Supt Oper Sfty Rules&Reg Compl

Chartered in 1834, the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) is the largest, busiest, and oldest continuously operating commuter railroad in the United States. In 2024, this 24/7/365 operation served 75.5 million riders on a system that stretches nearly 120 miles – from Penn Station and Grand Central Madison in Manhattan to Montauk on the eastern tip of Long Island.

About the role

Position is responsible to direct and oversee the office of Operating Rules and Airbrake Procedures, and act as the authority on LIRR operating rules, timetable special instructions, federal railroad safety statutes and equipment operating procedures. Promote safety through administration of operating rules and air brake technical instructions and examinations to measure and maintain qualifications of employees. Enforce all LIRR operating rules, federal safety regulations and programs.

Position is the primary LIRR representative on various FRA committees including the Railroad Safety Advisory Committee, as well as APTA, with oversight for regulatory issues, solutions and implementation of changes and/or new legislation. Supervise the Management, technical support, and quality assurance oversight in the areas of CFR Part 228 (Hours of Service).

This position is also responsible for the planning, leading, organizing and controlling the Transportation Department's Operational Safety and Employee Safety Plan. Other position objectives include creating and maintaining a safety culture by raising awareness and reducing operational incidents and employee injuries. The manager's main objective is establishing sustainable initiatives and protocols that will ensure a department-wide safety culture by focusing on Operating Rule compliance while utilizing the Risk Mitigation Program (RMP) and employee injuries while utilizing the Employee Safety improvement plan.

The RMP provides a single, cohesive point of reference to ensure a consistent approach to rules compliance that focuses on six core elements and incorporates industry best practices. The Transportation Department continually assesses the process for improvement opportunities and continually adjusting for real time trends that can be shared with all operating employees. The elements of the Risk Mitigation Program consist of the following: Screening/Testing/Training Employees, Communication, Monitoring Rules Compliance, Incident Prevention Plans, Responding to Non-Compliances, and Safety Management.

The position is responsible for ensuring that the appropriate tracking and mitigating against the following dangerous industry standard incidents: Stop Signal violations, Station Run By's, derailments, improper platforming, misroutes, doors opening off the platform, Foul Time violations, 3rd rail Plan violations, bumper block incidents, and switch run throughs. It is also required to conduct a full trending analysis of the incidents utilizing information such as what time of day issues occur, day of the week, month of the year, years of service an employee has, and when the next relief day/vacation is scheduled.

Finally, this position is responsible for ensuring all department employees' operating safety protocols and procedures are up to date and mitigation plans are in place to ensure a safe and healthy work environment. This position will represent the Senior Director Operating Safety, Rules and Regulatory Compliance.

