Investigations Manager - Transportation

Salary Range: $94,665 - $118,331

Shift: 7:00am – 3:00pm (time or shift varies as required)

This position is telework eligible.

About the Role

This position is responsible for conducting accident investigations and analysis within the Operations Compliance Division of the Long Island Rail Road Corporate Safety Department. The role ensures a safe workplace and safe, efficient transportation for customers by performing thorough incident investigations, in-depth analysis, and conformance audits to identify and resolve hazards or causal factors, thereby reducing or eliminating them.

The Investigations Manager prepares final investigative reports for major and critical incidents, including employee and customer fatalities, derailments, collisions, unusual occurrences, near-miss events, and fire-related incidents. The incumbent identifies initiating causes, contributing factors, and recommends corrective actions to prevent future accidents.

Responsibilities

• Investigate accidents and incidents to identify causes and mitigation strategies per corporate policy and departmental standard operating procedures.
• Gather investigative data for all rail and employee accidents.
• Serve as a subject matter expert and provide testimony in legal or other proceedings.
• Prepare investigation and analytical reports and presentations for senior staff, department heads, and management.
• Track the status of recommendation implementations and evaluate their effectiveness.
• Develop corrective actions, including policies, procedures, training, and new technologies, based on investigations of close calls, near misses, rail accidents, motor vehicle accidents, and employee or customer injuries/fatalities.
• Develop and foster professional relationships with all departments, regional transportation authorities, and professional organizations.
• Remain current with continuing education, refresher training, and state-of-the-art investigation methods, techniques, and technology to meet departmental and corporate goals.
• Ensure a safe working environment and adherence to company safety policies and procedures; lead by example.
• Conduct investigations during emergency situations, including rotational on-call duties 24/7.
• Oversee safety compliance and terminate operations when required.
• Facilitate and participate in interdepartmental committee meetings with senior management and department heads to discuss, recommend, and follow up on causes and preventive measures following rail incidents.
• Coordinate working relationships between departments to resolve conflicts and achieve consensus on causes following rail incidents.
• Take accountability for initiating and terminating investigations following rail incidents and approve the movement of trains/equipment to begin recovery efforts.
• Effectively interview witnesses and take statements from employees, as well as participate in accident interviews chaired by other departments.
• Act as a liaison between regulatory agencies (FRA, PTSB, NTSB, MTAPD) during investigations.
• Investigate and prepare accident reports on incidents as requested by senior management.
• Develop and participate in the revision and creation of corporate procedures, policies, and training curriculums as directed by senior management.
• Monitor industry reports and findings (e.g., NTSB, FRA) for potential vulnerabilities, develop recommendations, and follow through to implementation.
• Conduct field inspections to track the status of recommendation implementations and evaluate their effectiveness.
• Perform other assignments as requested by senior management.

Requirements

• Minimum 5 years of qualified Locomotive Engineer or Conductor experience.
• Associate’s degree in Engineering, Safety Management, Accident/Forensic Investigation, Business Administration, or a related field. In lieu of a degree, two additional years of related experience is required.
• Valid driver’s license.

Skills

• Qualified Locomotive Engineer or Conductor.
• Effective interpersonal, presentation, and communication skills, with the ability to direct investigations in a multi-disciplinary environment.
• Strong crisis management skills and the ability to react effectively to emergency and stressful situations.
• Self-sufficient with the ability to work independently, using effective decision-making, judgment, problem-solving, and analytical skills.
• Ability to respond to and conduct investigations during emergencies, including rotational on-call duties 24/7.
• Ability to oversee safety compliance and terminate operations when required.
• Ability to facilitate and participate in interdepartmental meetings with senior management to discuss causes and preventive measures.
• Ability to coordinate working relationships between departments and resolve conflicts to achieve consensus on causes following incidents.
• Accountability for initiating and terminating investigations and approving the movement of trains/equipment for recovery efforts.
• Ability to effectively interview witnesses and take statements from employees.
• Ability to interface with regulatory agencies (e.g., FRA, PTSB, NTSB, MTAPD) during investigations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in employee and/or customer accident investigations, preferably in the railroad/transportation field or in large, complex operations, construction, or industrial environments, with an emphasis on root cause and failure analysis.
• Knowledge of Federal and New York State Safety and Health regulations and technical standards (e.g., DOT, FRA, PTSB, FTA, NTSB, OSHA, PESH, NYSDEC, NYSDOH, EPA, ANSI, ASTM, NFPA, AREMA, APTA, ISO, ASME, IEC, AAR).
• Experience conducting or leading field investigations involving data gathering, evidence preservation, witness interviews, and analysis of evidence and documents.
• Familiarity with railroad operations, policies, and programs.
• Formal Accident Investigation Training or Certification.
• Professional Engineer, Certified Safety Professional, Certified Industrial Hygienist, or Transportation Safety Specialist certification.