Team Leadership
Lead and develop a high-performing team
Promote a culture of safety, teamwork, and continuous improvement
Demonstrate the ability to drive performance through KPIs, effectively measuring success and ensuring continuous improvement across key metrics.
Proactively anticipate and avoid problems. Develop solutions to issues in a timely manner
Ensure regulatory compliance with all FRA and AAR regulations
Customer Satisfaction
Understand customers’ requirements and develop tailored solutions to address their needs
Communicate with car owners on schedule and on status of repairs
Seek feedback from customers and implement improvements
Production Management
Actively manage all aspects of production (current and future projects) to ensure timely and high-quality repairs to meet customer commitments.
Ensure repair paperwork is complete and accurate
Manage inventory procurement, usage and costs
Maintain relationships with vendors. Monitor & manage vendor performance and costs
Ensure shop is clean and organized
Identify and mitigate potential hazards
Create and manage shift schedules and staffing to maximize production
Identify areas for process improvement, increased production efficiency, and cost-saving initiatives.
Financial Performance
Partner with VP of Operations to develop & execute plans to achieve financial objectives
Analyze data and generate reports on key performance indicators (KPIs), including production efficiency, utilization, costs, challenge areas and quality issues
Partner with accounting department to ensure inventory management and railcar billing is completed in a timely manner
Business Development
Develop & maintain forward looking schedule of shop production and available production capacity
Collaborate and partner with business development team to grow and diversify the pipeline
Minimum Qualifications
In-depth knowledge of the AAR field manual, AAR Office Manual, AAR MSRPs, and Code of Federal Regulations.
Minimum of 10 years of railcar repair experience with at least 5 years in a leadership role.
Strong leadership and strategic thinking with proven decision-making ability in complex production environments.
Leverage data to drive continuous process improvement
Desire to grow the railcar repair business & continually identify solutions for customers
Technical proficiency in Microsoft Excel to manage, analyze and draw insights from data
Experience working in a safety sensitive regulated industry and building productive relationships with regulators.
Must possess a strong working knowledge of Interchange repairs, with the ability to use a variety of tools and equipment including but not limited to pneumatic and hydraulic tools, grinders, jacks, welders, cutting torches, cranes and forklifts
Preferred Qualifications
Management experience of full cycle railcar repair
Experience implementing lean six-sigma best practices
Regulatory Knowledge: In-depth knowledge of AAR M-1002, M-1003 Specifications, and Title 49 CFR.
Work Environment
This position is will have a daily presence on the production floor to lead the team, provide coaching, ensure adherence to safety rules and repair procedures and also require a daily office presence to perform various planning and coordination activities.
Travel to develop & maintain customer relationships & engage in industry events
Must be willing to work flexible hours, including nights and weekends, as required. Expectation to have regular presence and engagement with second shift team