Rail Lead Controller

Department: Charlotte Area Transit System Department
Salary: $37.92 - $59.25 Commensurate with Experience

Thank you for your interest in joining the team that keeps Charlotte moving, at a very exciting time for our organization. At the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), we’re committed to delivering safe, reliable, and innovative transit services for our growing community, and we value employees who bring professionalism, passion, and a commitment to public service.

This position is currently employed by CATS, a department of the City of Charlotte. With the passage of the PAVE Act and last year’s sales tax referendum, CATS is preparing to transition from a City department to the newly created Metropolitan Public Transit Authority (MPTA). The MPTA was established to strengthen regional transit governance, improve accountability, and support long‑term investment in mobility. It’s an important and exciting step forward for transit in our region.

Employees hired into this role will remain City employees through December 31, 2026, and will transition to MPTA employment on January 1, 2027. Benefits and compensation will follow City provisions through 2026 and shift to MPTA provisions in 2027, with clear information shared in advance. Your core duties, reporting structure, and daily responsibilities will remain consistent, with no break in service. If anything delays the transition, your City employment, including compensation and benefits, will remain in place until the move to the MPTA occurs.

The creation of the MPTA positions us for a more modern, sustainable, and efficient transit system, one that can better support the Charlotte region for decades to come. We’re excited about what’s ahead and appreciate your interest in being part of it.

SUMMARY
The Lead Rail Controller serves as the senior shift-level control center lead within the Rail Control Center and supports the safe, reliable, and disciplined execution of real-time rail operations. Reporting to the Manager of Rail Control Center, this role provides day-to-day on-floor leadership for Controllers and Control Room Assistants, helps coordinate shift activities and operating priorities, and supports consistent adherence to operating rules, communication protocols, and control center procedures.

This position plays a key role in monitoring rail service conditions, supporting timely operational decision-making, coordinating response to incidents and service disruptions, and helping maintain effective service regulation across the system. The Lead Rail Controller provides guidance and second-level support during routine and abnormal operations, helps reinforce quality and consistency in controller performance, and serves as a working lead within a fast-paced, safety-sensitive environment.

The role also supports training, shift turnover, documentation quality, and immediate after-action review of operating events. When assigned, the Lead Rail Controller may act as the Manager’s designee for shift-level coordination and issue escalation, helping ensure continuity of leadership and operational discipline within the Rail Control Center.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

Shift Leadership and Control Center Coordination

- Serve as the shift lead within the Rail Control Center, providing day-to-day coordination and on-floor leadership for Controllers and Control Room Assistants.
- Help assign and balance work across desks, territories, or responsibilities during the shift based on operating conditions and service needs.
- Oversee shift turnover activities, status board accuracy, and completion of required checklists, logs, and control center routines.
- Help maintain consistent operational focus, communication discipline, and adherence to established control center expectations throughout the shift.
- Serve as the Manager’s designee for shift-level coordination and escalation when assigned.

Real-Time Rail Operations Support

- Support real-time monitoring and regulation of rail service to help maintain safe, reliable, and efficient operations.
- Assist with coordination of train movement priorities, service adjustments, work windows, slow orders, special operating conditions, and other real-time operating needs.
- Monitor developing service issues, delays, and abnormal conditions and help determine appropriate response or escalation.
- Provide second-level guidance to Controllers during changing service conditions, disruptions, and operational decision points.
- Help ensure operational decisions are aligned with established rules, procedures, safety requirements, and service priorities.

Incident Response and Service Recovery

- Support or lead initial triage of service disruptions, incidents, and abnormal operating events until relieved or escalated.
- Coordinate with Controllers, field operations, dispatch, maintenance, and other operational partners to support service recovery and restoration efforts.
- Help ensure significant incidents, safety concerns, and service impacts are communicated promptly and accurately to the appropriate parties.
- Conduct or support immediate debriefs following incidents or disruptions to identify issues, lessons learned, and follow-up needs.
- Assist in maintaining operational readiness for special events, severe weather, emergencies, and other high-impact service conditions.

