deputy director

project manager

intern

system engineer

senior project manager

Sound Transit

If you are considering employment with Sound Transit, make sure all work arrangements are clearly documented in writing, especially if a position is advertised as “remote” or “hybrid.”

Many employees were hired with the expectation of flexible work, only to later face return-to-office policies that felt sudden. This has created stress for employees who live far from headquarters or have family, health, or other considerations.

Despite strong performance, some employees feel their feedback and recommendations are not always incorporated. Remote staff can sometimes feel excluded during meetings, such as when chat participation is limited. These factors have contributed to a decline in morale and a sense of psychological safety for some employees.

There are dedicated colleagues and important public projects, but job seekers should proceed carefully. Do not rely on verbal assurances and make sure to get any remote or flexible work arrangements clearly in writing. Also, understand that policies may change after hiring.

I love working on Sound Transit! For me, it's really a dream job. I feel like I get to exercise my professional judgement and grow my abilities, since I am trusted to do my best with very challenging work. Every day is very busy with lots of complicated problems, both organizational and technical. At the same time, we are tasked with evolving the organization to meet the future mission. There is a lot of clarity about how we all fit the evolving picture. Everyone is very supportive, and there is a proactive culture focused on solving problems for the benefit of the public. The commitment to diversity is real and broadly shared, which suits me and I think matches our commitment to the public.

Overall this is a great place to work. I really feel part of the team and the larger mission and there are so many opportunities to get involved and connect with colleagues, from Employee Resources Groups to Toastmasters. The smart and engaged people, plus the satisfying work, keeps me here. I have been dissatisfied with past positions at times, but internal mobility is great and has allowed me to find a role that really fits me well. Now that I've found that, I plan to stick around for awhile. 
One growing opportunity is that some of the management is still naive to diversity & inclusion issues, but I think they are making an effort to learn. It has become an internal priority in recent years and we have a team dedicated to it. Also, the process involved with getting anything done can be frustrating especially if you're new to the public sector. Once you find your footing it becomes easier. 

Unrealistic organizational structure. Unnecessary Managers, Supervisors, Directors and other layer of unqualified management staff being hired based on who you know in the organization. No one knows what is their job? and  why this department exists. Manager and supervisor put their teams in busy mood while doing nothing except creating problems for employees who want to achieve advancement.
Too much Drama going on behind the scenes. Management doesn’t care if you need any help , feedback or instructions but when you sit in the meeting you will be asked   What are you working on? If you ask for any feedback or suggestions you are done, some supervisor will target you until your being terminated. Their main job is to hire and terminate employees not let you gain success.
HR is there to destroy you as much as they can so that they can create some work for their department. 



What is the best part of working at the company?
They fully support working from home. They will bring out the best in you because they are tough, it's no place to slack off! They make a difference between contractors and FTE's. Try to come in as an employee. You'll get more support. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
They have so many contractors from all over. You have to get to know what projects are just beginning, which projects have ended  which ones are in play currently and what are their locations. Keeping up with people and projects...its confusing and convoluted.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
You have to hit the ground running,they don't have time to train.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Trying to stay on top of the workload. Trying not to sound stressed out when dealing with customers.

Sound Transit has excellent benefits 

401k - you MUST put in 10% this is not an option. But they match 12%. So essentially 22% of your salary per year is going into 401k

PTO - 25 days + 2 floating holidays + 12 holidays

Hybrid/remote - Sound Transit is working on a RTO plan. If you are an office worker and don’t work with people outside of your team often then it’s likely 1-2 days in office . The worst it could be is 3 days in. They do not have the capacity/space to have all office workers in 100% of the time. 

Health - free to employee $110/month for spouses 

Vision/Dental - free for employee and family

ERG clubs - DEI is part of the culture here. They have frequent classes that you can attend online. They also have cultural clubs that you can join. 

Learning - LinkedIn learning and other Sound Transit classes allow you to grow your skills 

It feels like college sometimes except you’re getting paid and getting govt benefits 

First of all, I was treated very well here and generally impressed with management level. Most of the individuals I worked with were dedicated and passionate about doing a good job, and it is satisfying to do work for the public. However, on a day-to-day level there is not enough meaningful work to do. Most of the interesting problems are left to contractors and consultants. Culturally, the agency is very risk averse and very top heavy. This may just be part of doing work in the public sector, but ultimately I don't think it's a good place if you want to continue developing your career in a technical field. If you're in management or if work/life balance is high priority, this is a good place to be.

Sound Transit is an amazing place to work I must say. I love the people I work with and the management is excellent when it comes to providing a great work environment. I've been working at ST for 3.5 years and every year I feel I learn something new that I can apply to my job. 

The hardest part of the job is being able to manage all of the work that I get on a daily basis. It's indeed challenging, but very rewarding at the same time. I'd definitely recommend working at Sound Transit to anyone that asks me about the agency. Overall it's just a wonderful company to work at.

Pay is good and benefits are good (no stock ownership available, obviously).  Management moves much slower than a corporation.  Progress is very slow.  Too much upper management already, and they keep adding top managers, more and more layers.  Some methods are very antiquated.  Work-life balance for a few positions is very bad, with many extra hours of off-hours coverage required and paid at just a few dollars per hour.

If you like to get things done in a reasonable time-frame and expect departmental cooperation this is not the place for you. It takes an enormous amount of time and effort to accomplish very small tasks.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Deputy director 4 salaries reported	$136,000 per year
Project manager 4 salaries reported	$101,250 per year
Intern 3 salaries reported	$25.67 per hour
System engineer 1 salary reported	$125,556 per year
Senior project manager 3 salaries reported	$133,000 per year

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