Maintenance of Way Management Trainee
Norfolk Southern is selecting dedicated, energetic, field oriented undergraduates for its Maintenance of Way Management Trainee program.
This year-long program encourages the Management Trainee to develop skills and learn about NS engineering operations. Most importantly, the program enables the new employee to move from academic theory to Norfolk Southern's real world application and eventually become a part of the NS operation, usually as a Track Supervisor.
Compensation and Benefits
The salary while in the training program is $48,000 plus bonus potential. NS also offers a benefits package that includes group medical, dental and life insurance, retirement and savings plans, and relocation and tuition assistance. (Click Benefits for more information)
Trainees undergo a twelve-month hands-on training program that exposes them to all aspects of railway construction and maintenance. This training allows Trainees to take the solid theoretical knowledge from his or her college education and apply it to actual railroad operations. This training prepares the Engineer for placement as a manager with responsibility over various aspects of line maintenance or operations. Management Trainees report initially to a division headquarters, learning many of the maintenance functions as well as the physical characteristics of that territory.
Management Trainees will gain experience in safety compliance, construction and maintenance operations, track inspection, track and train dynamics, crew management, work scheduling, labor relations, and emergency operations handling.
Also during this period, trainees usually participate in a corporate training event along with other newly hired or promoted management employees. This program, known as CareerStart, occurs in the corporate headquarters in Norfolk. In a four-day period, they will participate in presentations by representatives of many different functional areas of the corporation. In addition to this exposure, participants are encouraged to network with their peers from many different departments.
Locations
Trainees will be assigned to one of eleven field division headquarters locations. Training will be conducted both in the office and in the field. In addition, the trainee will spend some time in classroom sessions at our Training Center in McDonough, GA. (Click Locations for more information)
After Training
Your job as a Track Supervisor puts you on the ground level with project work from planning to completion. You and your maintenance team are responsible for providing a safe track structure for safe and efficient movement of traffic over Norfolk Southern's territories. You get hands-on "get-dirty" experience with NS maintenance employees: rail gangs that replace rail and spikes, tie gangs that perform scheduled tie replacement, bridge and building gangs that maintain and repair the bridges and trestles of the railroad.
The Track Supervisor is a manager of both people and assets and has the freedom and responsibility to make decisions for their territories. Aside from managing and developing work force, Track Supervisors spend their time performing safety audits, conducting safety meetings, inspecting track, checking the geometry of the track and handling repairs for derailments and natural disasters that affect the track structure, and the monitoring of the natural adjustment of steel in heat and cold. Track Supervisors also have responsibility to deal with local county and state government officials as well as the general public along NS's right of way.
What We Look for in a Candidate
A Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering or Construction Engineering is preferred but other engineering degrees will be considered. Interested applicants must have a desire to work outdoors in a hands-on, predominately field oriented and highly responsible position. Successful candidates possess strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work under pressure. A willingness to relocate and travel is a must, as the NS track supervisor's "office" is the track structure that covers over 21,000 miles of main-line railroad.