Locomotive Maintenance Materials/Technical Advisor

Wabtec Corporation; Galesburg (IL); Hybrid; USD 62,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Annual bonus

Job summary

Wabtec Corporation seeks a Locomotive Maintenance Materials Technical Advisor to guide railroad teams on repairs, materials, and equipment status. You will influence critical decisions while partnering with shop personnel and customer management in a dynamic diesel repair environment.

Based in a hybrid setting, you will balance field advisory work with materials management, progressing toward Level 1 certification within 18 months, and supporting continuous improvement across operations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or 2-year degree with professional experience, or high school diploma with 4+ years in operations or military leadership.
• Willingness to work varying shifts in a shop environment.
• High mechanical and/or electrical aptitude with problem-solving ability.
• Able to complete Wabtec Level 1 Technical Training within 18 months of hire.
• Proficient with MS Office applications.
• Strong oral and written communication, interpersonal and leadership skills.
• Validated analytical and quality-improvement ability.
• Ability to interface at all levels internally and externally.
• Dependable attendance and a great team attitude.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical guidance to railroad employees and management on troubleshooting, material handling, tooling, and locomotive status.
• Coordinate and instruct on key programs and procedures related to locomotive maintenance and modifications.
• Mentor teams on troubleshooting, material handling, safety procedures, and contract requirements.
• Communicate work to be performed and equipment status to customers and management.
• Promote safe work practices and drive continuous improvement in productivity and quality.
• Help establish production plans for labor, material, and logistics.
• Work with software systems to run material and labor plans.
• Coordinate with suppliers and internal teams to ensure material availability.

Skills

Mechanical aptitude

Electrical aptitude

MS Office

Strong communication

Interpersonal skills

Leadership

Analytical skills

Attendance reliability

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Two-year degree + 2 years experience

High School Diploma / GED + 4 years Operations/Military leadership

Tools

MS Office

Job description

Job Description

Who will you be working with?

As a member of Field Services Americas, you will be responsible for helping our customer (BNSF) maintain their fleet of GE/Wabtec locomotives through advising, informing, researching, and assisting their mechanical employees. You will be part of a team made up of Wabtec technical and materials experts, all working to ensure our customer’s fleet is running at optimal levels.

How will you make a difference?

The Locomotive Maintenance Materials Technical Advisor (MTA) is a hybrid position that combines the best of both worlds, between our technical advisory and materials management areas of expertise. Whether it’s advising on complex repairs or managing critical inventory, this position provides a full suite of service to our customers – the largest railroad operators in the United States.

Multiple levels of training and certification are available to our Locomotive Maintenance Technical Advisors, which provides them with multiple career opportunities within the company as their careers progress. With over 27,000+ global employees, Wabtec provides rich career development and growth opportunities for our employees.

What do we want to know about you?

• Bachelor's Degree (Or a 2-year degree with 2 years of professional work experience, Or a High School Diploma / GED with a minimum of 4 years of Operations or Military leadership experience)
• Willingness and ability to work various shifts, various days, and work in a shop environment
• A high degree of mechanical and/or electrical aptitude and problem-solving ability and/or experience
• Ability to complete Wabtec Level 1 Technical Training within prescribed time (normally 18 months from hire date)
• Proficiency in MS office applications
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Strong interpersonal and leadership skills
• Validated analytical and quality improvement ability
• Ability to interface at all levels of the organization, both internally and externally
• The ability to maintain reliable and predictable attendance
• A high level of dependability, a great attitude, and an ability to work well with a team towards achieving a common goal

What will your typical day look like?

Our Locomotive Maintenance Materials Technical advisors work inside locomotive diesel repair shops located on our customer’s property, and work side by side with our customer, including their management teams.

This role serves as an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) Technical Advisor, responsible for advising railroad employees and management on how/when/if to make specific repairs on GE/Wabtec locomotives rather than completing actual locomotive repairs yourself.

This is a unique aspect to this role in that you are essentially always in front of the customer, which requires a heightened since of awareness and customer centric focus, but also enables you to see the immediate impact of your contributions on a daily basis.

This position is part of a team covering 24/7 schedule coverage. Shifts are twelve (12) hours in length, with the normal rotation of 4 days on and 3 days off each week. A level of flexibility in scheduling is required (either in days or hours covered) to accommodate for scheduling changes, however, added incentives are available when covering shifts outside of your regular schedule.

While one day can widely differ from the next depending on a number of factors, a general outline of an average day would include:

• Shift Start: Conduct turnover with off going shift, including individual locomotive rundown and status updates, review material needs, discuss bad actor locomotives, meet with customer on shop flow and expectations of the oncoming shif

• Throughout Each Day: Actively walking the shop, touching base with railroad employees on locomotive statuses, delivering material within the shop for repairs, helping troubleshoot issues, workorder maintenance, along with other regularly reoccurring tasks.

