Senior Project Manager

VIA Rail; Montreal; Hybrid; CAD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

VIA Rail is seeking a Project Manager for its modernization initiatives, overseeing projects aimed at enhancing the rail fleet. The role demands strong leadership, project management expertise, and bilingual proficiency, while providing opportunities for professional development within a dynamic team environment.

Benefits

Competitive salary and benefits package

Flexible options for hybrid remote work

Opportunities for career advancement

Health and wellness benefits for employees and their families

Qualifications

• 7 to 10 years of project management experience in rail or heavy equipment industry.
• Bilingual in English and French (spoken and written) is essential.
• Experience working in a matrix management environment.

Responsibilities

• Manage fleet modernization projects from initiation to completion.
• Oversee multidisciplinary teams and ensure adherence to budgets and schedules.
• Facilitate Steering Committee meetings and maintain thorough documentation.

Skills

Project Planning

Leadership

Problem Solving

Negotiation

Communication

Education

University degree in engineering (industrial or mechanical preferred)

PMP certification (an asset)

Tools

Microsoft SharePoint

EPM 2010

Project Online

Job description

Did you know that VIA Rail is carrying out ambitious projects to modernize its services and infrastructure? From our new ultramodern train fleet to ongoing improvement of our infrastructure and reservation system, we’re building the future of transportation in Canada. Working for VIA Rail is being a part of a collective effort in sustainable mobility.

The project manager will report directly to the Senior Manager, Projects, Rolling stock and will be part of a young and dynamic team of several project managers responsible for piloting the various VIA Rail rolling stock modernization projects (locomotives and passenger cars) in the company's various workshops.

This position requires an active presence in the railway workshop, where the candidate will have to demonstrate strong team spirit. A practical and field-based approach is essential, as the candidate will be required to spend time directly in the workshop with his teams of workers and support staff.

The ideal candidate for this position will be a professional who is passionate about mechanics and working in workshops. They must have strong project planning and coordination skills, as well as strong leadership, problem-solving and strategic decision-making abilities throughout the project lifecycle.

By joining the VIA Rail Canada team, the candidate will have the exciting opportunity to play a central role in transforming passenger rail in Canada while working with talented and diverse professionals in a dynamic environment conducive to professional development.

The Project Manager is responsible for managing a wide range of fleet modernization projects ranging from a few thousand to several tens of millions of dollars. In this central role, they oversee a multidisciplinary team encompassing various collaborators from several business sectors, including engineering, production, planning, procurement, logistics, methods, quality and inventory management.

As team leader, they are responsible for training and guiding their team through all phases of the project, from initiation to completion, while scrupulously ensuring adherence to established schedules and budgets. As a project management expert, they develop a detailed project plan, closely monitor the project and produce monthly reports to report on the health and progress of the project to stakeholders and management.

Finally, by being the person ultimately responsible for the project, the Project Manager undertakes at all times to meet the established specifications, thereby guaranteeing the delivery of a safe and high quality final product in accordance with previously defined expectations and requirements.

In addition, the Project Manager is a first-rate leader. They must serve as a role model by their leadership, eloquence, charisma and professionalism. Their strong leadership guides each team member towards achieving their goals and fosters a collaborative and dynamic work environment.

Responsibilities :

Ensure full project management, including :

• Commit and mobilize internal and external resources from various firms;
• Establish and track the scope of budgets and financial forecasts, timelines, dependencies, risks, and issues of each project;
• Define project acceptance criteria and manage the quality process;
• Ensure robust project governance (decisions, steering committees) described in a project plan;
• Ensure that important decisions, requests for changes and the use of contingency are well documented and presented to the Steering Committee and that impacts are validated for all groups involved;
• Ensure that the Steering Committee has the right level of information to make decisions;
• Organize monthly Steering Committee meetings, and produce and present executive summaries;
• Keep documentation and the project plan updated and provide regular status reports;
• In addition to managing projects from design to implementation, ensure responsibilities are transferred to IT Operations and / or to business functions, and support the company in preparing the business case for the project;
• Ensure that there is a sound communication and change management plan.

Follow the current PMO methodology, phase deliverables and templates :

• Ensure governance is followed in the process and decisions related to procurement and contractual arrangements;
• Continuous improvement : continuously looking for ways to optimize processes to deliver faster or at least on time and on budget.

Additional responsibilities – Continuous improvement :

• Contribute to the team’s continuous improvement by providing ideas and solutions to optimize management processes and tools;
• Participate in identifying opportunities to improve work methodologies and project tracking systems;
• Collaborate to implement suggested improvements and regularly evaluate their effectiveness;
• Share best practices and foster a culture of continuous improvement within the team.
• Available for travel.
• Able to work in the office three days a week. Requirements :
• University degree in engineering (preference for industrial or mechanical), administration, or related field;
• 7 to 10 years of project management experience in rail projects or the heavy equipment industry;
• For projects carried out in a manufacturing environment, the candidate must be comfortable working in a production environment and have a minimum of 5 years experience in the manufacturing sector or a similar sector;
• Practical knowledge in developing project management activities and project management tools and methods, such as Microsoft SharePoint, EPM 2010, and Project Online;
• PMP certification (an asset);
• Experience working in a matrix management environment;
• English / French bilingualism (spoken and written) is essential.
• Know how to mentor and lead assigned teams;
• Ability to display leadership and influence team members by showing a professional attitude;
• Good negotiation skills and ability to influence others to sign agreements;
• Skilled in planning and organizing teamwork;
• Excellent communication skills; open to others’ perspectives;
• Rigorous, quality-conscious, team player who contributes to the success of projects with knowledge workers;
• Ability to supervise and coordinate the work of others, to coach, to mentor and to develop staff;
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships within the team and with clients;
• Ability to work within tight timelines and manage parallel activities across multiple projects;
• Work experience in a matrix management context;
• Creativity and skill in solving complex problems; client-focused;
• Be a boots-on-the-ground type person and enjoy working in workshops;
• Commitment to continuous training : Willingness to keep up to date on the management of best practices and project management tools to maintain a high level of project management expertise;
• Basic financial knowledge to assist our program managers in business case development.

At VIA Rail, we are proud to be an employment-equity employer and we strive to form teams that reflect the diversity of Canadian society. We aim to remove barriers to employment accessibility and aspire to provide an inclusive and equitable work environment where everyone is valued, regardless of their identity or differences, to enable them to reach their full potential.

If you need assistance in making the recruitment process or the position you are applying for more accessible, please let us know. Alternate arrangements may be offered to individuals who request them at any stage of the recruitment process. All information received in relation to arrangements will be kept confidential.

Note that we will only contact those who are selected for an interview.

Why choose VIA Rail?

• Competitive salary and a generous compensation and benefits package;
• Flexible options for hybrid remote work;
• A close knit team of happy co workers;
• Numerous opportunities for career advancement;
• An environment that supports employee health and well being;
• A wide range of health and wellness benefits for employees and their families, including unlimited telemedicine service;
• To contribute to a sustainable transportation service connecting Canadian communities;
• First as an employer of choice and as the most trusted carrier among transportation companies in the 2022 Canadian Reputation study published by Leger.

Join our 3,000 other employees in helping provide Canadians with a safe, accessible, environmentally sustainable way to travel!