Manager of Dispatch

At the MBTA, we envision a thriving region enabled by a best‑in‑class transit system. Our mission is to serve the public by providing safe, reliable, and accessible transportation. MBTA’s Core Values are built around safety, service, equity, sustainability, and culture. Each employee that works for the MBTA performs their roles based on our vision, mission, and values. This includes attendance, participation, and contribution in local safety committee meetings as needed.

The Manager of Dispatch Applications oversees the operation, configuration, integration, and support of technologies that front‑line staff use to manage transit service delivery in real‑time. They will ensure that MBTA operations staff are able to effectively use bus dispatching, alerts management, real‐time tracking, and other tools in their work. This position serves as a technical manager and implementer across several Technology Innovation Department (TID) teams, including Bus Technology (Skate dispatch applications, bus CAD/AVL), Rail Technology (Glides light rail service management app, Orbit app for heavy rail), and others.

This position will also work closely with colleagues in the Operations Control Center, Bus/Rail Transportation, Plans & Schedules, Information Technology, and other departments, including managers in those departments as well as front‑line staff at locations across the MBTA’s system.

• Partner with Operations Control Center (OCC), Bus/Rail Transportation, and various teams across the MBTA to ensure dispatchers, inspectors, and other front‑line service management staff have access to high‑quality dispatching and service management tools.
• Establish and implement onboarding processes to support new dispatchers, inspectors, Operations Information Officers, and other staff involved in service management.
• Diagnose and assess the root cause of technical issues and oversee the response to feedback and support requests from front‑line staff, assigning activities to the relevant product teams, support teams, or vendors based on the technical nature of the problem.
• Collaborate closely with Deputy Director of Bus Technology and relevant Product, Program or Project Managers. Work with relevant Deputy Directors, Product Managers, and other colleagues to establish and monitor ongoing success metrics for dispatching applications.
• Manage (or assist in managing) vendors involved in dispatching technologies (e.g., bus CAD/AVL, on‑vehicle technology vendors), including facilitating regular calls and technical site visits.
• Provide input into overall strategy for dispatching and other service management technologies (e.g., buy/build decisions, input on roadmap for internal product development teams), and help identify and surface potential additional factors that should inform long‑term strategy based on proximity to vendors and familiarity with recurring technical issues.
• Become proficient in technical challenges that arise both within and outside Technology Innovation and Information Technology departments, and regularly conduct in‑person visits at the Operations Control Center, carhouses, stations, and other service management locations to solicit in‑person feedback from users, monitor deployments, and gather information on challenging technology problems. Participate in technical conversations with TID teams and other stakeholders such as Vehicle Maintenance and Vehicle Engineering to understand system interfaces, operational processes, and concerns.
• Establish processes with the management of the IT Helpdesk and IT Application Support team to ensure that dispatching apps have appropriate documented runbooks and other support procedures.
• Determine system dependencies and how changes in one component may affect other systems or operational workflows, then guide product teams in the planning and rollout of major new features and support product teams in user research and collaborative software design.
• Manage small hardware or software investment projects or assist in the management/execution of larger projects.
• Build strong relationships with peers and staff in MBTA Operations and other…