Rules Compliance and Quality Oversight

- Reinforce compliance with operating rules, communication protocols, standard operating procedures, and control center practices.
- Observe and review controller performance during the shift to help ensure safe, consistent, and disciplined execution of duties.
- Identify performance gaps, process inconsistencies, documentation issues, or communication problems and bring them to management attention as appropriate.
- Support consistent use of required forms, logs, reports, and system documentation.
- Help maintain a strong culture of accountability, professionalism, and operational discipline within the control center.

Staff Support and Training Reinforcement

- Provide day-to-day coaching, guidance, and practical support to Controllers and Control Room Assistants.
- Assist with on-the-job reinforcement of procedures, communications practices, system use, and operating expectations.
- Support training, qualification, requalification, proficiency checks, and onboarding activities as assigned.
- Share observations and feedback with management regarding employee readiness, strengths, and development needs.
- Help model calm, effective decision-making and professional conduct in a high-pressure operating environment.

Coordination, Reporting, and Continuous Improvement

- Coordinate closely with the Manager of Rail Control Center and other operational leaders regarding shift issues, service conditions, and staff performance.
- Help ensure shift events, disruptions, decisions, and follow-up items are documented clearly and accurately.
- Prepare or support required reports, summaries, and turnover information related to operational conditions and incidents.
- Participate in discussions regarding workflow improvements, procedural consistency, and control center effectiveness.
- Perform other related duties as assigned .

Core Competencies

Real-Time Rail Operations Coordination – Ability to support and guide real-time rail operations from the control center; maintain awareness of system conditions; and help ensure safe, timely, and coordinated operational response.

- Monitors multiple operating conditions and priorities at once.
- Helps maintain service control and coordination during routine and abnormal operations.
- Supports sound operational decision-making under time-sensitive conditions.

Shift Leadership and Operational Support – Ability to provide effective on-floor leadership during a shift; coordinate staff activities; and reinforce consistency, focus, and accountability in the control center.

- Helps organize shift activities and maintain coverage across responsibilities.
- Provides practical leadership and support to staff during daily operations.
- Reinforces professional standards and dependable shift execution.

Incident Response and Judgment – Ability to respond effectively to disruptions, assess changing situations, and support safe and timely service recovery.

- Remains calm and effective during service interruptions and abnormal events.
- Recognizes when issues can be handled at the shift level and when escalation is needed.
- Helps coordinate appropriate response actions across affected parties.

Rules Compliance and Communication Discipline – Ability to reinforce adherence to operating rules, communication protocols, and procedural requirements within a safety-sensitive control center environment.

- Promotes consistent use of required procedures and control practices.
- Recognizes and addresses gaps in communication, documentation, or execution.
- Supports safe, accurate, and professional communication during all operating conditions.

Coaching and Workforce Support – Ability to support the development and day-to-day effectiveness of Controllers and other assigned staff through coaching, guidance, and example.

- Provides constructive support to peers and less experienced staff.
- Reinforces expectations through day-to-day observation and feedback.
- Helps strengthen staff readiness and consistency across shifts.

Attention to Detail and Follow-Through – Ability to maintain accuracy in monitoring, documentation, turnover, and operating support activities in a fast-paced environment.

- Notices important operational details and changing conditions.
- Helps ensure logs, checklists, and status information are complete and reliable.
- Follows through on issues, handoffs, and required communication.

Supervision Given to:

- Rail Controllers and Control Room Assistants in absence of Rail Control Center Manager

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Knowledge of:

- Advanced rail operating rules, control center procedures, communication protocols, and on-track safety requirements.
- Real-time operations control principles, service regulation strategies, and system-wide operational coordination.
- Control center systems, tools, and workflows, including their application during both routine and disrupted operations.
- Incident response, service recovery strategies, and escalation protocols in a rail operations environment.
- Principles of workforce support, on-the-job coaching, and performance reinforcement in a control center setting.

