MPTA Executive Special Assistant

Department: Charlotte Area Transit System Department
Salary: $81,226.00 - $116,762.94 Commensurate with Experience
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 Executive Special Assistant provides high‑level, strategic support to the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), serving as a trusted advisor in managing executive priorities, complex initiatives, and sensitive organizational matters. They coordinate and advance multifaceted projects, communications, and stakeholder relationships while overseeing executive office operations with exceptional judgment, discretion, and political awareness.
This role ensures the CAO and CEO are fully supported and prepared by managing competing demands; organizing high‑visibility meetings, briefings, and executive materials; and independently driving follow‑through on issues, requests, and action items. The Executive Special Assistant is expected to anticipate needs, uphold confidentiality, manage sensitive information responsibly, and help maintain alignment across strategic initiatives and organizational commitments.
Characterized by strategic coordination, independence, and trusted-advisor engagement, this role plays a critical part in sustaining effective executive decision support, issue management, and stakeholder continuity for the organization.
Main Duties and Responsibilities:
Strategic Executive Support
Provide high‑level, strategic support to assigned executives, ensuring administrative, operational, and communication activities align with organizational priorities and leadership expectations.
Manage executive priorities, scheduling demands, commitments, and workflow with strong foresight, anticipating needs and proactively preparing required materials.
Prepare, refine, and coordinate polished executive correspondence, presentations, briefings, talking points, reports, and other strategic materials.
Ensure executives are fully informed, equipped, and supported for meetings, decisions, public engagements, and internal leadership interactions.
Complex Project and Issue Coordination
Coordinate and support highly complex, high‑visibility assignments, projects, initiatives, and follow‑up actions on behalf of executive leadership.
Track deadlines, commitments, decision points, major initiatives, and deliverables requiring executive attention or organizational follow‑through.
Gather context, data, and insights from departments, leaders, and stakeholders to support issue resolution and inform executive decision‑making.
Independently advance assigned matters, navigating barriers and resolving issues within delegated authority while maintaining alignment with expectations.
Executive Communications and Workflow Management
Oversee and prioritize executive-level communications, including emails, correspondence, requests, and scheduling matters, ensuring clarity and responsiveness.
Identify and elevate urgent, sensitive, high‑impact, or politically relevant issues requiring timely executive awareness or action.
Draft, refine, and coordinate routine and semi‑routine communications, ensuring professional tone and accuracy.
Serve as a trusted gatekeeper for the executive office, managing access, maintaining communication flow, and ensuring appropriate follow‑up.
Stakeholder and Relationship Coordination
Coordinate interactions with internal leaders, board-related functions, external agencies, regional partners, vendors, and community organizations to support executive relationships and priorities.
Maintain continuity and professionalism in executive relationships by tracking follow‑up items, commitments, and stakeholder concerns.
Represent the executive office with credibility and diplomacy in communications, scheduling, and coordination activities.
Ensure stakeholder inquiries, concerns, and requests are organized, monitored, and addressed promptly and appropriately.
Board, Leadership, and Executive Office Support
Coordinate materials, agendas, logistics, and follow‑up for board-level, leadership, and executive meetings, ensuring accuracy, clarity, and readiness.
Organize records, calendars, executive files, tracking tools, and reference materials to maintain a high-functioning executive office.
Support administrative processes related to reporting cycles, special initiatives, leadership meetings, and executive operational controls.
Maintain structure, consistency, and accountability across executive office operations by ensuring alignment and documentation integrity.
Confidential and Sensitive Administrative Support
Manage confidential, politically sensitive, legal, financial, personnel, and operational information with exceptional discretion and sound judgment.
Exercise professionalism and maturity when handling sensitive communications or high‑risk matters requiring careful navigation.
Identify reputational, operational, or organizational risks early and respond appropriately through coordination, communication, or escalation.
Uphold confidentiality, integrity, and professionalism in every facet of executive support and information management.
Core Competencies:
Strategic Thinking: Ability to interpret executive priorities, organizational dynamics, and the broader implications of decisions; align support activities with strategic direction; and anticipate how issues, stakeholder interests, and timing influence executive outcomes.
Aligns daily actions, communication, and workflow with executive priorities and organizational goals.
Anticipates how issues, decisions, and emerging trends may impact broader operations and relationships.
Balances immediate demands with longer-term strategic needs, organizing work to support both effectively.
Advanced Problem Solving: Ability to assess complex executive and administrative challenges, analyze information, identify viable options, and independently move issues toward resolution within delegated authority.
Resolves high‑complexity coordination and operational issues with minimal direction.
Identifies barriers, risks, and dependencies, taking proactive action to mitigate or resolve them.
Elevates matters requiring executive attention with thoughtful context, options, and supporting information.
Project Management: Ability to coordinate and sustain momentum across high‑stakes, multi‑step initiatives involving multiple contributors, tight deadlines, and executive decision points.
Monitors major initiatives, commitments, deadlines, and action items with precision and clarity.
Coordinates logistics, materials, communication pathways, and follow‑up across complex assignments.
Maintains continuity and visibility across moving pieces to keep projects organized and progressing.
Stakeholder Management: Ability to build and maintain professional, diplomatic, and credible relationships with senior leaders, internal staff, external agencies, regional partners, vendors, and other stakeholders.
Engages effectively and respectfully with leaders and stakeholders across organizational boundaries.
Supports continuity and responsiveness in executive-level relationships and interactions.
Navigates sensitive situations with tact, professionalism, and sound judgment.
Proactive Decision-Making: Ability to anticipate needs, assess priorities, and take timely action within delegated authority to prevent delays, resolve issues, and maintain executive momentum.
Anticipates executive