AVL COORDINATOR

SMART•Troy, MI

11d

About The Position

The AVL Coordinator owns the day-to-day performance, data integrity, and operational readiness of SMART’s Computer-Aided Dispatch / Automatic Vehicle Location (CAD/AVL) ecosystem—centered on Clever Devices (e.g., CleverCAD, IVN, ODK/ODU, AVA, APC, headsign control). This role bridges Operations, Dispatch, Scheduling & Planning, IT, and Fleet Maintenance to ensure real-time vehicle visibility, accurate schedule/GTFS data, high-quality incident and performance reporting, and reliable on-board systems that directly support on-time performance (OTP), customer information, and service delivery.

Requirements

in Information Systems, Transportation Operations, Electronics, or related field; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
3–5 years of experience administering CAD/AVL systems in transit or closely related operations.
Hands‑on experience with Clever Devices platforms (CleverCAD, IVN, APC, AVA, headsign integration) including configuration and troubleshooting.
Strong understanding of transit schedules, run‑cuts, blocks/trips, timepoints, and detour management.
Proficiency with data analysis/reporting (Excel/Power BI/SQL basics) and GIS/GTFS concepts.
Working knowledge of vehicle communications (GPS, cellular, Wi‑Fi, Ethernet, CAN bus) and networking fundamentals (IP addressing, VLANs, VPNs).

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Transportation/IT/Engineering or related discipline.
Prior experience as a Dispatcher, Road Supervisor, or Radio/ITS technician in a public transit environment.
Vendor certifications or training from Clever Devices (or equivalent CAD/AVL vendors).
Experience with APC validation, GTFS/GTFS‑realtime publishing, and real‑time customer information systems.
FCC GROL or industry radio/telecom certifications; CompTIA Network+ or equivalent networking credential.

Responsibilities

Serve as the day-to-day owner for CleverCAD/CAD–AVL uptime, data quality, and configuration baselines.
Monitor real-time system health (AVL, communications, GPS lock, IVN, cellular/Wi‑Fi backhaul) and drive rapid triage/resolution of outages with IT, Radio/Comms, and Maintenance.
Maintain and publish service-level dashboards (availability, message latency, GPS validity, data throughput).
Administer user roles, permissions, and profiles for Dispatch, Road Supervisors, and Operational leadership.
Coordinate firmware/application deployments for IVN, APC, AVA, ODK/ODU, and peripherals; maintain a controlled change calendar and rollback plans.
Manage configuration packages (routes, blocks, patterns, stops, audio/visual announcements, headsign codes) and validate field activation on representative vehicles before fleetwide release.
Oversee incident queues with vendor support, track defects through resolution and document knowledge articles.
Own the daily import/validation of schedules, blocks, and trips from Scheduling & Planning into CAD/AVL; ensure parity with public GTFS and internal run-cut outputs.
Validate stop locations, geofences, timepoints, layover rules, and adherence parameters, correct data issues that impact OTP, APC validity, and customer information.
Coordinate timely GTFS/GTFS‑realtime updates for service changes, detours, and disruptions in partnership with Customer Communications and Planning.
Produce daily/weekly/monthly OTP reports at system, route, trip, operator, and time‑of‑day levels; validate methodology and exclusions (e.g., storms, detours, coach swaps).
Create actionable insights for Bus Operations leadership: dwell hotspots, chronic late departures, pattern timing issues, loop/turnout GPS anomalies, and device outages.
Track corrective actions and improvements, present trends at ops huddles, performance reviews, and executive updates.
Lead pre‑deployment bench tests and structured on‑route validation for new software, configurations, and hardware (across peak and off‑peak periods).
Verify GPS accuracy, IVN health, APC counts, AVA/headsings, operator HMI, and dispatch visibility under real service conditions.
Document results with checklists, photos/logs, and sign‑offs from Dispatch and Maintenance.
Develop and maintain SOPs, quick‑reference guides, and job aids for Dispatchers, Road Supervisors, and Maintenance techs.
Deliver training on CleverCAD features (incident coding, detours, automated messages, operator messaging, adherence views) and best practices.
Run post‑incident reviews and share lessons learned; keep a living knowledge base.
Act as primary liaison among Dispatch, IT/Networking, Radio/Comms, Fleet Maintenance, Scheduling & Planning, and Vendor support.
Schedule standing touchpoints for open issues, releases, and performance targets; maintain a transparent backlog and roadmap.
Support procurement/specification for CAD/AVL components and service contracts; contribute to acceptance criteria and vendor KPIs.
Ensure data retention, audit trails, and privacy safeguards for AVL and operator communications per policy and applicable regulations.
Follow change control, configuration management, and cybersecurity practices in alignment with IT standards.