Department: Charlotte Area Transit System Department
Thank you for your interest in joining the team that keeps Charlotte moving, at a very exciting time for our organization. At the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), we’re committed to delivering safe, reliable, and innovative transit services for our growing community, and we value employees who bring professionalism, passion, and a commitment to public service.
This position is currently employed by CATS, a department of the City of Charlotte. With the passage of the PAVE Act and last year’s sales tax referendum, CATS is preparing to transition from a City department to the newly created Metropolitan Public Transit Authority (MPTA). The MPTA was established to strengthen regional transit governance, improve accountability, and support long‑term investment in mobility. It’s an important and exciting step forward for transit in our region.
Employees hired into this role will remain City employees through December 31, 2026, and will transition to MPTA employment on January 1, 2027. Benefits and compensation will follow City provisions through 2026 and shift to MPTA provisions in 2027, with clear information shared in advance. Your core duties, reporting structure, and daily responsibilities will remain consistent, with no break in service. If anything delays the transition, your City employment, including compensation and benefits, will remain in place until the move to the MPTA occurs.
The creation of the MPTA positions us for a more modern, sustainable, and efficient transit system, one that can better support the Charlotte region for decades to come. We’re excited about what’s ahead and appreciate your interest in being part of it.
SUMMARY
The Operations Applications Supervisor provides technical leadership and supervisory oversight for mission-critical transit software and operational technology applications within the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS). Primary responsibilities include Vontas OnRoute computer-aided dispatch and automatic vehicle location (CAD/AVL), GIRO HASTUS, fare collection technology, and related operational applications.
The position leads application administration, configuration, integration, production support, data management, vendor coordination, and application lifecycle management. The supervisor directs complex troubleshooting, recovery, upgrades, and modernization while coordinating with operational departments and technical teams to maintain reliable service in a 24/7 transit environment.
Working under general direction, this position combines staff supervision with active technical engagement, including evaluating application architecture, data flows, troubleshooting approaches, and proposed solutions.
Major Duties and Responsibilities
Staff Supervision and Team Leadership
- Supervise Application Administrators, Industrial Controls Technicians, and/or technical analysts supporting operations applications.
- Establish application ownership, primary and backup support assignments, priorities, and workloads; plan, assign, and review work.
- Provide technical direction during complex incidents; evaluate troubleshooting approaches, challenge technical conclusions, and review resolution activities.
- Mentor staff, provide performance feedback and evaluations, and support recruitment, onboarding, and development.
- Establish cross-training and technical training requirements to avoid dependence on a single resource; ensure staff follow application support, cybersecurity, incident, problem, change, and release procedures.
Vontas OnRoute and CAD AVL Application Oversight
- Lead OnRoute administration, configuration, monitoring, production support, and dispatch application support to maintain reliable daily bus and/or rail operations.
- Oversee application services, logs, performance, troubleshooting, patches, upgrades, releases, testing, and production validation.
- Manage application databases, interfaces, APIs, data dependencies, recovery procedures, and vendor escalation; support bus Mobile Data Terminals (MDTs).
- Serve as the senior escalation point for OnRoute software issues and coordinate with infrastructure, network, database, cybersecurity, data, and field technology teams.
GIRO HASTUS and Scheduling Application Oversight
- Lead HASTUS administration, configuration, transit planning and scheduling functionality, and service-change application support.
- Oversee upgrades, releases, testing, scheduling data management, validation, integrations, database and application troubleshooting, and vendor escalation.
- Partner with Planning and Scheduling teams to translate operational requirements into reliable application solutions.
- Ensure accurate exchange of scheduling, route, trip, block, run, operator, and related operational data with downstream systems.
Fare Technology and Onboard System Integration
- Provide technical and supervisory oversight for fare collection applications, with primary responsibility for integration with CAD/AVL and other onboard technologies.
- Oversee administration, configuration, monitoring, troubleshooting, testing, upgrades, and lifecycle management of fare applications and interfaces, including fareboxes, validators, and ticket vending machines that interact with CAD/AVL.
- Coordinate fare-system integration across bus, rail, paratransit, customer-facing, and back-office environments as required; support connections to scheduling, vehicle logic units, MDTs, financial systems, customer service, reporting, and data warehouses.
- Validate routes, trips, blocks, runs, stops, vehicle and operator assignments, fare products, rules, passes, transfers, concessions, and reduced-fare programs; synchronize approved fare changes and CAD/AVL configurations before deployment.
- Monitor device communications, application services, transaction processing and files, operational feeds, interfaces, synchronization, and exceptions; troubleshoot farebox, onboard hardware, vehicle communications, operator login, assignment, and GPS-related integration issues.
- Coordinate interface testing during upgrades, vehicle deployments, schedule and fare changes, hardware replacement, and modernization; confirm accurate operational data reaches fare equipment and transaction and operational information returns to central systems.
- Support complete and accurate fare revenue interfaces, reconciliation, transaction reporting, settlement data, and financial integrations; participate in modernization involving open and contactless payments, mobile ticketing, and account-based fare collection.
Application Integration and Data Management
- Ensure reliable integration and synchronized data exchange among HASTUS, OnRoute, fare collection, and other operational and enterprise applications.
