Maintenance & Operations Director

Maintenance & Operations Director

Alaska is not a typical transportation environment and this is not a typical operations role. From Arctic winter storms and coastal erosion to remote rural airports and mountain passes, Alaska's transportation system operates in one of the most demanding environments in the world. The Maintenance & Operations Director is the leader responsible for keeping that system moving, safely, reliably, and efficiently, across a vast and diverse landscape.

If you are driven by purpose, complexity, and impact, this is a rare opportunity to lead statewide operations.

Depending on the selected applicant, this position may be located in Fairbanks, Anchorage, or Juneau. Salary will be determined based on the selected applicant's qualifications and experience and will be paid according to the applicable Range 27 salary schedule for the assigned duty station. Fairbanks: Unit Designation XE - Partially Exempt and Exempt Executive Branch Employees Anchorage: Unit Designation XE - Partially Exempt and Exempt Executive Branch Employees Juneau: Unit Designation XE - Partially Exempt and Exempt Executive Branch Employees

As the Maintenance & Operations Director, you will serve as the administrator responsible for the statewide operation of Alaska's transportation system. You will provide strategic leadership for highway maintenance, rural airport maintenance, emergency response, operational readiness, and stewardship of transportation assets that connect communities across Alaska. You will lead one of the nation's most geographically diverse transportation operations organizations, working through regional leaders to ensure safe, reliable, and efficient service delivery. Success in this position depends on building high-performing teams, establishing clear expectations, allocating resources strategically, and ensuring the department is prepared to respond to changing operational demands and emergencies. You will work closely with engineering, project delivery, aviation, and leadership to ensure maintenance operations, capital investment, and long-term asset management remain aligned.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide leadership for Alaska's statewide maintenance and operations organization.
• Establish statewide operational priorities, performance expectations, and consistent service standards.
• Lead workforce development, succession planning, organizational culture, and leadership development.
• Direct statewide emergency preparedness and operational response during severe weather, disasters, and transportation disruptions.
• Oversee operating budgets, equipment fleets, facilities, and public resources to ensure responsible stewardship.
• Partner with engineering and capital project organizations to improve lifecycle performance and long-term sustainability of transportation assets.
• Champion continuous improvement through performance management, innovation, technology, and data-driven decision making.
• Represent the department before leadership, the Legislature, federal agencies, local governments, Tribal partners, and industry stakeholders.

Our organization, mission, and culture: DOT&PF is modernizing how transportation services are delivered across Alaska. Functional divisions establish statewide strategy, policy, standards, and performance expectations while regional organizations focus on delivering excellent service locally. The Maintenance & Operations Director serves as the department's statewide operational leader, ensuring consistent performance while empowering regional leadership to meet local needs. This position plays a critical role in improving reliability, resilience, workforce capability, and stewardship of Alaska's transportation system.

The benefits of joining our team:

• High level leadership responsibility with meaningful public impact
• The opportunity to modernize and strengthen transportation operations
• Engagement with complex operational and environmental challenges
• Collaboration with experienced professionals committed to serving Alaskans
• Few places offer the opportunity to lead transportation operations across terrain ranging from Arctic tundra to coastal rainforests while directly affecting the daily lives of communities across an entire state.

Join the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities is building a modern, resilient, and agile transportation organization capable of meeting today's challenges and tomorrow's demands.

We are looking for a leader ready to help guide that future. If you are motivated by mission, leadership, and the opportunity to serve Alaska, we encourage you to apply.

The working environment you can expect:

Leading transportation operations in Alaska requires adaptability, resilience, and strong operational judgment. The Maintenance & Operations Director oversees maintenance activities spanning urban highways, remote road systems, and rural airports that serve as lifelines for many communities.

Operating conditions include:

• Long winter seasons with extreme cold and heavy snow
• Remote logistics and equipment challenges
• Emergency response to earthquakes, floods, avalanches, wildfires, and coastal storms
• Environmental stewardship and regulatory compliance requirements
• Complex coordination across districts, agencies, and stakeholders

This role operates at the intersection of strategy and execution, aligning engineering, environmental compliance, district operations, equipment coordination, fiscal management, and performance accountability into a cohesive framework.

Decisions made in this role directly affect public safety, community access, and economic stability across Alaska.

Minimum Qualifications

Positions in this job class are in the Partially Exempt Service under AS 39.25.120(c)(2).

We are seeking a manager with demonstrated success leading large, geographically dispersed operations. The ideal candidate excels at building teams, leading organizational change, managing complex operations, and making sound decisions under pressure. Successful candidates will demonstrate:

• High level leadership of large operational organizations.
• Experience managing budgets, workforce, and strategic priorities.
• Emergency management or complex operational response experience.
• Ability to build organizational alignment across diverse teams.
• Experience improving operational performance through innovation and continuous improvement.
• Knowledge of transportation infrastructure, public works, aviation, utilities, military logistics, or comparable large-scale operations.
• Technical or engineering experience sufficient to understand transportation infrastructure and support sound operational decision-making.

Core Competencies

• Strategic Thinking: Formulates long-term objectives and priorities that align maintenance operations with statewide transportation goals. Anticipates future operational, fiscal, and environmental challenges and positions the organization for resilience and modernization.
• Program Oversight: Plans, directs, and monitors complex, multi-district maintenance programs to ensure consistent standards, operational effectiveness, regulatory compliance, and accountability across the state.
• Leadership: Influences, motivates, and aligns diverse teams across districts and functional areas. Adapts leadership style to varied operational environments and builds a culture of accountability, collaboration, and performance.
• External Awareness: Understands and anticipates legislative, political, economic, and public factors that affect statewide transportation maintenance operations. Aligns operational decisions with statewide priorities and effectively represents the organization in professional and interagency settings.
• Financial Management: Develops and administers large operational budgets, allocates resources strategically, and ensures fiscal stewardship aligned with performance objectives and public accountability expectations.
• Change Management: Leads organizational and operational transformation initiatives, modernizes maintenance systems and processes, and guides districts and teams through change while maintaining operational continuity.

Additional Required Information

***PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING CAREFULLY***

COVER LETTER

Applicants are requested to submit a one-page cover letter that addresses the following:

• Their philosophy for leading large operational organizations.
• An example of building culture and accountability across dispersed teams.
• A major operational challenge or emergency they led through.
• Their vision for the future of transportation operations in Alaska.
• Why they are interested in serving as Alaska's Maintenance & Operations Director.

EDUCATION To verify education is being used to meet and/or support the required minimum qualifications/competencies, you must fill in the Education section of the application. If you have not obtained a degree, please indicate the number of units completed. Copies of transcripts are required to verify educational credentials used to meet or support the minimum qualifications/competencies for a position and are required with each application. (Unofficial is okay; please ensure the institution/URL name is listed on the transcripts). Transcripts can be attached at the time of application or provided at the time of interview; if not, transcripts will be required before employment. SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR FOREIGN EDUCATION Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above requirements, if applicable. If utilizing this education you must show that the education credentials have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and that such education has been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs; or an accredited U.S. state university reports the other institution as one whose transcript is given full value, or full value is given in subject areas applicable to the curricula at the state university. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. WORK EXPERIENCE If using work experience not already documented in your application, also provide the employer's name, your job title, dates of employment, and whether full-or part-time. Applications will be reviewed