Note: During the first 12-18 months in the role, or until you obtain your Level 1 Certification, a significant amount of your time and focus will likely be on reviewing and completing certification materials as a requirement of the position.

Other main tasks you could expect to carry out on most days would include:

Technical Advisor (Locomotive Maintenance)

• Provide clear communication and technical guidance to railroad employees and management to include troubleshooting, material assistance, tooling and / or locomotive status, safety procedures, productivity and process improvements, and contract requirement clarification.
• Coordinate and provide instruction on key programs and procedures related to locomotive maintenance and modifications.
• Provide technical mentorship to teams, including troubleshooting, material handling, tooling, safety procedures, and contract requirement clarification
• Provide clear communication to employees, customer management, and Wabtec management on work to be performed, equipment status, efficiency, and process improvements.
• Partner with teams to promote, maintain, and drive continuous improvement in safe work practices while supervising productivity, quality assurance, and adherence to contract requirements
• Abide by all governmental regulations, OSHA work practices, and industry / site specific work rules
• Work with employees and management on establishing production plans for labor, material, and logistics
• Work with various software systems to run material, labor plans, and other systemic requirements

Materials Management:

• Order material across multiple sites at full lead-time to match associated schedules
• Monitor on hand active and upcoming material to ensure material is available
• Assist in monitoring constrained or critically allocated material including daily monitoring of extremely low on hand material and attending regular calls to obtain parts needed for locomotives
• Engage supply chain on critical needs and communicate potential upcoming problem parts
• Process customer sales orders and resolve system errors so orders will generate in system correctly
• Work with all levels of personnel internally in resolving issues, tracking material availability, and advising on material usage. This includes analyzing duplicate usage, lost shipments, overages, missing material, troubleshooting oracle errors, helping track material discrepancy, and other items as needed and required.
• Coordinate with Ryder and Services Logistics Team on active projects to ensure data accuracy and process compliance
• Complete indirect purchasing for special projects
• Work with 3rd party shops to ensure inventory accuracy and core accuracy, as needed
• Communicate with suppliers regarding order status and changes in delivery dates or quantities
• Provide overall support on any material issue to find solutions to a wide array of complex problems
• All other job duties as assigned and required

What about the physical demands of the job?

• Standing for long periods of time
• Walking throughout the day
• Walking up and down stairs
• Climbing on/off of locomotives
• Observing small writing and labels
• Wearing all required personal protective gear (hardhat, steel toe boots, ear plugs, eye protection) throughout the day
• Speaking and hearing
• Typing and operating a computer
• Working overnight shifts and multiple days in a row, as required
• You may also be asked to perform other duties outside of your function or trade, for which adequate training will be provided if necessary.

Additional Information

Our job titles may span more than one career level. The salary rate for this role is currently $62100-85300. The actual salary offered to a candidate may be influenced by a variety of factors, such as: training, transferable skills, work experience, education, business needs, market demands and work location. The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future. More information on offered benefits, which include health, welfare, and retirement, are available at mywabtecbenefits.com. Other benefit offerings for this role may include annual bonus, if eligible.

What could you accomplish in a place that puts People First?

At Wabtec, it’s not just about a job - it’s about the impact you make. When our people come together, we’re Expanding the Possible by continuously improving what we do and how we do it - for our clients and each other.

If you’re ready to revolutionize how the world moves for future generations, Wabtec is the place for you.

Who are we?

Wabtec is a leading global provider of equipment, systems, digital solutions, and value-added services for the freight and transit rail sectors. Drawing on more than 150 years of experience, we are leading the way in safety, efficiency, reliability, innovation, and productivity. Whether it’s freight, transit, ports, logistics, mining, industrial, or marine, our expertise, technologies, and people together – are accelerating the future of transportation. With roots that date back to George Westinghouse, Thomas Edison, and Louis Faiveley, Wabtec has always built technologies and implemented solutions for a variety of sectors that are critical to meeting the needs of customers and governments alike.

Our global team of about 30,000 employees worldwide delivers performance that moves the world forward. We’re lifelong learners, obsessed with better. Learn more at www.WabtecCorp.com.

Culture powers us and the possibilities.

We believe the best ideas come from a mix of experiences and backgrounds. At Wabtec, we strive every day to create a place where everyone belongs. We’re building a culture where leadership, inclusion and your unique perspective fuel progress.

We’re proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We welcome talent of all backgrounds, experiences, and identities, including race, gender, age, disability, veteran status and more.

Need accommodation? Just let us know - we’ve got you.