Director of Capital Program Management

City of Charlotte•Charlotte, NC

9d•$145,541 - $209,214•Onsite

About The Position

This position serves as the executive leader of CATS’ capital program management function, with authority over capital portfolio governance, capital planning, project controls, performance reporting, and related program support systems. Reporting to the Chief Development Officer, this role holds responsibility for the strategic direction, organizational design, governance frameworks, and operational performance of the Capital Program Management department, including capital planning and prioritization, grant strategy, transit asset management alignment, project controls, capital reporting, PMIS administration, and other enterprise functions supporting disciplined capital delivery. The Director ensures that CATS’ capital portfolio is planned, prioritized, monitored, and governed in a manner that is transparent, fiscally responsible, data-informed, and aligned with agency strategy, asset condition needs, regulatory requirements, and delivery capacity. This position exercises executive judgment over capital investment governance, capital prioritization, project controls standards, risk and performance reporting, and the systems and processes used to support consistent capital program execution across the organization. Operating through subordinate managers, analysts, coordinators, technical staff, and external partners, the Director leads continuous improvement and long-range development of CATS’ capital program management capability. The role serves as a senior representative of CATS with executive leadership, governing bodies, federal and state oversight entities, regional partners, and other stakeholders on matters related to capital portfolio performance, investment strategy, and capital governance, and is accountable for helping ensure that the agency’s capital resources are directed and managed in a disciplined manner that supports organizational sustainability and public trust.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in public administration, engineering, business administration, finance, planning, construction management, project management, or a related field and seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in capital program management, capital planning, project controls, infrastructure portfolio management, transit asset management, or a related field; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Experience leading complex capital planning, project controls, or portfolio governance functions with accountability for performance, reporting, and organizational outcomes.
Experience managing professional and managerial staff within multi-layered organizations.
Knowledge of and experience applying regulatory, grant, or oversight requirements governing capital programs and public-sector infrastructure investment.
Advanced knowledge of capital portfolio governance, project controls, planning systems, and related processes.
Ability to analyze complex problems, evaluate alternatives, and implement effective solutions, including development of new approaches where necessary.
Ability to use performance metrics, financial data, risk information, and trend analysis to guide strategic decisions and ensure accountability across the capital portfolio.
Ability to guide capital planning and portfolio management in a manner that links financial planning, capital strategy, and asset lifecycle needs.
Apply lifecycle costing and state-of-good-repair concepts in decision-making.
Identify and quantify capital risks and opportunities.
Ability to design and oversee governance structures, controls frameworks, reporting standards, and accountability mechanisms that support disciplined capital delivery and transparent decision-making.
Ability to align capital planning, portfolio governance, and delivery support functions with agency strategy, asset needs, delivery realities, and long-term system objectives.
Use data, risk analysis, and industry practice to guide decisions.
Anticipate emerging capital planning and governance needs.
Knowledge of capital portfolio governance, capital planning, project management processes, cost estimating methodologies, schedule management, earned value principles, and PMIS/e-Builder or equivalent platforms.
Knowledge of Federal, state, and local requirements affecting capital planning, grant reporting, oversight reviews, audits, and public-sector infrastructure investment.
Knowledge of Asset lifecycle planning concepts and integration with capital planning, prioritization, and state-of-good-repair strategies.
Knowledge of Public-sector budgeting, capital contracting processes, and governance expectations in transit or regional authority settings.
Knowledge of Best practices in capital controls, risk management, capital performance reporting, and long-range capital planning.
Skill in providing executive leadership for complex capital program management functions with multiple support disciplines and delivery interfaces.
Skill in designing governance systems, capital prioritization frameworks, budget and schedule tracking models, and performance reporting structures.
Skill in interpreting and applying oversight, compliance, and grant requirements to capital governance and reporting practices.
Skill in analyzing capital portfolio data, trends, risks, and performance indicators to identify issues and improvement opportunities.
Skill in leading cross-functional collaboration across planning, engineering, delivery, finance, procurement, legal, and operations functions.
Skill in communicating complex capital planning, financial, and portfolio issues to executive leadership, governing bodies, regulators, and external stakeholders.
Skill in representing the organization in public forums, oversight engagements, and interagency coordination related to capital investment and governance.
Skill in exercising independent judgment in managing a high-visibility capital portfolio support function with significant financial and public accountability implications.
Skill in balancing strategic planning, fiscal discipline, delivery realities, and asset needs in capital decisions.
Skill in leading and developing senior staff and program leaders with clear accountability and performance expectations.
Skill in anticipating and mitigating capital governance, reporting, and performance risks.
Skill in translating organizational strategy and policy direction into effective capital management practices and decision-support frameworks.
Skill in maintaining professionalism, integrity, and transparency in all aspects of capital governance and external engagement.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in public administration, engineering, business administration, finance, planning, transportation, or a related field.
Experience in a public transit agency, transportation authority, public infrastructure, or similarly complex public-sector capital environment.
Experience overseeing project controls systems, PMIS platforms, capital reporting, or enterprise capital governance processes.
Experience integrating asset management, lifecycle planning, and capital prioritization practices.
Experience engaging federal or state oversight entities, governing bodies, or regional partners in a public-facing leadership role.

