Clallam Transit System 

ABOUT CLALLAM TRANSIT

Clallam Transit improves the quality of life for Clallam County residents and visitors by providing safe, reliable, and accessible public transportation services.

Founded in 1979, Clallam Transit System (CTS) operates 13 fixed routes, two microtransit routes, and complementary demand-response services with a fleet of approximately 100 vehicles. Serving an expansive 1,738-square-mile area, CTS connects communities across the Olympic Peninsula, ensuring access to jobs, schools, healthcare, and recreation.

Clallam Transit is governed by an eight-member board of elected officials representing Port Angeles, Forks, Sequim, and Clallam County, along with a designated non-voting union representative. Each member is appointed through their respective jurisdiction.

To support its service area, CTS maintains more than 60 bus shelters, five park-and-ride lots, and three transfer centers. Together, these facilities and services provide vital mobility options throughout Clallam County.

Mission Statement

To enhance the quality of life, bolster mobility, and create opportunities through public transit.

Vision

Provide customer-friendly, reliable, economical, and efficient transportation services that encourage residents and visitors to select Clallam Transit System as an integral part of their routine transportation choices.

Value Statements

Value Statements serve as the guiding principles of how we do business. As an organization and as individual employees, we care about the quality of life in our region, which we promote and enhance by respecting:

• Customers: Providing a high level of courtesy and professionalism to the customer through clean, safe, accessible, reliable, and interconnected countywide public transportation services.
• Employees: Value our employees and work culture through fair hiring and treatment, well-supported benefits, and ongoing training.
• Public Trust: Ensuring an efficient and effective delivery of services through a conservative approach to managing our resources and budgeting for the future.
• Future Generations: Seek and educate future customers and adapt to the latest forms of communication and technology.
• Environment: Explore and implement sustainable alternative fuel sources and energy conservation.
  
  

ABOUT THE POSITION

The General Manager oversees an organization of approximately 104 employees and reports directly to, and serves at the pleasure of, the Clallam Transit System Governing Board.

The General Manager provides executive leadership for the agency, developing broad policy direction and implementing the mission, vision, and values established by the Board. Strategic decisions are made daily that influence transit operations and the communities served. These decisions require a comprehensive understanding of complex issues, the ability to analyze options for effective solutions, and the capacity to advance legislative, management, and public relations initiatives.

The General Manager must anticipate both near and long-term implications of program and project decisions, while serving as the principal advisor to the Board and a visible representative of the agency with community stakeholders, partner jurisdictions, state and federal regulators, tribal governments, and the media.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

This is an exceptional opportunity for a strategic, forward-thinking leader to shape the future of a growing transit agency and evolving industry. The ideal General Manager candidate is a passionate transit advocate and an exceptional negotiator and balanced leader; comfortable with managing and leading in a complex and transparent environment; and someone who is capable of building bridges internally and externally, managing change, and implementing innovative solutions to create opportunities for advancement of the agency’s strategic objectives.

Clallam Transit is seeking a talented and unifying leader to bring innovative ideas and management to the agency and translate big picture transit vision and goals into realistic plans. Candidates should be dynamic, decisive and should excel in balancing both high-performing internal management and external relations. The overarching core competencies of this position are:

CORE-COMPETENCIES

Leadership:

• Inspiring and Courageous Leadership: Ability to inspire, persuade, engage, speak straight-forwardly about complex transit issues, make tough decisions and take difficult actions. Display balanced thinking that combines analysis, wisdom, experience and perspective. Produce data-informed decisions that withstand the “test of time.”
• Collaborative Leadership: Demonstrated commitment to building strong, trust-based relationships with the Board and leadership team. Actively fosters open communication, mutual respect, and shared decision-making to ensure alignment on organizational goals and priorities.
• Creativity and Innovation: Ability to generate new, innovative and visionary approaches to transit funding issues that are effective and responsive. Brings a perspective on emerging and leading transit trends and best practices.
• Build a Talented, Effective Staff Team: Hire, mentor, develop, retain, and manage a diverse staff. Assemble and reinforce a cohesive, dedicated, highly effective inter-disciplinary team. Ability to lead team through change processes.
• Business and Management Acumen: Ability to manage human, financial and information resources strategically. Brings innovative approaches and solutions, including grant sources and public/private partnerships, to transit funding challenges. Streamline and remove processes that do not bring value. Measure success based on results. Set high standards of performance, using accountability measures and benchmarks to track progress.
• Strategic Vision: Understanding of the changing landscape of transit, trends and innovations. The ability to articulate a big-picture vision and goals and translate into plans that are realistic and effective.

Constituent Relations and Collaboration:

• Partnering: Builds alliances and collaborates across boundaries to build strategic relationships. Inspires action without relying solely on authority. Good listener. Perceives the complexity of situations quickly.
• Drive External Communications and Relationships: Develop and nurture mission-critical relationships with labor, the media, business, political leaders, community groups, advisory groups and the public.
• Cultural Competency: Focus on equity in ways that enable effective working relationships in diverse communities and cross-cultural situations. Uses an equity lens to analyze the impact of policies on underserved and marginalized individuals and groups to identify and eliminate barriers.

Values:

• High level of integrity, ethics, transparency and responsiveness.
• Commitment to the Environment: Dedicated to creating a sustainable transit system that focuses on prevention, mitigation and adaptation.
• Commitment to Safety: Dedication to a transit system that is safe, efficient and accessible to all ages and abilities.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

A bachelor’s degree in public administration, business administration, transportation planning or closely related field with at least ten years’ experience of progressively responsible management-level experience. An advanced degree is a plus.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Persons interested in this position must submit a cover letter and a current resume.

In the cover letter please address:

• Your interest in CTS and how it aligns with your professional goals.
• Your background as it relates to your qualifications to lead CTS.
• Your leadership style and how it aligns with CTS’s vision of cooperation, inclusiveness, and responsiveness internally and externally.

If you have questions regarding this announcement, please call Marissa Karras at 360-956-1336. The position will remain open until filled; however, the screening process will move quickly. Please submit your application materials as soon as possible but no later than November 14, 2025 by visiting  https://www.clallamtransit.com/jobopportunities

The salary for this position is $160,000 - $185,000 depending on experience and qualifications.

 CTS offers its eligible employees a generous benefits package, including:

• 100% employer-paid medical, vision, and dental premiums, with coverage available for qualifying dependents.
• Basic life and long-term disability insurances with options to purchase additional coverages.
• Enrollment in Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) pension
• Employer 401(a) Contributions.
• HRA employer contributions.
• 11 paid holidays
• General leave accruals begin at ~26.5 days annually.
• Paid bereavement leave.
• Wellness Program $200/$400 annual reimbursement for employee/family.
• Post-employment Healthcare Insurance Coverage Credits, as eligible.
• CTS transit passes for employee and qualifying dependents.

Additional benefits provided under the General Manager Employment Agreement including: 401(a) employer contributions, vehicle allowance, and personal communication device.

CTS has a strong commitment to the communities we serve and our employees. As an EEO employer, we strive to establish and maintain a workforce that reflects the communities served. 

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