Overview:
The Program Director - Transit and Rail, Cooperative Research Program (CRP) provides senior-level leadership and management for a team delivering a complex portfolio of cooperative transportation research projects. The role combines advanced people leadership, portfolio-level accountability, and hands-on management of high-visibility research projects. Reporting to the Deputy Director, the Program Director exercises substantial independent judgment in managing staff, overseeing project portfolios, resolving complex issues, and engaging with volunteers and sponsors. The position is accountable for ensuring research quality, operational effectiveness, and timely delivery across multiple topic areas, while aligning team activities with division priorities. The Transportation Research Board (TRB), a division of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, provides leadership in transportation innovation through objective, evidence-based research and convenes experts from government, industry, and academia to address complex transportation challenges. Within TRB, the Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) is a group of applied research programs such as the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP), Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP), and Behavioral Traffic Safety Cooperative Research Program (BTSCRP), among others, that develop practical, implementable solutions to current and emerging transportation issues through stakeholder-driven research and collaboration.
Responsibilities Research Portfolio Leadership & Accountability
Provide leadership and oversight for a diverse portfolio of applied transportation research projects spanning multiple subject areas.
Manage selected complex or high-profile research projects personally, including contractor oversight and delivery of final products.
Ensure research activities meet TRB and National Academies standards for rigor, relevance, objectivity, and usefulness.
Identify cross-project risks, dependencies, and opportunities; implement corrective actions as needed.
Advise the Deputy Director on portfolio performance, emerging issues, and resource needs.
Team Leadership & People Management
Provide direct supervision to approximately 5-6 professional staff, including senior-level project managers.
Assign work, set priorities, and balance workloads across the team's portfolio.
Establish clear performance expectations and hold staff accountable for results.
Conduct performance evaluations and support professional development and succession readiness.
Foster a collaborative, high-performing team culture.
Program Execution & Strategic Alignment
Translate division and program priorities into integrated work plans for the team.
Exercise independent judgment in resolving operational, project, and personnel issues.
Escalate only strategic, fiscal, or reputational risks to the Deputy Director.
Contribute to program planning, process improvement, and operational decision-making.
Governance & Volunteer Leadership
Provide senior-level support to volunteer committees and research panels, including facilitation of discussions and resolution of issues.
Navigate consensus-driven environments involving diverse technical and institutional perspectives.
Ensure compliance with TRB and National Academies governance, ethics, and conflict-of-interest requirements.
Sponsor & Stakeholder Engagement
Serve as a primary point of contact for sponsors and stakeholders on assigned portfolios.
Lead project-level and portfolio-level briefings, reviews, and follow-up discussions.
Address sponsor concerns and contractor issues independently within delegated authority.
Coordinate with the Deputy Director on sensitive or high-impact matters.
Communication & Collaboration
Prepare executive-ready written materials, including project summaries, briefing notes, and decision memos.
Communicate clearly and authoritatively with staff, volunteers, contractors, sponsors, and leadership.
Collaborate across CRP teams and TRB units to support integrated program outcomes.
Operational & Administrative Effectiveness
Oversee project tracking, reporting, and documentation for the team's portfolio.
Ensure effective use of project management systems and collaboration tools.
Identify and implement improvements to workflows, project management practices, and team processes.
Qualifications:
Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Knowledge of cooperative or committee-driven research programs and familiarity with transportation research sponsors and policy environments.
Understanding of the National Academies' mission, structure, and culture.
Strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage complex portfolios and competing priorities.
Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to effectively engage and influence stakeholders at all levels.
Ability to negotiate funding and manage high-risk or complex research initiatives.
Ability to train, develop, and support staff.
Ability to operate with substantial independence, sound judgment, and discretion in a complex organizational environment.
Ability to solve complex problems involving significant variety and to serve as a resource to others in resolving issues.
Ability to work effectively in team-based settings and build and sustain collaborative relationships across departments and stakeholder groups.
Ability to perform effectively in complex, high-impact environments with multiple priorities and demands.
Minimum Education/Training Requirements:
Ph.D. in a discipline relevant to transportation, public policy, research management, or a closely related field; or a master's, or bachelor\'s degree in a relevant discipline with significant professional experience demonstrating advanced subject matter expertise, leadership in complex projects or programs, and independent research, analysis, or policy development responsibilities.
Minimum Experience:
Ten years of related professional experience, five of which were in a supervisory capacity. Demonstrated impact on the advancement of science or policy through the successful completion of National Academies' activities or equivalent outside activities and through effective dissemination of these activities.
Significant experience managing applied research projects or programs.
Demonstrated experience supervising and developing professional staff in a complex organization.
Required Licenses, Certification or Registration: None
Any qualification to be considered equivalent, in lieu of stated minimum, requires the prior approval of the Office of Human Resources.
Other Details Supervisory Responsibilities/Controls
Reports to the Division Director. Independently establishes goals and objectives. Supervises staff.
Mental and Physical Capabilities
Ability to be visible on camera for meetings when remote.
Ability to use a computer and applicable hardware/software to perform responsibilities.
Ability to use multiple technology collaboration platforms, including collaboration tools. Examples: Microsoft Teams, Asana.
Ability to Focus/concentrate on tasks and multi-task, when needed.
Begin work at the required time, per approved schedule.
Ability to lift/carry laptop and other mobile devices between work and home.
Ability to commute to work.
Ability to travel between National Academies' facilities and offsite sponsor/partner locations.
Ability to work in different time zones, when travel is outside of current location, e.g., when traveling internationally.
Ability to perform work responsibilities onsite, where required.
Ability to interact in-person with multiple people and large groups.
Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and meet deadlines.
Ability to use a computer and applicable hardware/software to perform responsibilities.
Work Environment Hybrid office/telecommute environment; expected onsite percentage 60%. Occasional travel between National Academies' facilities and to off-site meeting/sponsor locations.
Compensation & Benefits:
An estimated compensation range for this position is $126,880 - $198,250. Compensation offered to the selected candidate will be based on the candidate's relevant knowledge, skills, and work experience, commensurate with compensation of current employees in comparable positions with similar knowledge, skills, and work experience, and subject to budget parameters. Note it is not typical for a candidate to be hired at the higher end of the range. This is a benefits-eligible position. Our Benefits Plan offers competitive and comprehensive benefit options, including medical, dental and vision insurance, life insurance, disability coverage, retirement and savings benefits, leave benefits such as paid holidays and paid personal leave, transportation subsidies, and education assistance. For more information, please clickhere.
Equal Opportunity Employer
It is the policy of the National Academies to recruit, hire, transfer, compensate, and promote people in all job categories and to administer all other personnel actions, terms and conditions of employment in a manner that does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws. It is also the institution's policy to recruit, hire, promote, and provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and covered veterans who are otherwise qualified.
Disclaimer:
The above information is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employees assigned to this job. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required. Some functions in this description may be specific to a particular unit of the National Academies and not applicable to other units.
Job Family: PROG
Employee Type: Employee
Scheduled Weekly Hours: 37.5
City/State: Washington, District of Columbia