Responsibilities

Exercises decision-making authority within established policy, budget, and governance frameworks.
Provide executive leadership and strategic direction for CATS’ Capital Program Management function, including capital planning, project controls, transit asset management alignment, PMIS stewardship, and related enterprise capital support activities.
Ensure capital program management practices are aligned with CATS’ strategic priorities, approved budgets, delivery capacity, asset stewardship needs, and long-term infrastructure objectives.
Translate executive and Board priorities into effective capital portfolio governance structures, performance expectations, and implementation strategies.
Exercise authority over capital planning frameworks, governance standards, and portfolio support processes within established fiscal and policy parameters.
Lead development and oversight of the Capital Investment Plan across short-, mid-, and long-range horizons, ensuring alignment with asset needs, service planning objectives, operational priorities, and funding constraints.
Establish executive oversight and accountability for capital prioritization methods, evaluation frameworks, and investment decision support processes.
Ensure capital planning decisions are data-informed, transparent, and aligned with agency strategy, state-of-good-repair needs, and long-term system development goals.
Recommend capital investment strategies and prioritization approaches to executive leadership based on condition, risk, readiness, financial capacity, and organizational priorities.
Hold enterprise-level accountability for project controls standards, capital performance reporting, and related governance mechanisms across the capital portfolio.
Establish and maintain capital program expectations related to cost control, schedule management, risk reporting, contingency oversight, change control, documentation discipline, and performance monitoring.
Ensure consistent use of project controls methodologies, capital reporting tools, and PMIS platforms across the organization.
Authorize and prioritize improvements to capital controls, forecasting methods, reporting structures, and related support systems.
Ensure capital planning and capital reporting practices appropriately incorporate transit asset management principles, lifecycle considerations, reliability needs, and state-of-good-repair priorities.
Establish alignment between capital investment decision-making and asset condition, replacement cycles, long-term reinvestment needs, and lifecycle cost considerations.
Support integration of TAM, capital planning, and capital reporting processes to improve visibility into future infrastructure and asset needs.
Promote disciplined use of asset information and lifecycle thinking in capital investment decisions.
Ensure capital program reporting and supporting processes comply with applicable federal, state, and local requirements, including grant conditions, oversight expectations, audit requirements, and related capital reporting obligations.
Serve as the executive leader for capital governance and performance reporting related to audits, federal oversight reviews, external reporting, and similar compliance activities.
Establish accountability for maintaining audit-ready records, defensible governance processes, and disciplined documentation across the capital program management function.
Escalate significant capital compliance, reporting, or governance risks to the Chief Development Officer and recommend mitigation strategies.
Lead capital portfolio risk identification, assessment, and mitigation support processes related to cost, schedule, funding, delivery readiness, and long-term reinvestment needs.
Oversee development of capital forecasts, scenario analyses, and executive decision-support materials related to portfolio performance and future capital obligations.
Ensure performance data, risk information, and portfolio trends are translated into clear recommendations for executive leadership and governing bodies.
Support informed decision-making regarding capital investment pacing, prioritization, corrective actions, and resource allocation.
Coordinate with Major Project Delivery, Engineering, Transit Planning, Operations, Finance, Procurement, Legal, Real Estate and TOD, and other internal functions to align capital governance, reporting, planning, and controls practices.
Ensure capital program management processes support effective coordination among planning, delivery, asset management, financial, and operational functions.
Resolve or elevate cross-functional issues affecting capital prioritization, reporting, readiness, or governance.
Support alignment between capital portfolio decisions and broader agency delivery, financial, and operational constraints.
Provide executive leadership for a multi-layered Capital Program Management organization through subordinate managers and program leads.
Set department-wide performance expectations, accountability structures, leadership standards, and professional expectations for the Capital Program Management portfolio.
Authorize organizational design, staffing models, consultant support strategies, and succession planning to support the evolving maturity of the capital program management function.
Coordinate with Development and enterprise leadership to ensure staffing, tools, processes, and governance structures are scaled appropriately to agency needs.
Lead executive planning and decision-making related to improvement of capital governance systems, project controls practices, capital planning processes, PMIS tools, and portfolio reporting methods.
Assess emerging best practices in capital portfolio governance, asset-informed planning, and project controls and recommend appropriate process or system improvements.
Provide executive leadership for the continued maturation of CATS’ capital program management capability as the agency transitions to a larger and more independent regional authority model.
Translate lessons learned into long-term improvements in capital planning, controls, transparency, and organizational effectiveness.