- Support APIs, web services, database integrations, middleware, scheduled jobs, message interfaces, and file-based interfaces.
- Monitor and troubleshoot route, stop, trip, block, run, schedule, operator, fare, transaction, General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS), and GTFS-Realtime exchanges.
- Coordinate integration testing for changes affecting upstream or downstream systems; maintain application architecture, interface, configuration, dependency, and data-flow documentation.
Production Support and Operational Reliability
- Lead critical incident response affecting CAD/AVL, HASTUS, fare technology, software, configurations, interfaces, databases, transactions, and operational data.
- Analyze logs, services, configurations, databases, transaction processing, and system behavior; coordinate recovery and vendor escalation to restore operations, dispatch, scheduling, fare collection, customer information, and revenue processing.
- Lead root cause analysis, address recurring issues, implement corrective actions, and document resolutions; establish monitoring and alerting requirements.
- Maintain and periodically validate application recovery, backup, failover, and business-continuity procedures.
- Coordinate staff and vendor resources during upgrades, service and fare changes, deployments, and critical incidents; prioritize work according to operational impacts.
Change Release and Application Lifecycle Management
- Oversee patches, upgrades, releases, configuration changes, testing, deployments, rollback planning, and post-deployment validation.
- Ensure changes follow established Incident, Problem, Change, and Release Management processes; coordinate testing across interconnected applications before major production changes.
- Track application versions, dependencies, vendor support, end-of-life dates, roadmaps, modernization, and rationalization; maintain lifecycle and modernization plans.
- Participate in technology evaluations, implementations, migrations, and replacement projects; identify improvements to workflows, performance, reliability, and application use.
Vendor Contract and Application Renewal Management
- Review contracts, software renewals, licensing, maintenance, support agreements, vendor pricing, renewal increases, quotes, and Statements of Work for supported applications and payment-processing services.
- Validate licensing, modules, transaction volumes, support levels, maintenance coverage, and contracted services before renewal; identify unnecessary licensing, maintenance, transaction, processing, or support costs.
- Coordinate with Procurement, Finance, Legal, vendors, and IT leadership; track renewal dates and allow sufficient time for procurement, budgeting, negotiations, and executive approval.
- Assist with annual application budgets and recommend renewal, expansion, consolidation, modernization, or replacement; monitor vendor performance and contractual service obligations.
- Assist with requests for proposals, technical specifications, vendor evaluations, Statements of Work, and technology procurements.
Stakeholder Engagement Governance and Compliance
- Coordinate application changes with Operations, Planning, Scheduling, Maintenance, Finance, Revenue, Customer Service, IT, Cybersecurity, and external vendors.
- Communicate planned outages, upgrades, service impacts, and incident progress; support operational training and user adoption.
- Ensure adherence to technology standards, configuration controls, data governance, cybersecurity principles, and applicable payment-processing requirements; maintain operational documentation and support reporting.
Core Competencies
Leadership and Supervision
Ability to lead technically capable staff in a service-oriented environment.
- Establishes clear ownership, support coverage, priorities, and accountability.
- Provides coaching, performance feedback, and technical direction.
- Builds cross-training and staff capability for critical applications.
Operational Service Management
Ability to maintain mission-critical applications supporting continuous transit operations.
- Prioritizes work according to service and revenue impacts.
- Coordinates timely incident response, restoration, and vendor escalation.
- Strengthens monitoring, recovery readiness, and operational reliability.
Technical Coordination
Ability to guide complex troubleshooting and integration across interconnected transit applications.
- Understands architecture, application dependencies, transaction processing, and data flows.
- Evaluates troubleshooting approaches and challenges unsupported technical conclusions.
- Coordinates testing and validates integrated system performance.
Communication and Stakeholder Engagement
Ability to communicate effectively with operational, technical, and business audiences.
- Builds productive partnerships across departments and with vendors.
- Communicates changes, incidents, operational impacts, and expectations clearly.
- Translates stakeholder requirements into coordinated application support.
Decision Making and Accountability
Ability to exercise independent supervisory judgment within established policies and objectives.
- Makes timely decisions and balances competing operational priorities.
- Ensures changes follow approved controls and escalates issues appropriately.
- Holds staff and vendors accountable for documented service outcomes.
Vendor and Resource Management
Ability to align vendor services and application spending with operational needs.
- Evaluates licensing, support coverage, renewal costs, and vendor performance.
- Anticipates procurement, budget, and contract approval requirements.
- Recommends cost-effective renewal, consolidation, and modernization options.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Knowledge of:
- Vontas OnRoute or comparable CAD/AVL software, GIRO HASTUS or comparable scheduling/planning software, and transit application architecture.
- AFC, electronic fare payment technologies, transaction processing, and onboard system integration.
- SQL and relational databases; APIs, web services, middleware, interfaces, and data integration; GTFS and GTFS-Realtime.
- Application administration, configuration, monitoring, logging, troubleshooting, testing, patching, upgrades, and lifecycle management.
- Disaster recovery, backup, failover, business continuity, and ITIL-based Incident, Problem, Change, and Release Management.
