Ambassador Program Administrator

City of Charlotte•Charlotte, NC

2d•$60,612 - $87,130

About The Position

This position administers, monitors, and supports the contracted Fare Inspection Ambassador Program for the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS). The position ensures contractor compliance with the approved scope of work, performance standards, deployment model, customer service expectations, reporting requirements, and safety protocols. This position provides contract administration, operational oversight, performance monitoring, data review, interdepartmental coordination, and continuous improvement support for the program. The role works closely with the contracted vendor, Customer Service leadership, Rail Operations, Bus Operations, Safety and Security, Transit Police, Marketing and Communications, Technology, and other internal partners to support a visible, professional, and customer-focused fare inspection model. The position supports the initial implementation of the program on the Blue Line and helps coordinate future expansion planning for Bus operations and the Gold Line, ensuring that service expectations, reporting protocols, rider education, training requirements, and performance measures remain consistent across modes as the program grows. Employees hired into this role will remain City employees through December 31, 2026, and will transition to Metropolitan Public Transit Authority (MPTA) employment on January 1, 2027. Benefits and compensation will follow City provisions through 2026 and shift to MPTA provisions in 2027, with clear information shared in advance. Your core duties, reporting structure, and daily responsibilities will remain consistent, with no break in service. If anything delays the transition, your City employment, including compensation and benefits, will remain in place until the move to the MPTA occurs.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, Transportation, Operations Management, or a related field.
Two years of experience in program administration, vendor management, contract monitoring, operational oversight, customer service program coordination, or a related area.
An equivalent combination of education and relevant experience may be considered.
Knowledge of public transit operations, customer service practices, field service coordination, and rider assistance.
Knowledge of contract administration, vendor oversight, service-level monitoring, and deliverable review.
Knowledge of fare inspection, proof-of-payment, fare compliance, fare media, mobile ticketing, ticket vending machines, and rider education practices.
Knowledge of KPI tracking and performance monitoring related to coverage, staffing, inspection activity, reporting, safety, and customer experience.
Knowledge of digital reporting systems, field data collection, dashboards, and data quality review.
Knowledge of customer-service-centered, non-escalatory engagement practices for public-facing programs.
Knowledge of ADA awareness, inclusive communication, de-escalation, emergency response coordination, and incident reporting practices.
Knowledge of CATS service modes, operating environments, and interdepartmental coordination practices, or ability to learn them quickly.
Skill in reviewing scopes of work, contract requirements, performance standards, reports, dashboards, incident records, and supporting documentation.
Skill in analyzing operational data to identify trends, gaps, risks, and improvement opportunities.
Skill in preparing clear written reports, summaries, correspondence, meeting notes, and recommendations.
Skill in coordinating with contractors, operations staff, customer service teams, safety and security partners, technology staff, communications staff, and leadership.
Skill in facilitating vendor meetings, performance reviews, implementation check-ins, and issue-resolution discussions.
Skill in managing multiple priorities, deadlines, deliverables, and stakeholder requests in a service-oriented environment.
Skill in using standard office productivity tools, spreadsheets, reporting systems, dashboards, and electronic records systems.
Ability to administer and monitor a vendor-operated program without directly supervising contractor employees or performing contractor field duties.
Ability to interpret scope of work requirements and apply them to daily oversight, reporting review, performance monitoring, and vendor follow-up.
Ability to evaluate whether contractor deployment, staffing, training, reporting, safety, and customer service practices meet CATS expectations.
Ability to identify performance gaps and recommend corrective actions or program improvements.
Ability to communicate expectations clearly while maintaining productive and professional vendor relationships.
Ability to coordinate across departments to resolve operational issues and support consistent program implementation.
Ability to review data for completeness, accuracy, timeliness, and operational significance.
Ability to exercise sound judgment in escalating contractor performance, safety, customer service, or compliance concerns.

Nice To Haves

Experience administering or overseeing a contracted public-facing service program.
Experience in public transportation, fare programs, customer service operations, field operations, or civilian ambassador-style programs.
Experience with KPI tracking, performance reporting, digital reporting systems, or field data collection tools.
Experience coordinating across multiple departments, contractors, or operational stakeholder groups.
Bilingual ability, especially English/Spanish.

