Rail Maintenance Of Way Maintainer Lead, Track Lead

Date Opened: Monday, October 06, 2025 12:00 AM

Close Date: Monday, October 27, 2025 12:00 AM

Department: Charlotte Area Transit System Department

Transit & Rail Maintenance

Salary: $31.96 - $39.95 Commensurate with Experience

Welcome to the City of Charlotte

Charlotte is America’s Queen City, opening her arms to a diverse and inclusive community of residents, businesses and visitors alike. Here you will find a safe, family-oriented city where people work together to help everyone thrive. The mission of the City of Charlotte is to deliver quality public services and promote the safety, health, and quality of life for all residents.

Our guiding principles include:

• Attracting and retaining a skilled and diverse workforce

• Valuing teamwork, openness, accountability, productivity, and employee development

• Providing all customers with courteous, responsive, accessible, and seamless quality services

• Taking initiative to identify, analyze, and solve problems

• Collaborating with stakeholders to make informed decisions

SUMMARY

The Rail Track Maintainer Lead is responsible for the direction of crews involved in the construction, maintenance, and repair of railroad track. Lead, coach and train less tenured staff. They are required to exercise considerable initiative, independent judgment, and discretion in performing all duties. They are also required to stay informed and up to date of City of Charlotte and CATS policies, rules, and regulations.

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

• Responsible for preventive maintenance of rails, embedded track, switches/ turnouts, and other track right of way components including, but not limited to special track work/parts, ballast, ties, direct fixation fasteners, rail joints, roadbed drainage, floating slabs, crossing pads, and de-railers.
• Responsible for removing obstructions such as tree limbs, shrubs, weeds, graffiti, or any other element that may affect rail operations of the appearance of the ROW.
• Will be required to operate non-revenue vehicles and high-rail maintenance vehicles and perform operator level inspections on this equipment.
• Will provide emergency response and will be called upon to provide support for other areas in regard to light rail service, special events, trolley, and public safety and service.
• Will assist in an ongoing track inspection program utilizing a computer-reporting system ensuring equipment meets standards, tolerances, and typical adverse conditions that may affect the movement of track.
• Maintain and track documentation from vendors, contracts and contractors.
• Develop and maintain daily operational reports.
• Develop, plan and lead daily activities of a crew related to duties involved in the performance of track maintenance, inspection, and repair of railroad track structure
• Enforce compliance with safety procedures
• Establish line of communication with customers to meet safety protocols & maintain client satisfaction
• Maintain accurate records of daily tasks, crew time, job costs, and production reports
• Directly support continuous implementation and compliance of the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) State Safety Oversight Program Standards (SSOPS) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) regulations 49 CFR Part 673 and 672 related to the Safety Management System (SMS) and the CATS Agency Safety Plan (ASP). Support Safety performance goals of CATS.
• Encourage employees to proactively support and report safety concerns following the CATS Safety Reporting options as described in your training and in the ASP.
• As part of your responsibility to support the CATS Safety Culture, report safety concerns and issues through the various methods established by CATS as outlined in the ASP.
• Advocate and promote a strong safety culture within CATS with regard to transportation services, capital programs, facility operations and maintenance, worksite procedures, employees, and customers following SMS and ASP. 
• Participate in internal and external ASP audits.
• Perform other duties as directed

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Requires knowledge of FRA and APTA regulations and standards
• Knowledge of and ability to use track maintenance tools such as rail drill, rail saw, tamping, jacks, and hand tools.
• Must be able to qualify as a track inspector by demonstrating knowledge of track inspection requirements within a reasonable time frame.
• Ability to formulate ideas and communicate them clearly, in an oral, written and concise manner to various levels of management, staff and customers.
• Proficient using Microsoft Office Word and Outlook.