Carreer Pathways
Whatever your interests or qualifications, a career in rail offers you size, locations and variety unlike any other industry.
Rail is an industry that contributes billions of dollars to the world economy. For example in the UK Oxera has estimated the economic contribution of the industry:
- The contribution of the industry and its supply chain, namely is the employment of approximately 212,000 people, the generation of £9.3bn in GVA each year, and the provision of £3.9bn of tax revenue. Importantly, the tax contribution almost exactly offsets funding provided by government to the industry;
- Up to £13bn in benefits to passengers and freight users a year;
- Up to £10bn worth of additional productivity in the economy which arises through the impact of the rail industry on other sectors of the economy (source Women in Rail: Industry survey)
Rail literally has an A-Z of careers that gives you the ability to really design your career. Whether that is one chosen career path or to seek out a range of flexible and varying career pathways depending on your interests and ambitions.
The rail industry provides a wide range of opportunities from train drivers to tradespeople to engineers and customer service. There are opportunities for a professional career in marketing, sales, human resources (HR), training and development, work health and safety (WHS), finance, administration, legal, and information technology (IT) as well as a construction, operational and infrastructure careers.
Examples of job roles according to domains of activities and level of responsibility.
For more job roles, you can explore the different domains :
Infrastructure
Vehicles
Signalling
Economics
Operations
Administration
Academia
Strategic
Managing Director Infrastructure
Directors of infrastructure have to develop and manage the budget for the group, monitor on-going projects, evaluate short- and long-term strategic plans and evaluate and implement policies, procedures, and associated training plans for infrastructure administration and project management. They also represent the organisation to the customer’s and lead project teams and construction projects.
The professionals in this area have extensive previous experience working with the infrastructure of the railway industry, have strong leadership skills and have well-developed problem solving and decision making capabilities.
Tactical
Infrastructure Planner
Infrastructure planners provide planning and scheduling services in order to determine likely staging of the Annual Maintenance Plan (AMP), the completion of projects, possession scenarios and individual closedown progress.
Professionals in this field have strong interpersonal skills, have experience using planning and statistical software and to have an understanding of the details of the industry.
Operational
Track Inspector
A track inspector’s responsibility involves ensuring the safety and seamless functioning of certain sections of the track.
Professionals in this position normally patrol the tracks, produce and submit detailed reports on items that require repair or renewal. They are also responsible for supervising and assisting in maintenance works. They determine the need for safety meetings and trainings for rail employees as well as initiate and maintain contacts with employees of other rail agencies.
Track inspectors have a knowledge of rail track system construction, maintenance, testing and inspection techniques as well as the safety criteria for track structure and engineering.
Strategic
Managing Director Vehicles
Managing directors of vehicle divisions secure the management and teams of the division with recommendations and guidance, preparing and delivering reports, briefings and analysis to the top management of the organisation and to represent the organisation on various committees functioning within the industry.
The professionals in this area have a Bachelor’s or a Master’s degree in a business, finance or engineering related field, have good leadership qualities and have previous experience in budget management and control and operations management. Some may also require a previous experience working in the railway industry.
Tactical
Vehicle Design Engineer
Vehicle design engineers are involved in the design, manufacture and operation of railway vehicles and their respective subsystems.
The professionals in this field design and produce visual representations of railway vehicles, choosing the most appropriate materials for manufacturing, researching new designs and solutions and building prototypes of components among other things.
Vehicle design engineers have a strong railway background and have experience dealing with rail vehicles, have formal academic qualifications within mechanical or electrical engineering fields and to have a flexibility to travel to regional railway locations if needed.
Operational
Maintenance Engineer
Professional working in vehicle maintenance take positions of a supervisor, manager or labourer.
The professionals in this area are responsible for controlling and ensuring the safe and proper functioning of the railway vehicles. The job may also require providing feedback to supervising officials and providing leadership for teams of people.
Maintenance professionals have sufficient experience of working in rail and certain positions may require leadership qualities and an education in the sphere connected to rail.
Strategic
Managing Director Signalling
The professionals assist clients with implementation, installation and further support of signalling and control technologies.
Signalling directors are responsible for developing the technical capabilities of the organisation, providing consultancy and support to the clients, to create and lead a team in the division and to mentor the new members of the team.
Managing director signalling have several years of experience working in the railway industry, specifically in signalling and control. They are also expected to have good leadership qualities, knowledge and experience with various signalling and control systems and a higher degree in a related field.
Tactical
Signalling Planner
Signalling planners are responsible for the planning of signalling and telecoms activities, for ensuring compliance on all relevant procedures and for recommendations for any potential improvements in construction progress meetings.
Professionals in this area work as part of a team and liaise with clients and engineering departments. Experience in project management is often expected.
Signalling planners have proficiency in a specialist signalling software. A degree in Civil Engineering as well as experience in rail or light rail signalling planning projects are often required.
Operational
Signalling Inspector
Signalling inspectors are tasked with regular technical checks and audits and studies that are connected to railway signalling.
Professionals in this area are also responsible for the development, adoption, and implementation of signalling safety operating standards and maintenance procedures for rail signal control systems, organization and delivery of training sessions associated with signalling for rail employees regarding standards and procedures.
Signalling inspectors have a knowledge in the design, installation, maintenance, testing and inspection of signal systems along with the laws that are connected with the rail signal systems.
Strategic
Managing Director Commercial
The professionals in this area advise on any commercial decisions the organisation makes.
