Office Manager - Rail

Office Manager - Rail

Salary

$85,051.20 - $119,745.60 Annually

Location

Tacoma, WA

Job Type

Non-Classified

Job Number

A0100-26

Department

Rail

Opening Date

06/15/2026

Closing Date

6/29/2026 5:00 PM Pacific

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

Position Description

Tacoma Rail recruiting for an Office Manager to support the Rail Superintendent and Rail Senior Leadership Team, providing executive-level support in a dynamic and highly confidential environment. This position manages the day-to-day administrative operations and workflow of the Rail office while ensuring efficient coordination of executive priorities, communications, and organizational activities.

The Office Manager exercises a high degree of independent judgment and discretion in relieving the Rail Superintendent of administrative details and managing sensitive and confidential matters. The role requires comprehensive knowledge of City policies, procedures, Tacoma Municipal Code (TMC), Charter requirements, and Rail-specific policies and practices.

This position operates with significant autonomy and is expected to proactively anticipate executive and organizational needs, prioritize competing demands, and maintain effective office operations in support of Tacoma Rail's strategic and operational objectives. The Office Manager serves as a key point of coordination and communication for leadership, staff, and external stakeholders, demonstrating professionalism, sound judgment, adaptability, and integrity at all times.

Successful performance in this role requires exceptional organizational and time management skills, strong written and verbal communication abilities, attention to detail, confidentiality, and the ability to manage complex administrative functions in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities include:

• Provide executive-level administrative support to the Rail Superintendent and Rail Senior Leadership Team, including management of complex calendars, scheduling, priorities, and confidential matters.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for the Rail Superintendent by screening and prioritizing communications, responding to inquiries, and coordinating with internal and external stakeholders.
• Prepare, edit, proofread, and manage confidential correspondence, reports, presentations, contracts, personnel documents, Board materials, and other executive-level documents.
• Coordinate and support Public Utility Board processes, including preparation and submission of Board materials, tracking follow-up actions, and maintaining official records and documentation.
• Organize and facilitate meetings, leadership sessions, and special events by scheduling participants, preparing agendas and materials, recording meeting minutes, and tracking action items.
• Support Rail Senior Leadership Team operations through meeting coordination, document management, Teams and Smartsheet administration, and cross-functional communication.
• Perform financial and budget-related administrative functions including procurement card reconciliation, expenditure tracking, budget monitoring, and assisting with budget recommendations.
• Serve as a liaison with City departments, regulatory agencies, partner organizations, employees, and the public while exercising professionalism, discretion, sound judgment, and confidentiality.

Please note: Rail employees do NOT participate in TERS, the city's standard retirement plan. Please see Rail specific benefits in the Compensation & Benefits section below.

Qualifications

Minimum Education*

High School Diploma or GED

Minimum Experience*

6 years including 2 years of prior advanced senior-level or lead experience

Licensing, Certifications and Other Requirements

Some positions may require a Washington State Drivers License

• Equivalency: 1 year of experience = 1 year of education

Desired Qualifications

• Experience in office administration, public administration, or municipal operations
• Background coordinating schedules, meetings, and departmental communications
• Familiarity with government processes, policies, or public-sector reporting
• Experience handling confidential and sensitive information with discretion
• Ability to support operational teams, supervisors, and department leadership
• Demonstrated ability to manage records, including proper record retention and compliance with city and state requirements
• Proficiency with office software, scheduling systems, and document management tools
• Strong organizational and multitasking abilities in a fast-paced environment

Knowledge & Skills

• Strong knowledge of record retention practices, file management, archiving, and retrieval
• Understanding of municipal processes, policies, reporting requirements, and workflow
• Clear and professional verbal and written communication
• Strong organizational, multitasking, and time-management abilities
• Customer service and interpersonal skills for working with staff, contractors, and the public
• Ability to prepare reports, presentations, and operational documents
• Skills in prioritizing issues for leadership and supporting project coordination
• Ability to work effectively in fast-paced or emergency-driven environments

Selection Process & Supplemental Information

This recruitment is being managed by Kye Merritt, if you would like to be notified of similar opportunities or stay connected with things going on at Tacoma Public Utilities and the City of Tacoma, connect with me on LinkedIn!

Compensation & Benefits

Pay Details:

Annual Salary: $85,051.20- $119,745.60

Rail-Specific Benefits:

Rail employees do NOT participate in TERS, the city's standard retirement plan.

Post-1995 hires: Employees are vested after 5 years (60 months) of service.

Retirement Eligibility

• Full Retirement (Unreduced Benefits)
• Age 60 with 30 years of service: Eligible for full Tier I and Tier II Railroad Retirement benefits.
• Early Retirement (Reduced Benefits)
• Age 62 with at least 10 years of service: Eligible to retire early, though both Tier I and Tier II benefits will be reduced.
• Full Retirement Age (Aligned with Social Security)
• Approximately age 65-67 with at least 10 years of service: Eligible for full, unreduced benefits if you have not already retired early.

Railroad Retirement website: Home | RRB.Gov

City of Tacoma's Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

A Commitment to Equity & Diversity

At the City of Tacoma, were on a mission to make our workforce as diverse and inclusive as the community we serve. We actively seek out candidates from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures. Join our team at the City of Tacoma and help us build a more vibrant, inclusive, and equitable community for all.

