General Manager

Position Summary

The General Manager of the Southwestern Railroad (SWR) is responsible for the coordination of efforts between all railroad departments. This position will directly supervise all departments on the railroad including but not limited to, trainmasters, supervisors, and hourly team members in the departments of operations, locomotive, car repair and maintenance of way. This position will also have responsibility for the facilitation of dispatching, customer support, finances, and billing. The General Manager of Southwestern Railroad is also responsible for helping to maintain the ONETEAM culture by fostering a pleasant work environment, ensuring high levels of organizational effectiveness, and communication.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Achieve performance goals with optimum safety, economy, efficiency, and effectiveness ensuring profitability of all departments.
• Establish and drive a SAFETY culture with unwavering support
• Establish operating budgets based on yearly projections.
• Establish methods of ongoing controlled surveillance of both the quantitative and financial measurements. Quantitative measurements will be compared to goals and budgeted financial projections will be compared to actual performance by month.
• Controlling expenses in all areas of the operation. The General Manager will be accountable to ensure all company policies and procedures are being followed by team members in his charge and all are administered fairly and equitably.
• Prepare and conduct performance appraisals for all managers and personnel reporting to him directly and approve all performance appraisals prepared by managers and supervisors prior to review with the personnel reporting to them, to ensure equality and effectiveness.
• Selection, training, and positive motivation of a viable management team to conduct company business and guide manageable and profitable company growth is central to the General Managers responsibility.
• To manage, direct and provide insight and follow up to all departments within the railroad.
• To establish operating budgets from forecasts provided by historical data and department manager input.
• To establish performance goals, quality standards, and monitor both quality and quantity of all facets of the railroad, ensuring profitability.
• Sufficient experience or equivalent working knowledge and understanding of all railroad operations, transloading, and knowledge of handling the following commodities: Dry Bulk Products, Liquid Chemicals, & assorted hazmat commodities (dry and liquid).
• To manage and ensure a positive relationship between all our customers including but not limited to our class one partners, freight customers, and other interchange partners.
• Accountable for the planning, coordination, and implementation of all railroad activities, assuring optimum economy while maximizing efficiency ensuring profitability of the company.
• Accountable for asset utilization. This will entail routine evaluation of railroad requirements, capital improvement projects to maximize efficiency. Excess assets and facilities will be offered as a revenue source.
• Accountable for the selection, training, and motivation of a viable management team to conduct all railroad business and guide its day-to-day management and profitable growth.
• Accountable for customer satisfaction through personal contact and management of systems providing accurate accountability of car location, car hire, demurrage, receivables, and efficient movements of each car move.
• Accountable for the development, approval, and periodic review of operating procedures for all railroad activities. This area will include all technical, operational, and support functions.
• Accountable for the development of budgets and operating plans to not only outline departmental budgets and activities, but also complement the corporate strategic plan.
• Accountable for the development and adherence to safety and environmental law compliance. This will include adherence to all company policies and procedures in the areas including long term protection from future company liabilities.
• This description is general and illustrative of the type of duties required for this position. This description is not all inclusive and is not meant to be a detailed description of each and every duty performed by the incumbent, but established as a guideline and basis for sound

Requirements and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in related field and/or minimum ten (10) years relevant job-related experience.
• The General Manager of the Southwestern Railroad shall have at least three (3) years of freight rail experience (within the last ten (10) years) as a senior operating officer in a comparable operating environment.
• The General Manager of the Southwestern Railroad shall have at least two (2) years’ experiences in senior management of a freight rail operating environment that includes coordinating shipments with or through Class I operations and/or managing freight operations with large volumes of freight traffic

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of organization.
• Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, percentages, area, circumference, and volume. Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry.
• Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.

Work Environment:

• This position is occasionally required to stand, walk, and reach with hands and arms. The position must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, and ability to adjust focus.
• Must be flexible to working hours that include days, nights, weekends, and holidays if needed.

Machines, Tools, Special Equipment, Personal Protective Equipment Used:

• Hammers, ratchets, chisel, pry bar, wrenches, and brushes.
• PPE; hard hat, vest, safety glasses, FR clothing, gloves, steel toed boots