KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Island Traffic Authority (ITA) has launched one of its largest recruitment exercises in recent years, advertising more than 30 positions as it moves to strengthen its operations under an expanded mandate granted by the Road Traffic Act.

The vacancies, which span senior management, finance, legal affairs, procurement, communications, records management, human resources and transport operations, point to a significant build-out of the organisation’s administrative and regulatory capacity.

In response to queries from Observer Online, the ITA said the exercise forms part of its transition from a department within the Ministry of Transport and Mining into an autonomous statutory body.

“The positions advertised are being filled in accordance with the mandate of the Road Traffic Act, 2018, which established the Island Traffic Authority as the statutory body responsible for carrying out the expanded functions outlined under the Act,” the authority said.

“As part of this transition, the ITA is moving from its former role as a department within the Ministry of Energy, Transport and Telecommunications to an autonomous statutory body.”

The authority said several departments and leadership positions must be established to support the organisation’s new structure and enable it to fully execute responsibilities assigned under the legislation.

The recruitment campaign also includes vacancies for director of human resource management and development; manager, management accounts; manager, financial accounts; operations development specialist; chief internal auditor; legal officer; senior financial accountant; payroll manager; transport manager and senior public procurement officer, among other posts.

The authority said the appointments are intended to strengthen its operational capacity and improve service delivery.

“These appointments will strengthen the Island Traffic Authority’s capacity, improve internal operations, and enhance service delivery to the public by ensuring the organisation is adequately resourced to meet its regulatory and administrative responsibilities,” the ITA said.

The Road Traffic Act, which came into force in stages beginning in 2022, significantly expanded the responsibilities of the authority and modernised Jamaica’s traffic management framework.

While the ITA is best known for conducting motor vehicle fitness inspections and driver testing, the legislation also places greater responsibility on the organisation for regulating vehicle standards, supporting road safety initiatives and carrying out a range of administrative and enforcement functions connected to the island’s transportation network.

The scale of the recruitment exercise suggests the authority is now accelerating efforts to operationalise those responsibilities through a more robust organisational structure.

Applications for the advertised positions closed last week.