If you have a less traditional background, we want to hear about your transferrable skills and experience. We value a variety of perspectives and are excited to see what you bring to the table.

The Community

Tacoma is centrally located just 32 miles south of the city of Seattle and 31 miles north of the state capital, Olympia. The City of Tacoma is also home to the Port of Tacoma, which is among the largest container ports in the United States. Like most cities in the northwest, Tacoma is surrounded by beautiful nature, offering residents many opportunities for outdoor adventures.

Largely suburban in nature with a small, but dense, urban core, Tacoma is home to numerous institutes of higher learning that attract students from across the country. The University of Washington Tacoma, Pacific Lutheran University, University of Puget Sound, a satellite campus of the Evergreen State College, three community/technical colleges, and several trade and business schools are within Tacomas geographic area. Downtowns Cultural District is the site of the Washington State History Museum, Museum of Glass, the Tacoma Art Museum, and Americas Car Museum.

With its affordable housing and distinctive neighborhoods and business districts, the city has been recognized numerous times as a best city to live in the nation. To see a few of the great things Tacoma has to offer, view this YouTube Video!

View this exciting video to learn more about the City of Tacoma: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n5MWl8KFvI

Application Process

Interested individuals should apply online by completing the application and attaching a resume and cover letter by the closing date and time listed on the job announcement. Applications received without attaching the required materials may not progress in the selection process. Applicants who have the strongest backgrounds related to the responsibilities of this position may be invited to participate in the interview process, which may include a work problem. Appointment is subject to passing a background check.

Get Assistance

For assistance with the application process or questions regarding this job announcement please contact the Human Resources office at (253) 591-5400 by 4:00 p.m. of the closing date of the job announcement.

For technical difficulties using the NEOGOV system, call the applicant support line at 1-855-524-5627 between 6:00a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. This will allow us to assist you before the job announcement closes.

Communication with the City of Tacoma

We primarily communicate via email during the application process. Emails from Tacoma.gov and/or governmentjobs.com should be placed on your safe domain list to ensure that you receive notifications in a timely manner. As a precaution, you may also want to check your junk email folders.

Note: The provisions of this job announcement do not constitute an expressed or implied contract. Any provision contained herein may be modified and/or revoked without notice.

The City of Tacoma provides excellent medical, dental and vision plans for the whole family; paid holidays and paid leave; participation in the Tacoma Employees Retirement System (alternate plan for Police/Fire); continuing education and advancement opportunities and a growing variety of City-sponsored health and wellness opportunities and incentives.

Medical Coverage: For eligible employees and their families, including domestic partners and dependent children age 26 or younger.

Dental Coverage: For eligible employees and their families, including domestic partners and dependent children age 26 or younger.

Vision Coverage: For eligible employees and their eligible dependents.

Paid Leave: City employees are entitled to received paid holidays, sick/vacation leave or personal time off (PTO), depending upon union affiliation and appointment type.

Insurance Plans: Employees are covered by a long-term disability plan. Short-term and expanded long-term disability insurance plans are also available to employees. The State Industrial Insurance Act also covers employees.

Deferred Compensation: Income can be set aside on a pretax basis and invested for supplementation of normal retirement income.

Retirement: All employees of the City, except members of the Police and Fire services, Tacoma Rail and certain project employees, are included in the Tacoma Employees Retirement System. Information on the Tacoma Employees Retirement System can be found at www.cityoftacoma.org or by calling (253) 502-8200.

Other Employment Information

Direct Deposit: Employees are paid on a bi-weekly schedule by direct deposit.

Salary Increases: Based on satisfactory job performance, the City provides for a regular progression of salary increases for most classifications according to the salary schedule.

Union Affiliation: Many job classifications are covered by union security provisions which require union membership, dues, or payment of equivalent service fees.

Note: The provisions of this job announcement do not constitute an expressed or implied contract. Any provision contained herein may be modified and/or revoked without notice.

01

Do you have an equivalent combination to a high School Diploma or GED AND 6 years of experience including 2 years of prior advanced journey or lead experience? (Please note education and experience can be substituted on a year for year basis)

• Yes
• No

02

Responses to supplemental questions must be original content created by the applicant using their own words. The use of online tools or resources to create responses, such as Artificial Intelligence (ChatGPT, etc.), Google, Bing, etc., or plagiarism in any form, is considered cheating and falsification of the application. I understand that any form of cheating or falsification will disqualify my application for further consideration.

• Yes
• No

03

How do you establish relationships with key personnel both internal and external?

04

What experience do you have in managing complex calendars and scheduling meetings?

05

One of the Citys Principles that guides us is Equity. Describe what equity means to you and describe any experience you have working with diverse groups of people.

06

Please provide specific information regarding how you learned about this job opening. Thank you, your feedback will be used to evaluate our success reaching the public and refine our methods for future job postings.

Required Question

Employer City of Tacoma

Address Human Resources Department

747 Market Street

Tacoma, Washington, 98402-3764

Phone 253-591-5400

Website http://www.tacoma.gov