engineering plans and specifications for SFMTA vehicle procurement plans and construction projects;
- Oversees the training function including the development of new training programs for rail staff;
- Develops, implements and evaluates policies and procedures to ensure unit activities align with division objectives;
- Assists in the development, preparation and modification of short and long-range strategic plans in support of the SFMTA’s goals;
- Interprets and applies the provisions of the labor agreements in accordance with SFMTA guidelines and serves as a member of the management team in meetings and negotiations with labor unions;
- Develops, monitors and manages the operating budget for area of responsibility and assists in the development, analysis and administration of department’s capital budget;
- Develops detailed technical reports for various internal stakeholders and external regulatory agencies;
The 9180 – Manager VI may perform other duties as assigned/required.
How to qualify
Minimum Qualifications:
- Education: Possession of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university; AND
- Experience: Eight (8) years of experience at a mass transit agency in the operation, maintenance, and repair of transit buses, and/or light rail transit vehicles, and/or related systems, and/or heavy-duty vehicle maintenance. This experience must include at least four (4) years in a second-level supervisory and/or management-level position with responsibility for supervising staff. AND
- License: Possession of a valid driver’s license.
Substitution: Additional qualifying experience in the functional areas listed above at any level (i.e., non-supervisory, any supervisory level, management level) may be substituted for the required degree on a year-for year basis. One year (2,000 hours) will be considered equivalent to thirty semester units or forty-five (45) quarter units.
Notes:
1. Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.
2. One (1) year full-time experience is equivalent to 2000 hours. (2000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40-hour work week). Any overtime hours that you work above forty (40) hours per week are not included in the calculation to determine full-time experience.
Desirable Qualifications: The stated desirable qualifications may be used to identify candidates advancing to the interview process and/or to identify job finalist(s) at the end of the selection process when referred for hiring.
- Knowledge of operations and maintenance of light rail, historic, and cable car systems.
- Knowledge of state and federal public transportation regulations.
- Experience with budget development and management.
- Experience with hiring and recruitment processes.
- Familiarity with rail transit vehicle procurement.
- Proficiency with computer systems for data analysis and report preparation.
- Ability to analyze technical, financial, and legal information and draw sound conclusions.
- Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, time-sensitive environment and respond to emergencies.
- Knowledge of employee and labor relations principles.
- Strong leadership and team-building skills.
- Effective people management skills, including staff development and training.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including reporting and presentations.
- Strong project and program management skills, including short- and long-term planning for system changes.
- Commitment to equity, safety, sustainability, and improved mobility for all San Franciscans.
What else should I know?
Verification: Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. More information can be found at: https://sfdhr.org/information-about-hiring-process#verification. Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.
All work experience, education, training and other information substantiating how you meet the minimum qualifications must be included on your application by the filing deadline. Information submitted after the filing deadline will not be considered in determining whether you meet the minimum qualifications.
Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application.
Selection Process: Applications will be screened for relevant qualifying experience. Additional screening mechanisms may be used to determine candidates' qualifications. Only those applicants who most closely meet the needs of the Agency will be invited to move forward in the selection process.
Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed to advance through all the steps in the selection process.
Minimum Qualification Supplemental Questionnaire (MQSQ): Candidates will be required to complete an MQSQ as part of the employment application at a later time. This MQSQ is designed to obtain specific information regarding an applicant's experience in relation to the Minimum Qualifications (MQ) for this position. The MQSQ will be used to evaluate if the applicant possesses the required minimum qualifications.
Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights: Applicants must be guided solely by the provisions of this announcement, including requirements, time periods and other particulars, except when superseded by federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations. [Note: The correction of clerical errors in an announcement may be posted on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.sf.gov/.
Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:
This recruitment may be utilized to fill similar positions in this classification at SFMTA.
Applicants will receive a confirmation email from notification@careers.sf.gov that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.
For questions or inquiries, please contact: Maggie Gonzalez Diaz, at Maggie.GonzalezDiaz@sfmta.com.
The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.
