Job Posting

Job Title: Chief Safety Officer
Company: Salem Area Mass Transit District (Cherriots)
Location: Salem, Oregon - USA

Application Procedure:

For a complete position profile, full job description, and to apply online, visit Prothman at https://www.prothman.com/ and click on "Open Recruitments". For questions, call 206-368-0050. The Salem Area Mass Transit District is an Equal Opportunity Employer. First review of applications: September 15, 2024 (open until filled).

Job Description:

Chief Safety Officer
Salem Area Mass Transit District (Cherriots)
Salem, Oregon
Salary: $109,722 – $156,438

Headquartered in the city of Salem, Oregon, the Salem Area Mass Transit District, also known as Cherriots, is a public transportation agency which operates within the urban growth boundary of Salem and Keizer. The region is one of the most beautiful and livable areas of the Pacific Northwest, being located in the lush Willamette River Valley. Salem is just an hour away from the Cascade mountains to the east and the ocean beaches to the west, and the area offers year-round outdoor recreation, sports, music, theater, and the arts. The region also has easy access to the Portland metropolitan area, an hour north. Salem is Oregon’s capital city, and the Salem/Keizer metropolitan area has a population of over 400,000.

The Salem Area Mass Transit District (Cherriots) is governed by a seven-member Board of Directors, and has an operating budget of $147.6 million with 265 full-time employees. Cherriots operates fixed-route transit and paratransit service within the urban growth boundary of Salem and Keizer, and regional express service between communities in Marion, Polk, and Linn counties, as well as a number of other services.

Under the direction of the Deputy General Manager, the Chief Safety Officer (CSO) provides executive direction to Cherriots’ overall security, system safety and emergency management, contract compliance, strategic plan, bus safety, Customer Satisfaction and Agency Safety Plan. As Cherriots’ Safety Management System (SMS) Executive, the CSO leads Cherriots’ Safety, Security and Emergency Management Division staff proactively to achieve bus, and facilities and emergency planning goals and objectives. This position is also responsible for investigations and crime prevention, and developing and implementing public security strategies. The Chief Safety Officer will oversee a division with 4 FTEs and a budget of $2.5 million.

Education and Experience:

Ten years total experience to include management experience at a senior level in the public or private sector that is directly related to organizational and public safety.

A bachelor’s degree or equivalent from an accredited college or university in Safety Management, Criminal Justice, Business Administration, Public Administration, Risk Management or a closely related field.

Or, any satisfactory equivalent combination of related experience and training which provides required knowledge, abilities, and skills. Experience with well-developed safety management systems, experience managing multiple departments with different responsibilities, and experience managing vendor contracts involving a number of on-site contract personnel.

The ideal candidate will have a background in law enforcement, or have other relevant experience such as city management, emergency management, police, fire, EMS or risk management services are likely backgrounds that can lead to success. Public transit experience is desired.