Responsibilities

• Direct, oversee and supervise the activities of Transportation Department managers and supervisors to meet and/or exceed all departmental goals relative to Safety OTP, communications, customer comfort, etc.
• Ensure a safe working environment and adherence to guidelines of company safety policies and procedures. Lead by example.
• Develop and maintain effective operating procedures as part of the Standard Operating Plan for transportation management. Provide thorough information analysis of delays to ensure customer needs are understood and met. Recommend, develop, and/or implement any resulting changes.
• Train managers in the department as required to ensure effective communications are utilized to satisfy customer needs.
• Represent the LIRR on all RSAC/APTA/FRA committees governing operational and safety related issues to ensure the LIRR’s opportunity to express concerns relative to proposed legislation and/or changes to current operational protocols and procedures.
• Provide direction and guidance regarding the development of the railroad safety regulatory program, including issuance of new regulations, review and revision of existing regulations and identification of non-regulatory alternatives for safety improvements (e.g., gap mitigation, human factor caused train accidents, road worker protection, Passenger Train Emergency Preparedness, blue flag protection and positive train control technology).
• Take the lead role in developing and implementing an integrated operating plan within the LIRR, particularly the operating departments (Mechanical and Engineering) and outside agencies (e.g., Amtrak, MYAR, NJT), to ensure a coordinated seamless response to federal, state and local mandates that impact operations.
• Interpret and disseminate proposed changes to the Code of Federal Registry and Air Brake procedures.
• Responsible for the planning, leading, organizing, and controlling of the department's Risk Mitigation Plan. Act as the department point person in Operational Reliability Group meetings to ensure appropriate follow-up on recommendations are implemented.
• Ensure trend analysis is complete to allow for strategies on ways to reduce operational incidents and anticipate spikes to prevent future injuries. Ensure the Transportation Department conducts frequent operational/efficiency testing to ensure a safe work environment.
• Complete on-board, facility, and yard SAFER observations for the purpose of identifying and correcting unsafe and inappropriate safety behaviors/actions. Track and mitigate against dangerous industry standard incidents such as Stop Signal violations, Station Run By's, derailments, improper platforming, misroutes, doors opening off the platform, Foul Time violations, 3rd rail Plan violations, bumper block incidents, and switch run throughs.
• Conduct trending analysis of incidents utilizing information such as time of day, day of the week, month of the year, years of service an employee has, and when the next relief day/vacation is scheduled.
• Meet with unions to address concerns in a timely manner.
• Ensure the Transportation Department appropriately handles operational incident reporting, including thorough and timely investigations, appropriate recording, and developing preventative measures utilizing the "lessons learned" approach.
• Identify the cause of incidents and develop preventive plans, oversee physical characteristic/rules changes, or policy changes to mitigate or eliminate operational incidents. Work closely with Corporate Safety, M of E, and Engineering to ensure compliance with Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) incident investigating and reporting guidelines.
• Ensure the Department Operational Safety Plan is reviewed and continuously updated.
• Develop new initiatives, tests, observations, and procedures to ensure the department meets/exceeds corporate operational incident goals. This includes developing various operational compliance tests, Targeted Operational Performance Sessions (TOPS), and revamped "Risk Mitigation Levels."
• Provide oversight to the department's Employee Safety Plan and ensure employee safety is handled appropriately. Act as the department leader in Safety meetings to ensure appropriate follow-up on recommendations.
• Conduct trend analysis and compile data to support recommendations on ways to reduce employee accidents and anticipate spikes to prevent future injuries. Ensure the Transportation Department is following up on and in compliance with various fire, safety, FRA, OSHA, etc. codes.
• Conduct frequent safety walks and yard audits to ensure a safe and healthy work environment. Complete on-board, facility, and yard SAFER observations for the purpose of identifying and correcting unsafe and inappropriate safety behaviors/actions.
• Oversee the management and oversight in all areas relative to HOS 2095, ensuring the length of assignments, maximum hours employees can work, associated time off within a 24-hour period, and maximum consecutive days an employee can work with proper rest days in accordance with the new revisions to Administration of 49 CFR Part 228. Develop technological solutions to ensure compatibility with the TEAMS and fatigue model.
• Respond to service disruptions and/or emergencies or planned events on a 24/7 basis as required and implement contingency plans when warranted. Coordinate Transportation response to such disruptions.
• Cover on-property weekend Superintendent duty.
• Select, develop, and motivate personnel within the department. Provide career development for subordinates, prompt and effective coaching and counseling. Responsible for discipline/termination of employees when necessary. Review direct reports and approve performance appraisals.
• Promote safe work practices and provide safe working conditions. Create a professional environment that respects individual differences and enables all employees to develop and contribute to their full potential.
• If an applicant is Engine Service Qualified (ESQ), maintaining a valid Locomotive Engineer Certification and is not on the active-duty Locomotive Engineer roster, they will be required to provide Engine Service coverage during Engine Service manpower shortages.
• Perform other assignments as requested by Senior Management.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Arts/Sciences (BA/BS) in business, transportation, or related field. Demonstrated, directly related, equivalent experience and education may be considered in lieu of the degree.
• In lieu of a Bachelor's Degree, a candidate may be considered if they possess a HS Diploma and a minimum of twelve years demonstrated transportation experience, seven of which must be demonstrated operations management experience.

Pay

$188,035.49