- Cybersecurity principles for operational technology and payment environments, including applicable Payment Card Industry (PCI) requirements.
- Supervisory principles, software licensing, support contracts, procurement, renewals, and application budgeting.
Skill in:
- Supervising technical staff, assigning workloads, developing cross-training, and evaluating performance.
- Directing complex troubleshooting, root cause analysis, recovery, and vendor escalation.
- Evaluating application architecture, databases, interfaces, transaction processing, and data flows.
- Coordinating testing, releases, deployments, service changes, fare changes, and modernization.
- Reviewing vendor agreements, support coverage, renewal pricing, technical specifications, and Statements of Work.
- Communicating technical information and coordinating operational and business stakeholders.
Ability to:
- Exercise independent supervisory judgment and provide technically informed direction.
- Assess troubleshooting approaches, challenge technical conclusions, and verify solutions.
- Balance concurrent priorities while maintaining reliable 24/7 application support.
- Coordinate staff and vendors across interconnected operational and enterprise systems.
- Maintain accurate documentation, enforce established controls, and support continuous improvement.
Salary: $114,294.00 - $142,868.00 Commensurate with Experience
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Information Systems, or related field; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Ten (10) years of direct, progressively responsible experience supporting transit software applications and operational technology systems.
- Substantial hands-on experience with Vontas OnRoute CAD/AVL and GIRO HASTUS, or closely comparable CAD/AVL and transit scheduling or planning software in public transportation.
- Significant experience with mission-critical application administration, configuration, production support, troubleshooting, integrations, databases, data management, APIs, testing, upgrades, releases, monitoring, vendor support, and lifecycle management.
- One (1) year of experience leading projects, coordinating teams, or supervising staff.
Preferred Qualifications
- Ten (10) or more years of direct Vontas OnRoute and GIRO HASTUS experience.
- Five (5) or more years administering or supporting Automated Fare Collection (AFC) or electronic fare payment systems.
- Five (5) or more years supporting mission-critical applications in large bus and/or rail transit operations.
- Ten (10) or more years with major CAD/AVL, scheduling, or fare technology implementations, migrations, or upgrades; and with SQL/application databases, APIs, integrations, GTFS/GTFS-Realtime, and major service changes.
- Five (5) or more years with fare-system integrations, transaction processing, payment systems, reconciliation, and financial data interfaces.
- Five (5) or more years with contactless payments, open payments, mobile ticketing, or account-based fare collection.
- Ten (10) or more years supporting technology procurements, requests for proposals, vendor evaluations, contract renewals, and Statements of Work.
- Ten (10) or more years developing application architecture and data-flow documentation and managing application monitoring, performance, availability, and recovery.
- Ten (10) or more years coordinating complex technology issues across Operations, Planning, Finance, Revenue, Customer Service, IT, Cybersecurity, and external vendors.
- Supervisory experience in technical environments.
Working Environment and Physical Demands
- Work performed primarily in office environments with periodic visits to operational facilities.
- Requires sitting, standing, walking, and use of computer equipment.
- Occasional travel to operational locations.
- Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
- Participate in scheduled after-hours maintenance, major deployments and upgrades, service-change implementations, fare changes, critical incident response, emergency vendor support, and after-hours escalation.
- Supported applications require operational availability 24 hours per day, seven days per week, 365 days per year; after-hours work is required for deployments, production fixes, changes, and recovery activities.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
The City’s Background Check Policy requires background checks to be conducted on final internal or external candidate(s) applying for any position with the City of Charlotte. The type of information that will be collected as part of a background check includes, but is not limited to: reference checks, social security verification, education verification, criminal conviction record check, and, if applicable, a credit history check, sex offender registry and motor vehicle records check.
Background checks must be in compliance with all federal and state statutes, such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The checks must be consistent with the guidelines set forth by these laws requiring organizations to obtain a candidate’s written authorization before obtaining a criminal background report, motor vehicle records check or credit report; and to properly store and dispose of information derived from such reports.
Final candidates must pass a pre-employment drug-screening test and physical examination. During the selection process, candidates may be asked to take a skills test, and/or participate in other assessments.
The City of Charlotte is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, national origin, marital status, age, disability, sexual orientation, political affiliation or on the basis of actual or perceived gender as expressed through dress, appearance, or behavior.
Our culture is to serve the community honorably.
HOW TO APPLY
Apply online.
Federal law requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please tell us if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job.
You are welcome to visit the City of Charlotte Human Resources Department lobby, where self-service application kiosks are available. They are located in our office at 700 East 4th Street, Suite 200, Charlotte, NC 28202. We are open Monday through Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (EST), excluding official City holidays.
For questions about your application or the hiring process, please email Careers@ci.charlotte.nc.us
The City of Charlotte is committed to making our services and programs accessible to all. Upon request, auxiliary aids, written materials in alternate formats, language access, and other reasonable accommodations or modifications will be provided. To make a request, please fill out the Innovation & Technology ADA request form or call 704.336.4120.
BENEFITS
The City of Charlotte provides a comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees.
Click here to learn more about the City of Charlotte’s benefits.
The City of Charlotte is a drug and alcohol-free workplace.
