Mgr Work Planning - CEN - 90416114 - Chicago

Amtrak; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 113,000 - 147,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, Dental, Vision Insurance

401K with Employer Match

Generous Paid Time Off

Job summary

Amtrak is seeking a Manager, Work Planning (Central Division) to lead long-range track outage forecasts, coordinate curfews, and manage labor forecasting for maintenance, construction, and third-party projects across the Central Division.

You will collaborate with Project Management, Construction, Transportation, and Engineering to develop outage and labor plans aligned with the Annual Operating Plan, lead regional reviews, and drive process improvements in work planning and delivery.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of training, education and relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
• 7 years of relevant experience required; 9+ years preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain a long-range track outage/curfew forecast.
• Lead development of labor support forecasts for Life of Project.
• Collaborate with peers to develop a comprehensive outage/curfew and labor plan.
• Lead quarterly regional resource reviews with Senior Leadership.
• Support the SPORT process for Central Division.
• Implement labor resource allocation guidelines.
• Analyze challenges and identify improvement opportunities.

Skills

Critical thinking

Analytical skills

MS Office

Excel

PowerPoint

Word

Communication

Time management

Teamwork

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Engineering

Transportation

Construction Management

Tools

Microsoft Office

Microsoft Project

Visio

Job description

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Mgr Work Planning - CEN - 90416114 - Chicago

Date: Oct 15, 2026

Location:

Chicago, IL, US, 60661

Company: Amtrak

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.

Job Summary

The Manager, Work Planning (Central Division) is responsible for leading and managing initiatives that support work planning and resource coordination across Amtrak’s portfolio of Central Division maintenance and construction projects. This position is part of Amtrak’s IPRC group (Implementation, Planning, & Resource Coordination) within the Capital Delivery Department.

The IPRC Central Division representative is responsible for the intricate planning and coordination process for multi-discipline (Track, Communications & Signals, and Structures) track outages/curfews, commercial power outages that have the potential to impact railroad operations, and labor forecasting for major in-house maintenance and construction, major Capital Delivery projects, and third-party projects on the Chicago and Michigan Subdivisions of Amtrak’s Central Division.

Essential Functions

• Develop and maintain a coordinated and comprehensive long-range track outage/curfew forecast that balances the needs of major project-driven projects, critical railroad maintenance, and third-party external projects, and ensure the forecast is incorporated into the appropriate Seasonal Service Plan(s).
• Lead the development of Amtrak labor support forecasts (in-house direct labor and/or support of third-party construction) for Life of Project. Assist the project teams with refining of their access plans for building on/around the active railroad.
• Collaborate with peers in other groups (Project Management, Construction Management, Transportation, Service Planning, Engineering System Offices, Capital Project Teams, Division Maintenance, etc) to develop a comprehensive outage/curfew and labor support plan based on projected Annual Operating Plan (AOP) and Annual Grants (AG).
• Lead quarterly regional resource reviews with Senior Leadership.
• Support the SPORT (Service Planning and Outage RoundTable) process for Central Division.
• Implement labor resource allocation guidelines in coordination with relevant internal departments and ensure adherence to guidelines in labor resource allocation decisions.
• Analyze challenges, problems, and process breakdowns to ensure that lessons learned are used to improve work planning and project delivery practices; identify efficiencies and present recommended improvement opportunities to various levels of management

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required OR equivalent combination of training, education and relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.

Plus

• 7 years prior relevant experience required
• 9+ years of relevant experience preferred

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent combination of education, training and/or relevant experience.
• Plus 9 years of relevant work experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Transportation, Construction Management, or closely related field

Working Knowledge and understanding of:

• Working knowledge of Amtrak’s Central Division territory, particularly the Chicago Subdivision and Michigan Subdivision, along with Metra commuter operations, and connecting host freight carrier territory.
• Amtrak’s network, service, infrastructure, and train fleet.
• Amtrak’s current Track and Time process.
• Theories, principles, and practices of passenger railroad systems design, construction, operations, and maintenance.
• Railroad infrastructure and components, including track, structures, communications, signals, and electric traction systems.
• Amtrak-maintained territory and operation.
• Amtrak’s process for developing Seasonal operating plans and train manuscripts.
• Collective Bargaining Agreements for labor work forces.
• Role of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)
• General Code of Operating Rules (GCOR)
• Metra commuter operations and freight operations for the various carriers in the Chicago region.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Fundamental knowledge and understanding of:

• Railroad operations and/or maintenance and construction of railroad infrastructure.
• Railroad labor functions by craft (C&S, Electric Traction, Track, B&B/Structures).

Skills and Abilities:

• Utilize strong critical thinking and analytical skills to optimize usage of planned track outages/curfews and establish/refine project implementation planning processes and long-range work plans and schedules.
• Familiar with Microsoft Office suite, including Excel, Power Point, and Word; familiarity with Microsoft Project and Visio.
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely in verbal and written form, including the ability to articulate complex issues, and effectively interact with internal and external stakeholders at all levels.
• Effectively manage time, set priorities, and achieve results in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
• Ability to motivate and support people across the organization to work collaboratively; maintain a teamwork environment; work diplomatically across teams with varying objectives; solicit alternative points of view and objectively articulate the strengths and weaknesses of various options to reach an informed decision.
• Identify problems and develop and implement solutions; facilitate effective conflict resolution; network with internal and external stakeholders and leverage relationships to resolve complex project issues; exercise judgment and creativity in making decisions.
• Understand, interpret, and apply applicable laws, rules, regulations, policies, procedures, budgets, contracts, and labor/management agreements.

Environmental Conditions/Physical Demands

The salary/hourly range is $113,200.00 – $146,664.00. Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to education, work experience, certifications, 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.

Health and Wellbeing Financial and Retirement Work and Family Life Support

Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance 401K with Employer Match Generous Paid Time Off

Wellness Programs Railroad Retirement Benefits Paid Caregiving Days and Backup Care

Health Savings Account Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness Fertility and Family Building Benefits

No-cost Personal Health Advocate Student Loan Assistance Adoption and Surrogacy Assistance

Medical Plan Opt-out Credit Tuition and Education Reimbursement Paid Family Leave

Life Insurance Rail Pass Privileges

Short- and Long-term Disability Insurance Employee Assistance Program

No-cost Financial Advisor Sessions Commuter and Flexible Spending Accounts

Requisition ID:167411

Work Arrangement:06-Onsite 4/5 Days
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.

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 applicant/employee refuses to provide written consent for Amtrak to obtain these records, the individual will not be permitted to perform safety-sensitive functions.

In accordance with federal law governing security checks of covered individuals for providers of public transportation (Title 6 U.S.C. §1143), Amtrak is required to screen applicants for any permanent or interim disqualifying criminal offenses.

Note that any education requirement listed above may be deemed satisfied if you have an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.

Amtrak is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race/color, to include traits historically associated with race, including but not limited to, hair texture and hairstyles such as braids, locks and twists, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related conditions, such as lactation), national origin/ethnicity, disability (intellectual, mental and physical), veteran status, marital status, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, genetic information, citizenship or any other personal characteristics protected by law.