Description

Samford University, a Christ-centered institution, is seeking a Director of Parking & Transportation. This role is critical in providing vision, oversight, direction, and leadership for an integrated university-wide residential, commuter, parking, traffic and shuttle/transportation program. Essential responsibilities include oversight of daily operations ensuring effective management and mission-aligned service delivery that best supports and serves the university's varied constituents and strategic priorities. The Director engages routinely with members of the campus community including students, employees, parents, visitors, and external stakeholders including city and regional partners. The ideal candidate will demonstrate a strong commitment to advancing Samford’s mission, vision, and Christ-centered values through excellence in service, leadership, and collaboration.

Job Duties
 

• Leads the overall strategic and operational activities for parking and transportation services, including management, oversight, and direction of parking, shuttles, alternative transportation, and related programs.
• Supervises staff and student employees in the parking and transportation services department and creates a culture of accountability and ownership, by establishing the vision, strategy, and departmental goals, through clear direction, expectations, and guidance.
• Develops and implements programs, policies, and initiatives which contribute to an exceptional campus experience.
• Uses predictive analytics to analyze complex data sets to make recommendations for the University's long-term parking and transportation planning efforts.
• Serves as the campus subject matter expert for parking and transportation-related procedures and processes.
• Drives innovation and transformational change to support achievement of service excellence, strategic outcomes, and revenue optimization.
• Builds and fosters a positive work environment, incorporating the university’s commitment to excellent recruitment, retention, and promotion of a diverse workforce, empowering employees to use their full range of talents and abilities.
• Builds a strong working partnership with key university leaders, stakeholders, and external partners; represents the university on university-wide committees, initiatives, and in the community.
• Enhances employee engagement by driving and supporting the development of action plans to address issues. Promotes and sustains an employee-focused work environment.
• Provides leadership in improving processes that enhance collaboration and service delivery.
• Ensures the overall performance (financial, service, productivity) of the parking and transportation services units, including development and oversight of annual budgets, revenues, and expenditures.
• Provides short- and long-term strategic planning related to the development and implementation of initiatives and solutions that support the University's mission.
• Ensures a welcoming campus environment as it relates to parking and transportation services that aligns with Samford’s Christ centered mission.
• Works closely with university events office and athletics department to promote outstanding guest experiences.
• Provides daily direction regarding the management of the T2 parking system.
• Provides oversight of maintenance for various types of vehicles and carts used in daily operations.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:
The position requires a significant physical presence on campus. The Director works both in an office setting and in the field. Such field work may occur during various hours of the day, including evenings and weekends.

Requirements

Qualifications
 

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
• Minimum five (5) years of relevant experience.
• Able to effectively navigate a complex university with the ability to form positive working relationships across the institution.
• Previous experience and a successful track record in management and leadership positions.
• Demonstrates a strong commitment to advancing Samford’s mission, vision, and Christ-centered values.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strong interpersonal skills with a demonstrated record of establishing effective working relationships with diverse populations and functions, both internal and external to the organization.
• Demonstrated record of taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, passion, and the ability to effectively drive change.
• Ability to build, inspire, and lead a team.
• Demonstrated ability to work with multiple stakeholders to create a culture of service and continuous improvement.
• Possesses both the wisdom and the political savvy to determine which initiatives are important enough to champion and which ones to relinquish.
• Ability to make sense of and communicate complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems.
• Ability to communicate effectively and articulately in both oral and written communication, while considering multiple perspectives and competing interests.
• Strong sense of curiosity and an appetite to remain current and explore new developments and practices in parking and transportation services related matters.
• Ability to facilitate compromise to accomplish goals.
• Ability to develop professional skills of staff to meet both their career goals and the organization’s goals.
• Ability to work cooperatively with faculty, academic administrators, and staff to develop new programs consistent with the needs of the institution.
• Strong problem solving, analytical, and organizational skills, with the ability to prioritize and be flexible in a rapidly changing environment.
• Ability to move about the campus daily for extended periods of time.

 
Preferred Qualifications
 

• Master’s degree in a related field.
• At least five (5) years of relevant experience in a university setting or similarly complex and diverse public or private enterprise.
• Certified Administrator of Public Parking (CAAP certification or similar parking certification.
• Experience developing, implementing, or revising a large-scale parking plan.
• Experience working with an enterprise resource planning system for parking (e.g., T2, Systems PowerPark, Cardinal Tracking, etc.)
• Knowledge and experience in applying best practices to campus parking and transportation programs (e.g., higher education, municipalities, or similarly large programs with varied stakeholders)