Lead Rail Controller — Real-Time Operations Leader

City of Charlotte; United States; On-site; USD 79,000 - 123,000; Full time

Job summary

City of Charlotte's Rail Control Center seeks a Lead Rail Controller to provide on‑floor leadership for Controllers and Control Room Assistants. You will monitor real-time rail operations, coordinate priorities, and ensure adherence to safety rules and procedures.

Responsibilities include incident triage, service recovery, training, and shift turnover, with a focus on accountability, professionalism, and rapid decision‑making in a high‑pressure environment.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED and 3+ years in rail control or related real-time ops.
• Experience applying operating rules, SOPs, and safety protocols in a safety-sensitive setting.
• Experience in informal lead, trainer, or shift-support roles.
• Ability to work rotating shifts, nights, weekends, holidays, and emergency call-ins.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the shift lead in the Rail Control Center for Controllers and Assistants.
• Monitor real-time rail operations; coordinate train movement priorities and service changes.
• Lead initial triage of disruptions and coordinate with partners for service recovery.
• Reinforce rules compliance, procedures, and documentation quality across shifts.
• Coach and train staff; reinforce procedures and on-the-job performance.
• Prepare reports, turnover documentation, and incident summaries.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of control center processes.

Skills

Real-Time Rail Operations

Shift Leadership

Incident Response

Rules Compliance

Coaching

Attention to Detail

Education

High school diploma or GED

Associate degree

Tools

Rail control center systems

Job description

City of Charlotte's Rail Control Center seeks a Lead Rail Controller to provide on‑floor leadership for Controllers and Control Room Assistants. You will monitor real-time rail operations, coordinate priorities, and ensure adherence to safety rules and procedures.

Responsibilities include incident triage, service recovery, training, and shift turnover, with a focus on accountability, professionalism, and rapid decision‑making in a high‑pressure environment.