Senior Project Manager

VIA Rail Canada•Montreal, QC

4d•CA$102,816 - CA$120,960•Onsite

About The Position

VIA Rail is undertaking significant projects to modernize its services and infrastructure, including new train fleets and infrastructure improvements, aiming to build the future of transportation in Canada and promote sustainable mobility. Reporting to the NCIP Program Manager, the Project Manager will be responsible for initiating, planning, and executing an iconic legacy car renovation project within the VIA Rail fleet. This role involves leading the project kick-off, coordinating delivery activities, and ensuring project performance against scope, schedule, cost, quality, and governance requirements as set by the Project Management Office. Additionally, the Project Manager will support rolling stock warranty management by overseeing warranty claims and Non-Conformity Requests (NCRs) in collaboration with internal stakeholders, tracking warranty costs, maintaining forecasts, and supporting financial reporting.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, administration or a related field
At least 10 years of experience in project management in the field of operations or transportation field. A combination of relevant professional experience and education may be considered
Knowledge Rolling stock (definite asset)
Basic understanding of Finance
Experience in carrying out projects that require managing and coordinating multifunctional teams
Experience working in a matrix management environment
Bilingualism in English and French is essential
Leading and motivational skills
Cooperates efficiently with multifunctional teams
Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to foster and maintain effective working relationships with team members and external stakeholders
Capable of influencing team members of other organisations
Rigour, planning and organizational skills
Solid and successful experience in operation and maintenance coordination in the context of train commissioning and commercial service
Tact and diplomacy
Ability to manage ambiguity
Creative problem solver
Strong ability to achieve results

Nice To Haves

PMP certification (definite asset)
Proven practical knowledge in developing project management activities, tools and methods, such as Microsoft SharePoint, EPM 2010 and Project Online (asset)

Responsibilities

Initiate the project: confirm objectives, scope, deliverables, assumptions/constraints, stakeholders, and required approvals.
Lead the project kick-off and establish governance routines (core team cadence, reporting, action/decision logs) aligned with PMO requirements.
Plan and baseline the execution (schedule, resources, procurement/contracting, risks, interfaces) and drive delivery through to closeout.
Lead execution activities for the iconic legacy car project, coordinating internal teams and external suppliers to deliver scope safely, on time, and to quality requirements.
Monitor and control project costs and warranty spend, ensuring accurate tracking, accruals where applicable, and consolidated forecasting.
Maintain and update the integrated schedule; track progress against milestones and drive recovery plans when deviations occur.
Coordinate procurement and contract execution (POs, change requests, deliverables) and support resolution of scope changes with appropriate approvals.
Identify, assess, and manage project risks and issues; maintain action plans and escalate as required through governance.
Ensure active follow-up of open warranty claims and NCRs during execution, coordinating required technical inputs, approvals, and supplier responses.
Provide regular status reporting (schedule, cost, risks, quality, warranty KPIs) and maintain clear communication with stakeholders.
Coordinate quality inspections, acceptance, and documentation; ensure deficiencies are captured via NCRs and closed with evidence.
Prepare project closeout deliverables (final cost, warranty summary, open items, lessons learned) and support operational handover as applicable.
Contribute to continuous improvement of warranty processes, templates, and reporting with the Warranty Officer and PMO.
Lead follow-up of Non-Conformity Requests (NCR) with the Warranty Officer, Engineering, Quality and suppliers; ensure investigation, corrective actions, and documented closure.
Manage warranty claims follow-up with suppliers/contractors (evidence, submissions, tracking, settlement/credit confirmation) and coordinate required technical inputs.
Track warranty-related costs and maintain a warranty cost forecast; provide periodic updates to the Program Manager and Finance/Project Controls.
Maintain a consolidated warranty log/dashboard (issues, NCRs, claims, due dates, owners, financial impacts) and manage NCR/claims aging follow-up.
Prepare warranty reporting (status, KPIs, costs and forecast, risks/issues) and support audits/traceability requirements.
Support supplier performance reviews related to warranty obligations and coordinate corrective measures and follow-up actions.
Escalate critical warranty issues and support timely decisions by coordinating cross-functional problem solving.
Collaborate with the Warranty Officer to standardize templates, improve data quality, and continuously improve warranty processes.
Ensure warranty documentation is complete and compliant with internal processes and supplier contractual requirements.