Customer Information Specialist - Senior

King County•Seattle, WA

10d•Hybrid

About The Position

This recruitment is open to current King County Metro Transit Customer Information Specialists only. The Senior Transit Customer Information Specialist serves as a peer leader within Metro's Customer Information office, providing leadership, operational support, and exceptional customer service across Customer Information Office and Lost & Found operations. Working collaboratively with Customer Information leadership, Senior Specialists coach, mentor and train employees, coordinate daily workflow, resolve complex customer issues, oversee Lost & Found activities, and ensure customers receive accurate, timely, and professional service through multiple communication channels. This position requires strong leadership, sound judgment, operational flexibility, and a commitment to providing equitable, customer-focused service in a fast-paced environment. Applying Equity and Social Justice principles is a foundational expectation for all King County employees. Senior Transit Customer Information Specialists are expected to demonstrate inclusive leadership, foster an equitable workplace, and provide respectful, accessible, and culturally responsive service to all customers and coworkers. Senior Transit Customer Information Specialists play an essential leadership role in helping Metro deliver accurate information, recover lost property, resolve complex customer concerns, and support employees who provide outstanding customer service every day. This position offers the opportunity to lead by example, mentor colleagues, improve operations, and make a meaningful impact on the customer experience across one of the nation's leading public transportation systems. This recruitment will be used to fill two (2) Career Services, Customer Information Specialist vacancies. In addition, this selection process may be used to generate an eligibility list for future Career Service (CS), Special Duty Assignment (SDA) and Term Limited Temporary (TLT) positions that may occur in this classification and workgroup. The eligibility pool list is valid for up to 12 months from the time of posting for use at the discretion of the hiring authority.

Requirements

Experience as a Metro Transit Customer Information Specialist.
Exceptional customer service skills and the ability to resolve complex customer concerns.
Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
Demonstrated leadership, coaching, mentoring, or peer support experience.
Excellent organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to prioritize multiple responsibilities while exercising sound judgment.
Knowledge of Metro services, fares, policies, and regional transit operations.
Experience using Microsoft Office applications, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, Salesforce, and other business systems.
Ability to establish and maintain productive working relationships with employees, customers, and business partners from diverse backgrounds.
Must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

Nice To Haves

Acting Senior or lead assignments.
Employee coaching and training.
Lost & Found operations.
Workflow coordination.
Escalated customer service.
Incident response and service disruptions.
Continuous improvement initiatives.
Cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

Serve as a peer leader and operational resource for Customer Information Specialists.
Coach, mentor, and support employees in delivering exceptional customer service.
Document and assess training opportunities for action or escalation through the appropriate channels.
Assist and facilitate onboarding and training new employees.
Provide real-time guidance during customer interactions and operational issues.
Coordinate workflow and staffing priorities with Customer Information leadership.
Support quality assurance, continuous improvement, and operational readiness.
Facilitate team communication and knowledge sharing.
Promote a respectful, collaborative, and inclusive work environment.
Provide accurate information regarding Metro services, fares, schedules, trip planning, policies, and service disruptions.
Resolve complex customer concerns and escalated contacts through telephone, email, chat, written correspondence, and interactions at the Lost and Found walk up window.
Support customers during service disruptions, emergencies, severe weather, and major regional events.
Coordinate with Transit Control Center, Operations, Safety & Security, and other Metro divisions to ensure timely and accurate customer communications.
Support and guide Customer Information Specialists who perform daily Lost & Found duties.
Manage Lost and Found phone line, voicemail and email Inbox daily.
Provide operational coverage during staffing shortages or other business needs.
Serve as the escalation point for complex, sensitive, or policy-critical Lost & Found cases or calls.
Provide real-time direction and coaching to staff regarding receiving, identifying, cataloging, storing, safeguarding, and releasing found property.
Ensure staff follow established procedures for documentation, inventory management, customer communication, and secure handling of high-value or sensitive items.
Assist staff with researching ownership and resolving complicated claims or exceptions requiring senior-level judgment.
Review and support the accuracy of Lost & Found records, logs, inventory reports, and chain-of-custody processes.
Oversee and maintain compliance with security protocols, including proper safeguarding of money, valuables, and confidential items.
Guide staff in correctly disposing of prohibited, hazardous, or expired property in accordance with policy.
Maintain a safe, organized, and customer-focused Lost & Found operation.
Assist leadership in maintaining service levels and operational efficiency.
Balance competing priorities while maintaining high-quality customer service.
Run reports; create, update and manage Forms, Standard Operational Processes and CIO Manual.
Identify opportunities to improve processes and customer experiences.
Support testing implementation and training of new technologies, procedures, and business initiatives.
Perform other related duties as assigned.