Your success is a train ride away!
As we move America’s workforce toward the future, Amtrak connects businesses and communities across the country. We employ more than 20,000 diverse, energetic professionals in a variety of career fields throughout the United States. The safety of our passengers, our employees, the public and our operating environment is our priority, and the success of our railroad is due to our employees.
Are you ready to join our team?
Our values of ‘Do the Right Thing, Excel Together and Put Customers First’ are at the heart of what matters most to us, and our Core Capabilities, ‘Building Trust, Accountability, Effective Communication, Customer Focus, and Proactive Safety & Security’ are what every employee needs to know and do to be most impactful at Amtrak. By living the Amtrak values, focusing on our capabilities, and actively embracing and fostering diverse ideas, backgrounds, and perspectives, together we will honor our past and make Amtrak a company of the future.
SUMMARY OF DUTIES
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The Lead Onboard Operations & Experience SME is a pivotal individual contributor role responsible for driving operational excellence and enhancing the frontline employee experience within our Onboard Operations and Conductor Teams (Conductor as relates to non-regulatory tasks). This role services as the primary subject matter expert, deeply understanding current operational policies, workflows, and challenges. The Lead SME identifies opportunities for improvement, conceptualizes innovative policy solutions that enhance key metrics, and collaborates closely with both operational leadership and frontline staff to ensure policies are practical, effective, and clearly understood. This position is critical in translating real-world operational needs into conceptual policy drafts for formalization by the Technical Publications team.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
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-Operational Deep Dive: Maintain an in-depth and current understanding of all operational processes, procedures, and challenges specific to the Onboard Operations and Conductor teams (relevant to non-regulatory tasks only for Conductor).
-Policy Analysis & Gap Identification: Proactively analyze existing policies and procedures within the assigned operational area to identify gaps, inefficiencies, and areas for improvement.
-Policy Concept Development: Develop and propose conceptual drafts for new or improved operational policies and standards, specifically designed to enhance key performance metrics and the frontline employee experience.
-Collaboration with Technical Publications: Partner closely with the Manager, Technical Publications and their team, providing clear, comprehensive conceptual policy drafts and collaborating through the formalization process into official manuals.
-Leadership Engagement: Cultivate and maintain strong working relationships with operational leadership, up to the Director level, within the Onboard Operations and Conductor teams to align policy initiatives with strategic goals.
-Frontline Engagement & Feedback: Regularly engage with frontline employees through organized monthly virtual and in-person “pocket sessions” to share policy updates, gather direct feedback, and understand operational realities.
-Performance Metric Enhancement: Ensure that proposed policy improvements are directly linked to tangible enhancements in operational efficiency, quality, safety, or other defined performance metrics.
-Problem-Solving & Solutioning: Identify recurring operational pain points and proactively propose policy-based solutions that address root causes and promote long term stability and effectiveness.
-Best Practice Integration: Research industry best practices and external benchmarks relevant to onboard operations to inform policy development and maintain a competitive edge.
-Cross-Functional Communication: Facilitate clear and consistent communication between frontline teams, operational leadership, and the Cetner of Excellence regarding policy needs, changes, and impacts.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
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-Education: Bachelor’s degree Business Administration, Operations Management, Organizational Development, or a related field; equivalent practical experience may be considered.
-Experience: 6 years of progressive experience in an operational role with at least 3 years directly supporting or working within Onboard Operations & Conductor teams (preferred), or similar frontline transportation / service environments. Regulatory experience is preferred.
-Policy Exposure: Demonstrated experience analyzing existing policies, identifying improvement opportunities, or contributing to policy development within an operational context.
MIMIMUM KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES
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-Operational Expertise: Deep, practical knowledge and understanding of day-to-day operations, challenges, and workflows specific to Onboard Operations and Conductor teams.
-Policy Analysis & Conceptualization: Proven ability to critically analyze complex operational processes and current policies, identify inefficiencies, and conceptualize clear, actionable solutions.
-Exceptional Communication: Superior verbal and written communication skills, capable of articulating complex ideas simply, preparing clear conceptual drafts, and effectively leading discussions with diverse groups (from frontline to leadership).
-Strong Facilitation Skills: Demonstrated ability to lead engaging and productive small group discussions (e.g., “pocket sessions”) to gather feedback and disseminate information.
-Analytical & Problem-Solving: Robust analytical skills to assess operational performance, identify root causes of issues, and develop effective, data-informed policy solutions.
-Stakeholder Management: Proven ability to build strong rapport and influence without direct authority across all levels of an organization, from frontline employees to Directors.
-Self-Starter & Proactive: Highly self-motivated, with the ability to work independently, manage time effectively, and drive initiatives from concept to handover.
-Employee-Centric Mindset: A strong commitment to understanding and improving the frontline employee experience through well-designed and clearly communicated policies.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
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-Master’s degree in Technical Communication or a related field.
-Certification in Technical Writing (e.g., CPTC).
-Experience in an operational environment (e.g., customer service, logistics, hospitality, railroads, aviation) with frontline employee focus.
-Direct experience with graphic design tools or multimedia content creation for documentation.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
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-Hybrid, 4 days in office with the ability to work remotely 1 day each week.
-Travel up to 25% of the time
-Standard office environment.
COMMUNICATIONS AND INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
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-Must have excellent oral and written communication skills.
The salary/hourly range is $94,300.00 - $122,256.00. Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to education, work experience, certifications, internal equity, etc. Depending on an employee’s assigned worksite or location, Amtrak may consider a geo-pay differential to be applied to the employee’s base salary. Amtrak may offer additional incentive and pay programs to recognize and reward our employees, including a short-term incentive bonus based upon factors such as individual and company performance that is commensurate with the level of the position and/or long-term incentive plan compensation. In addition to your salary, Amtrak offers a comprehensive benefit package that includes health, dental, and vision plans; health savings accounts; wellness programs; flexible spending accounts; 401K retirement plan with employer match; life insurance; short and long term disability insurance; paid time off; back-up care; adoption assistance; surrogacy assistance; reimbursement of education expenses; Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility; Railroad Retirement sickness and retirement benefits; and rail pass privileges. Learn more about our benefits offerings here.
Requisition ID:165259
Work Arrangement:06-Onsite 4/5 Days Click here for more information about work arrangements at Amtrak.
Relocation Offered:No
Travel Requirements:Up to 25%
You power our progress through your performance.
We want your work at Amtrak to be more than a job. We want your career at Amtrak to be a fulfilling experience where you find challenging work, rewarding opportunities, respect among colleagues, and attractive compensation. Amtrak maintains a culture that values high performance and recognizes individual employee contributions.
Amtrak is committed to a safe workplace free of drugs and alcohol. All Amtrak positions requires a pre-employment background check that includes prior employment verification, a criminal history check and a pre-employment drug screen.
Candidates who test positive for marijuana will be disqualified, regardless of any state or local statute, ordinance, regulation, or other law that legalizes or decriminalizes the use or possession of marijuana, whether for medical, recreational, or other use. Amtrak's pre-employment drug testing program is administered in accordance with DOT regulations and applicable law.
In accordance with DOT regulations (49 CFR § 40.25), Amtrak is required to obtain prior drug and alcohol testing records for applicants/employees intending to perform safety-sensitive duties for covered Department of Transportation positions. If an appl