Skill in:

- Coordinating and supporting real-time rail operations across multiple controllers, territories, or service areas.
- Providing practical, shift-level leadership and guidance to Controllers and Control Room Assistants.
- Monitoring system conditions, identifying emerging issues, and supporting timely and appropriate response actions.
- Reinforcing adherence to rules, procedures, and communication discipline across the control center.
- Coaching staff, providing feedback, and supporting consistent performance during both routine and high-pressure situations.
- Managing shift-level priorities, balancing workload, and ensuring continuity of operations across handoffs.

Ability to:

- Maintain broad situational awareness of system operations while supporting detailed decision-making by Controllers.
- Act as a reliable shift-level resource and escalation point during disruptions and abnormal operating conditions.
- Exercise sound judgment in determining when to intervene, support, or escalate operational issues.
- Support incident response and service recovery while maintaining focus on safety, communication, and coordination.
- Model professionalism, composure, and disciplined execution in a high-pressure environment.
- Support training, onboarding, and continuous improvement of control center staff and processes.

Minimum Qualifications

- High school diploma or GED.
- Three (3) years of experience in rail control, rail dispatch, rail transportation operations, or another closely related real-time operating environment.
- Demonstrated experience applying operating rules, standard operating procedures, and communication protocols in a safety-sensitive setting.
- Experience serving in an informal lead, trainer, mentor, or other shift-support capacity, or demonstrated readiness to perform those functions.
- Ability to work rotating shifts, nights, weekends, holidays, and emergency call-ins as operational needs require.

Preferred Qualifications

- Associate degree or additional technical, operational, or supervisory training related to rail operations or transit operations.
- Experience in a rail transit control center or railroad operations control environment.
- Experience supporting incident response, service recovery, or on-the-job training in a 24/7 operating environment.

Working Environment and Physical Demands

- Works primarily in a Rail Control Center or similar operations control environment with frequent use of radios, phones, computers, system displays, and monitoring tools.
- Works in a fast-paced, high-attention, safety-sensitive environment requiring continuous situational awareness, timely communication, and sound judgment.
- May be required to work rotating shifts, nights, weekends, holidays, overtime, or emergency call-ins in support of 24/7 rail operations.
- Involves extended periods of sitting, standing, viewing monitors, speaking on communications equipment, and completing logs or reports.
- May occasionally visit rail facilities, stations, yards, or other operational locations and may be exposed to varying noise levels, weather conditions, and transit operating environments during those visits.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

The City’s Background Check Policy requires background checks to be conducted on final internal or external candidate(s) applying for any position with the City of Charlotte. The type of information that will be collected as part of a background check includes, but is not limited to: reference checks, social security verification, education verification, criminal conviction record check, and, if applicable, a credit history check, sex offender registry and motor vehicle records check.

Background checks must be in compliance with all federal and state statutes, such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The checks must be consistent with the guidelines set forth by these laws requiring organizations to obtain a candidate’s written authorization before obtaining a criminal background report, motor vehicle records check or credit report; and to properly store and dispose of information derived from such reports.

Final candidates must pass a pre-employment drug-screening test and physical examination. During the selection process, candidates may be asked to take a skills test, and/or participate in other assessments.

The City of Charlotte is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, national origin, marital status, age, disability, sexual orientation, political affiliation or on the basis of actual or perceived gender as expressed through dress, appearance, or behavior.

Our culture is to serve the community honorably.

HOW TO APPLY

Apply online.

Federal law requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please tell us if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job.

You are welcome to visit the City of Charlotte Human Resources Department lobby, where self-service application kiosks are available. They are located in our office at 700 East 4th Street, Suite 200, Charlotte, NC 28202. We are open Monday through Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (EST), excluding official City holidays.

For questions about your application or the hiring process, please email [email protected]

The City of Charlotte is committed to making our services and programs accessible to all. Upon request, auxiliary aids, written materials in alternate formats, language access, and other reasonable accommodations or modifications will be provided. To make a request, please fill out the Innovation & Technology ADA request form or call 704.336.4120.

BENEFITS

The City of Charlotte provides a comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees.

Click  here  to learn more about the City of Charlotte’s benefits.

The City of Charlotte is a drug and alcohol-free workplace.