Manager, Locomotive Repair Center

Canadian National Railway Company•Prince George, BC

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Manager, Locomotive Repair Center (LRC) is responsible for leading the operation of the repair facility including the management of supervisors and employees working in the facility. The role oversees all day-to-day mechanical operations including the inspection, maintenance, and repair of locomotives and freight cars, the on-time performance and delivery of locomotives and freight cars to customers, as well as the interaction and management of escalation issues from both mechanical and stakeholders. In addition, the incumbent handles the performance of supervisory staff and hourly employees including monitoring, analyzing issues, and corrective actions in operations.

Requirements

Minimum 2 years of experience in railroad mechanical shop craft or comparable position
Minimum 5 years of experience supervising both union and non-union employees
High School Diploma or General Educational Development (GED)
Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering or Technologist Diploma in Mechanical or Electrical
Valid Driver’s License
Comprehensive knowledge of locomotives construction, components and operation, inspection and repair
Knowledge of the FRA, AAR and other regulatory requirements, yard operating rules and safety standards
Working knowledge of Microsoft Office (Excel, Word), Service Reliability System (SRS), Systems, Applications and Products (SAP), Performance Assessment Process (PAP), Real-Time Business Intelligence (RTBI), DataCity, and SmartYard

Nice To Haves

Any designation for these above would be considered as an asset

Responsibilities

Lead daily shop operations for their territory including the budget, workforce productivity and manpower
Review production and operations reports to resolve operations and maintenance problems ensuring minimum costs and operational delays
Handle wrecking response to yard and line outages, working with Transportation, Engineering and direct reports to efficiently and swiftly restore service to the fleet
Handle fleet levels and determine appropriate in-service levels of locomotive fleet to improve fleet reliability as well as efficient inspection and repair process
Maintain teamwork and order among staff, contractors and internal stakeholders by acting with urgency to respond to issues
Oversee the overall application of safety processes and procedures within the Locomotive Reliability Center
Validate completion of Front Line Supervision (FLS) efficiency testing and quality audits
Conduct and follow up on accident and injury investigations and corrective action
Build safety compliance and improve safety results through a team of supervisors and unionized employees via regular efficiency testing and safety walkabouts
Provide positive and constructive feedback and coaching to supervisors and employees
Ensure processes and a point person is in place for audit and compliance requirements (e.g., American Association of Railroads (AAR) and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) inspections, Chain Inspections, Qualification recertification, Equipment) are met
Develop and revise standard operational and working practices and observe workers and supervisors to ensure compliance with standards
Respond to incidents and accidents within the facility and coordinate response and movement of affected locomotives to repair facilities
Participate in the Joint Health and Safety Committee as well as the subsequent follow-up
Participate in the apprenticeship committee, Workplace Location Joint Apprentice Committee (WLJAC)
Lead an effective, high-performing team in a unionized environment
Lead, plan and control overall repair and maintenance of locomotives and freight equipment as well as purchasing repair items
Direct and develop a group of supervisors and ensure efficient deployment of people and assets
Work in conjunction with functional contacts, ensuring team unity among supervisory and unionized workforces
Ensure effective labour and union relations
Validate proper inventory levels based on consumption
Develop and implement action plans and goals for supervisory staff and monitor development to ensure continued improvement
Ensuring proper succession planning is in place to address attrition
Coach supervisors on safe and productive work procedures and validate general employee understanding
Handle day-to-day issues, along with hourly performance issues including conducting investigations, recommending appropriate steps to correct performance issues and responding to grievances
Communicate company goals and policies to create clear understanding of direction and expectations
Oversee the Employee Performance Scorecard (EPS) process for FLS including evaluation, performance review and overall performance rating for reports
Develop and sustain the right employee behaviours with feedback, recognition, reinforcement and coaching
Ensure cohesiveness and execution of mechanical activities within the shop and across the territory
Establish effective strategies and metrics to measure, control and improve locomotive reliability and availability for internal and external customers safely and within budget
Create and maintain supervisory and unionized schedule to ensure adequate staffing
Direct and coordinate through subordinate supervisory personnel applying knowledge of production methods, processes, terminal layout and mechanical maintenance
Coordinate with Transportation senior leadership to ensure the movement of assets is made efficiently for diagnostics, repairs and inspections
Respond to issues and handle escalation of issues from mechanical supervisors including transportation FLS and senior leadership
Ensure overall utilization is maximized, as measured by productivity, attendance and labor costs
Drive locomotive reliability as measured by bad order status, percentage of locomotives active and initial terminal delay