Commercial directors are responsible for leading negotiations with existing and prospective clients and partners as well as extending said relationships. They are also expected to support the development of innovative commercial models and business development activities, work closely with client service and the commercial finance teams to manage the effective functioning of the organisation.
The specialists in these fields have a higher degree, have previous experience of working as a commercial director or part of a commercial team and preferably have experience working in railway.
Tactical
Sales Director
Sales directors manage the sales department and are managing major deals of the companies in the rail sector. They maintain business relationships with clients and lead client engagement activities.
The sales director is also responsible for providing strategic direction for sales and management teams as well as developing efficient sales growth strategies. The professionals in this area also represent their companies on a senior level and contribute both to the sales team and to the board.
The professionals in this area have experience with finances, business and economics and usually have previous experience working on a similar position. Strong leadership and communication skills are needed for this job.
Operational
Sales Assistant
The professionals in this area are responsible for ensuring a good quality of service directly to the customers.
Sales assistants inform and update the customers about the products and brands of the company. They might also need to organise presentations to gain new customers and promote awareness of the brand, analyse the sales reports to see the existing results and opportunities and assist with activities of the sales staff.
The professionals in this area have experience using essential computer software, be able to write business reports, analyse and interpret general sales data and business periodicals and have good communication skills.
Strategic
Managing Director Operations
Managing directors develop, implement and monitor operations departmental objectives. Specifically, operations with trains, budgets, inventory control, recruiting staff and supervising employees.
They have a sufficient experience with operations management as well as demonstrate excellent leadership skills.
Tactical
Timetable Planner
Timetable planners are responsible for the preparation of passenger and freight train timetables, as well as the documentation related to changes planned for passenger and freight trains in a control period.
The professionals working as train timetable planners help in the preparation of operational plans to assist people with the organisation of their shifts. They may also sometimes be responsible for the preparation of duty sheets and work schedules for train drivers.
In order to be employed as a timetable planner a person must be able to build workable timetables, deal with the complexity, work under pressure and have strong organisational skills as well as computer, planning, analytical and conflict resolution skills.
Operational
Train Crew
The professionals in this area are generally responsible for providing safe, on-time and on-plan movement of trains.The responsibilities of the train crew span over a wide number of areas. Members of train crew may be responsible for switching or reassigning cars, picking up and delivering ready trains to customer picked locations, working as on-ground traffic control or working on board of the train (e.g. ticket inspectors, train drivers).
Train crew members work in varying environmental conditions and travel to different locations in the rail network to provide service.
Strategic
Managing Director Administration
The professionals working in this area are responsible for all administration aspects of association headquarters, staffing, telecommunications, database management, purchasing, logistics, etc.
Administration directors also need to take part in the budget building and management of the administration division and are involved in the development of the business plans and operational plans. They also act as a liaison to the Board of Directors of the organisation and attend all Board meetings.
The professionals in this area have a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance or a related field and have previous experience working in administration. They should also be well-organised and have good interpersonal skills.
Tactical
Administration Manager
The professionals in this area are responsible for running the administration team in the organisation and it is one of the key management roles.
Administration managers produce reports, ensure the administration team processes daily administration enquiries and requests and ensuring that both personal and team deadlines are being met. They may also be responsible for managing team shifts, recruitment of new employees and promotions.
The professionals in this field possess strong leadership skills, have a sufficient academic degree and previous experience working in a similar position. They should have previous experience working for the railway industry.
Operational
Administration Assistant
Administration assistants are usually employed in support-service specific roles, such as finance, human resources, sales, communications and marketing as well as in depots and other operational areas.
The professionals working in this area provide administration support to other departments. The duties of an administration assistant may include sorting and delivering mail, filing, writing management response letters, reports and documentation, answering telephone enquiries from customers, attending to visitors, operating department’s office equipment such as photocopiers, banking, organising travel, or even payroll and shift functions.
In order to work as an administration assistant a person should have an experience with coordination of administrative work in an office and an ability to learn role-specific tools.
Strategic
Dean
The professionals in this area ensure quality and integrity across all academic functions of the university or college.
Deans usually coordinate the assessment and development of academic programmes within the educational establishment, oversee all academic personnel matters, including recruitment and promotion of employees, serve as a liaison with relevant professional associations and educational state agencies. They work on schedules and organise meetings as well as maintain, across departments, effective communications with students and staff.
The professionals in this area have an MSc or a PhD degree and previous experience of working in education. They also need to have excellent written and oral communication skills and good leadership qualities.
Tactical
Group Manager
The professionals in this area are responsible for directing, supervising and leading personnel in assigned areas of service, production or manufacturing.
Group managers may also be required to manage the workload, workflow and manpower allocation of assigned group, to develop budgets and schedules for assigned projects. They may also need to determine needs and required actions to ensure the maintenance of standards of efficiency, quality and safety and may need to ensure proper direction and supervision of activities in assigned areas of action.
The professionals in this area have management experience in the rail industry, thorough knowledge of the railway market and good leadership qualities.
Operational
Research Assistant
The professionals in this area are usually responsible for helping develop new railway technologies, create and maintain links outside of the organisation, review the available literature concerning the railway industry and are often tasked with organisation and conduction of research which might include data collection or hands-on experiments.
Research assistants support the the organisation in delivery of training and establishing contacts with other organisations in the rail industry.
The professionals in this area have an undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline and preferably be working towards a PhD. They also have good technical skills and are familiar with technical programming and data analysis.
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