Preservation Production Control & Inspections Manager - Washington State Ferries

State of Washington•King County - Seattle – Belltown, WA

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is seeking a Preservation Production Control & Inspections Manager for Washington State Ferries (WSF). This role provides strategic leadership over fleet-wide preservation, production control, and inspection operations to ensure the long-term reliability and readiness of WSF vessels. The position is critical for ensuring that preservation, drydock, layup, and recapitalization activities align with engineering standards, regulatory requirements, and lifecycle asset management goals. It plays a key role in maintaining the fleet's material condition, supporting passenger service continuity, and protecting the agency’s capital investments through quality assurance, resource coordination, and operational oversight. By leading inspection resources and supporting consistent maintenance standards, this role contributes to safe, reliable ferry operations and essential public transportation services.

Requirements

Core Leadership & Behavioral Competence: Service-Oriented, Growth Mindset
Technical & Maritime Engineering Competence: Demonstrated expertise in vessel systems including structural, coatings/preservation, electrical, propulsion, and mechanical disciplines.
Ability to evaluate material compliance, corrosion control systems, coatings, and preservation methodologies.
In-depth knowledge of maritime maintenance standards, inspection protocols, and lifecycle asset management practices.
Experience interpreting and validating contract specifications, test procedures, trial standards, and acceptance criteria.
In-depth knowledge of regulatory frameworks (e.g., USCG, ABS, OSHA, environmental compliance standards) related to vessel operations and preservation.
Project & Portfolio Management: Experience managing multiple concurrent projects across geographically distributed facilities.
Proficiency in tracking project milestones, budgets, schedules, and contractor performance.
Ability to balance short-term operational demands with long-term fleet recapitalization efforts.
Leadership, Workforce Planning, & Resource Management: Substantial experience supervising technical staff and/or subordinate supervisors in a complex operational environment.
Experience recruiting, training, and developing technical staff.
Skill in performance management, including coaching, mentoring, and progressive discipline.
Ability to forecast workforce needs in a growing operational environment.
Strong written and verbal communication skills for technical and executive audiences.
Ability to translate complex technical issues into clear business impacts.
Quality Assurance & Continuous Improvement, Safety & Regulatory Compliance: In-depth knowledge of inspection systems, nonconformance tracking, and corrective action processes.
Experience standardizing procedures across multiple sites or projects.
Strong understanding of workplace safety standards and risk mitigation in industrial/maritime environments.
In-depth experience ensuring compliance with environmental and safety regulations.
Substantial experience conducting root cause analyses for equipment, system, or operational failures.
Ability to synthesize technical data into actionable insights and recommendations.
Understanding of fleet lifecycle cost modeling and long-term asset strategy.
Strong analytical skills related to asset condition, reliability, and lifecycle cost modeling.

Nice To Haves

Experience with maritime preservation programs, shipyard operations, or vessel maintenance oversight.
Experience working within a public sector or highly regulated environment.
Experience with ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems or similar quality frameworks.
Experience supporting large-scale capital programs or fleet lifecycle planning initiatives.

Responsibilities

Track preservation project progress, milestones, testing, trials, acceptance criteria, and compliance with safety, environmental, material, and procedural standards across the WSF fleet.
Assign and coordinate inspectors for preservation, retrofit, and recapitalization projects based on technical expertise while balancing workloads across facilities and project types.
Supervise Construction Project Coordinators, Inspector Specialists, and Eagle Harbor quality and scheduling staff supporting fleet maintenance and preservation production activities.
Manage investigations, root cause analyses, quality assurance, corrective actions, and resolution of contract nonconformance and systemic production deficiencies.
Recruit, train, mentor, evaluate, and develop inspection staff, including succession planning and advancement of Inspector Specialists into leadership and engineering support roles.
Establish and maintain fleet-wide preservation inspection standards and ensure consistent inspection quality, documentation, and technical compliance across shipyards and facilities.
Monitor workforce capacity, resource sufficiency, and fleet material condition trends, and provide technical reporting and staffing recommendations to leadership as fleet demands expand.
Serve as the subject matter authority on preservation inspection practices, lifecycle cost impacts, and emerging maritime maintenance and preservation trends.