Director, Government Affairs - Northeast - 90388170 - Philadelphia- (Onsite)

Your success is a train ride away!

As we move America’s workforce toward the future, Amtrak connects businesses and communities across the country. We employ more than 20,000 diverse, energetic professionals in a variety of career fields throughout the United States. The safety of our passengers, our employees, the public and our operating environment is our priority, and the success of our railroad is due to our employees.

 

Are you ready to join our team?

Our values of ‘Do the Right Thing, Excel Together and Put Customers First’ are at the heart of what matters most to us, and our Core Capabilities, ‘Building Trust, Accountability, Effective Communication, Customer Focus, and Proactive Safety & Security’ are what every employee needs to know and do to be most impactful at Amtrak. By living the Amtrak values, focusing on our capabilities, and actively embracing and fostering diverse ideas, backgrounds, and perspectives, together we will honor our past and make Amtrak a company of the future.

 

Work Arrangement: Onsite. This role can be based out of the following locations: Washington DC, Philadelphia PA, and New York NY

 

SUMMARY OF DUTIES:

Responsible for developing positive relationships with state and local governments – particularly governors, state departments of transportation, mayors, and state legislators – and key business and stakeholder groups, congressional offices, and community-based organizations.

                                                                                              

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

1.  Advancing and advocating Amtrak’s national legislative agenda.

• Developing positive relationships with key political and transportation leaders in each of the states in the territory, particularly along the Northeast Corridor (NEC).
• Working passionately at the grassroots level to develop support for Amtrak’s services in the communities Amtrak serves, particularly with mayors, business groups and other community leaders.

 
2. Lead the company’s NEC government affairs strategy and engagement activities to help advance the company’s key priorities between Washington, DC and Boston.  In particular, work with Capital Delivery, Service Delivery & Operations, Office of Community Engagement, and other Amtrak departments, as well as their third-party project-consultants, to advance NEC major backlog infrastructure projects, such as bridges and tunnel replacements; various state of good repair and improvement projects and ongoing maintenance of the railroad; critical fleet procurements; and major station development.  Specific activities include:

• Regularly brief state and local officials, and district staff of federal officials, on the state of NEC investments, and collaborate with these stakeholders on ways to support these investments;
• Working with Infrastructure Access, Capital Delivery, Finance and other departments, identify and support opportunities for states, locals, and commuter agencies to pursue and secure federal grant opportunities, including obtaining letters or support and ensuring that state, local, and transit budgets have the resources necessary to match federal competitive grants;
• Create, staff and otherwise support field events and train rides that showcase and build support for NEC fleet replacements, such as the NextGen Acelas and new Airo trainsets
• Attend NEC Commission meetings and ensure the rest of the department is aware of and coordinating efforts in support of Commission activities; 
• Track service disruptions along the NEC, and when appropriate, do proactive engagement with federal, state, and local officials to ensure they hear from Amtrak first about customer impacts.  

 

3.  Supporting Amtrak’s goals and initiatives for the Long Distance, State Supported and NEC business lines.

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