Responsibilities

Administers and monitors the contracted Fare Inspection Ambassador Program on behalf of CATS.
Serves as the primary day-to-day liaison between CATS and the contracted vendor for program operations, contract requirements, performance questions, and issue resolution.
Reviews vendor compliance with the approved Scope of Work, including deployment plans, inspection protocols, customer service standards, reporting requirements, safety practices, and phased implementation expectations.
Monitors contractor staffing, attendance, uniforms, equipment readiness, background screening, training completion, and field deployment practices for alignment with contract requirements.
Coordinates with procurement, contract administration, Customer Service leadership, Operations, Safety and Security, Transit Police, and other internal partners to address vendor performance, contract compliance, and operational issues.
Documents vendor performance concerns and supports follow-up actions, corrective measures, or escalation recommendations when contract expectations are not met.
Establishes, maintains, and monitors program performance measures for coverage, inspection activity, fare compliance, customer interaction quality, safety, reporting timeliness, staffing reliability, training compliance, and rider assistance.
Reviews daily activity logs, monthly KPI dashboards, quarterly performance summaries, staffing reports, incident reports, and other required vendor deliverables.
Compares scheduled coverage, actual deployment, inspection totals, and zone coverage against approved deployment plans and performance targets.
Reviews fare compliance, rider interaction, customer complaint, incident, and assistance data to identify trends, service concerns, and improvement opportunities.
Conducts regular vendor performance reviews and provides summaries, findings, and recommendations to CATS leadership.
Oversees vendor use of required digital data collection and reporting systems to document inspection activity, fare verification results, rider assistance, incidents, and operational performance.
Reviews reports and source data for accuracy, completeness, timeliness, and consistency with contract requirements.
Ensures required daily, monthly, quarterly, and incident reports are submitted by established deadlines.
Coordinates with the vendor and appropriate CATS staff to resolve reporting system issues, data quality concerns, or needed reporting changes.
Maintains program records, reports, and performance documentation to support contract administration, audits, leadership review, and program evaluation.
Monitors contractor compliance with required training, certification, refresher training, and readiness expectations before Ambassadors are deployed in the field.
Confirms required training topics are addressed, including fare inspection procedures, proof-of-payment protocols, validation equipment, digital reporting tools, de-escalation, ADA awareness, emergency response, radio communication, and customer service.
Supports the initial joint-operations period with CATS staff and helps assess contractor readiness to transition to independent field operations.
Coordinates with internal subject matter experts to provide the vendor with updated fare policy information, safety procedures, service changes, customer communication guidance, and operational updates.
Identifies training, equipment, documentation, or readiness gaps and works with the vendor and CATS leadership to address them.
Monitors the contractor’s performance in maintaining a visible, professional, approachable, customer-friendly, and non-confrontational Ambassador presence.
Reinforces CATS expectations for rider education, respectful communication, de-escalation, and customer-service-centered fare compliance.
Reviews customer complaints, field observations, incident reports, and spot-check results to identify concerns related to rider experience, conduct, or safety.
Coordinates with CATS Safety and Security, Transit Police, Operations, and Customer Service leadership regarding escalated situations, recurring safety concerns, or operational issues.
Supports rider education and public awareness efforts related to fare requirements, fare purchasing, mobile ticketing, ticket vending machines, proof-of-payment expectations, and the purpose of the Ambassador Program.
Supports implementation planning for the initial Blue Line launch, including contractor readiness, deployment planning, reporting setup, joint operations, and transition to independent operations.
Assists with planning and coordination for future expansion to Bus operations and the Gold Line, ensuring proposed approaches align with CATS service expectations and approved program standards.
Tracks implementation milestones, open issues, risks, dependencies, and decisions requiring management review.
Uses KPI results, contractor reports, field observations, rider feedback, and stakeholder input to recommend program refinements.
Supports updates to program procedures, reporting tools, training expectations, rider education materials, and operational guidance.
Performs related duties as assigned.