Description
Senior Director of Parking, Transportation & Mobility
Work Arrangement: On-site
Job Family: Public Safety
Sub-Family: Parking and Transportation Services
Reports To: Chief Operating Officer, Division of Administration
Position Summary
Vanderbilt University seeks a strategic, collaborative, and operationally focused leader to serve as Senior Director of Parking, Transportation & Mobility, a newly created role responsible for unifying and advancing the University’s parking and mobility ecosystem under a shared vision.
This position provides senior-level leadership across parking operations, transit and shuttle services, transportation demand management, and emerging mobility initiatives. The Senior Director serves as a key advisor to university leadership, guiding policy, infrastructure investment, and operational strategy to deliver a modern, user-centered, and financially sustainable mobility system that supports Vanderbilt’s academic mission, campus growth, and long-term institutional goals.
The Senior Director plays a critical role in improving access, reliability, safety, and the overall user experience for students, faculty, staff, patients, and visitors, while strengthening Vanderbilt’s partnerships with regional transportation agencies and the surrounding community.
About the Work Unit
Parking, Transportation & Mobility supports Vanderbilt’s academic, research, clinical, and operational missions by ensuring safe, reliable, and equitable access to campus. The unit manages a complex and evolving system that includes parking assets, permit and enforcement programs, transit and shuttle services, active transportation infrastructure, event mobility planning, and transportation demand management initiatives.
As Vanderbilt continues to grow and evolve, this function plays a central role in supporting campus operations, sustainability goals, major events, and the University’s relationship with local and regional transportation partners.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership & Planning
Provide vision, strategic leadership, and long-range planning for parking, transportation, and mobility services aligned with Vanderbilt’s institutional priorities.
Establish an integrated planning framework that anticipates the needs of diverse users, including individuals with disabilities, cyclists, pedestrians, drivers, deliveries, and event-related travel demand.
Forecast future mobility needs and partner with campus stakeholders to develop scalable, forward-looking solutions.
Integrate parking, transit, and mobility programs under a unified governance and decision-making structure.
Operations & Service Delivery
Oversee daily operations of parking systems, transit and shuttle services, and mobility programs to ensure reliability, safety, and high-quality service delivery.
Lead the development and implementation of transportation demand management strategies.
Direct major event mobility planning, including staffing, communications, traffic flow, and interdepartmental coordination for high-attendance days.
Financial & Resource Management
Manage operating and capital budgets, including financial forecasting, rate setting, and performance monitoring.
Provide oversight of diverse parking pricing models, including hourly, daily, annual, banded permits, and event parking strategies.
Ensure financial sustainability while balancing accessibility, equity, and user experience.
Data, Technology & Continuous Improvement
Partner with Operational Excellence to leverage data, analytics, and performance metrics to inform decision-making and continuous improvement.
Oversee parking and mobility technology platforms and vendor integrations, including parking management systems, enforcement technologies, and customer-facing tools.
Identify, evaluate, and implement emerging mobility technologies and industry best practices.
Stakeholder Engagement & External Partnerships
Serve as a senior advisor to university leadership on mobility policy, infrastructure investments, and operational priorities.
Collaborate closely with Facilities, Campus Planning, Sustainability, Public Safety, Finance, Athletics, Events, Student Affairs, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), and other campus partners.
Represent Vanderbilt with local and regional transportation agencies and external stakeholders, including WeGo, NDOT, Metro Nashville, and peer institutions.
Lead stakeholder engagement, communications, and outreach related to parking and mobility initiatives.
People Leadership & Organizational Effectiveness
Recruit, develop, and lead a diverse, multidisciplinary team.
Provide leadership through organizational change, integrating functions that have not historically operated under a single structure, including alignment of processes, policies, data, and technology.
Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, and service excellence.
Supervisory Relationships
This position has supervisory responsibilities. The current size of the team is 35 FTEs.
Requirements
Education & Certifications
Bachelor’s degree in a related field is required.
Advanced degree preferred.
Professional certifications (e.g., PTMP) are a plus.
Experience & Skills
Minimum of 10 years of progressive management and senior leadership experience in parking, transportation, or mobility operations, including personnel management.
Prior experience leading a parking and transportation unit, preferably in a large, complex university environment; candidates with comparable corporate or public-sector transportation leadership experience will also be considered.
Demonstrated experience managing transit operations, transportation demand management programs, and parking systems.
Proven ability to lead organizational change and integrate siloed functions across parking, transit, technology, enforcement, and communications.
Experience managing enterprise-level operations within complex stakeholder environments.
Strong financial acumen, including experience with pricing models, revenue programs, and capital planning.
Data-driven decision-maker with experience using analytics and performance metrics to guide strategy.
Experience overseeing parking and mobility technology systems and vendor relationships.
Excellent communication, collaboration, and stakeholder engagement skills.
Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
Professional presence and confidence engaging senior leadership and external partners.
To learn more about this opportunity or to submit a confidential expression of interest, please contact josh@jdrquest.com
