Railcar Repair Shop Production Manager

Job Description

Job Description

We are seeking a Production Manager that will lead day to day operations for the railcar repair activities at our railroad. This role is responsible for safety, quality (in partnership with the Quality Director), production planning, production efficiency and regulatory compliance. The Production Manager leads and manages the shift leaders, car repair technicians, and must collaborate with other departments to ensure smooth, effective operations. This role is also responsible for collaborating with the business development team to ensure customer satisfaction and help grow the railcar repair business. The ideal candidate will demonstrate the following attributes:

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

• Competitive salary based on experience
• Comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, vision, and retirement plans

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.