Lead Business Analyst - 90359526 - Philadelphia

Your success is a train ride away!

As we move America’s workforce toward the future, Amtrak connects businesses and communities across the country. We employ more than 20,000 diverse, energetic professionals in a variety of career fields throughout the United States. The safety of our passengers, our employees, the public and our operating environment is our priority, and the success of our railroad is due to our employees.

Are you ready to join our team?

Our values of ‘Do the Right Thing, Excel Together and Put Customers First’ are at the heart of what matters most to us, and our Core Capabilities, ‘Building Trust, Accountability, Effective Communication, Customer Focus, and Proactive Safety & Security’ are what every employee needs to know and do to be most impactful at Amtrak. By living the Amtrak values, focusing on our capabilities, and actively embracing and fostering diverse ideas, backgrounds, and perspectives, together we will honor our past and make Amtrak a company of the future.

THIS POSITION CAN BE LOCATED IN ANY OF THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS: Philadelphia, PA | Wilmington, DE | Washington, DC | Chicago, IL | Los Angeles, CA | Oakland, CA

SUMMARY OF DUTIES:
The Lead Business Analyst manages the crew lodging and crew transportation services contract for Operations to provide consistency, gain efficiencies, and ensure a high level of customer service.  This position is the primary liaison between Amtrak and the third-party vendor contracted to provide crew lodging and crew transportation services for train and engine, on-board service employees, and management, as well as coordination with engineering, police and specific training departments for their respective employees. The Lead Business Analyst manages new or change requests for lodging or transportation, bi-weekly invoicing and reconciliation, purchase order allocations and funding requests, provides lodging and transportation budget allocations to the divisions, negotiates hotel and transportation rates with contracted lodging and transportation vendor, and manages all correspondence; e.g., complaints, service issues, etc., to a conclusion.  This position is business lead with all the other departments and is the lead on requests for proposals (RFPs) for the contract.  

The Lead Business Analyst manages room usage based on crew management staffing levels to maintain costs and reduce expenses for unused rooms.  The position authorizes non-agreement employee access to the contractor’s system for booking non-agreement lodging for Operations’ managers, and reviews non-agreement stays in compliance with Amtrak policies and procedures associated with business travel.  

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Recognizes that safety is every employee’s responsibility and is well versed in the safety expectations for area of responsibility.  Leads by example by demonstrating safe behaviors and identifies and addresses unsafe conditions.
• Manages the third-party lodging and transportation contract, currently with Travelliance, for all Operations Department employees using this service.
• Works with Sourcing Manager at contracted vendor to bid all hotels and crew transportation companies as needed, reviewing rates for efficiencies and coordinating with field management and labor for final approval on hotel changes.
• Liaises with the field staff for recommended hotel changes and/or room adjustments.
• Processes payment for crew transportation invoices on bi-weekly basis, and coordinates with Engineering team to ensure hotel invoices are processed bi-weekly, handling all financial transactions; e.g., journal entries.
• Manages purchase orders for funding allocations.
• Performs analysis on hotel room usage monitoring unused rooms, potential abuse of policy, and other areas as necessary.
• Monitors crew schedule changes and leads effort between Crew Management (CMS), vendor and field management to ensure schedule load data is captured correctly and adjusts lodging and transportation needs.
• Monitors day-to-day operation and addresses all issues from employees, managers, or vendor and handles to conclusion.
• Provides crew lodging and transportation budget information for Operations to Finance budget managers for annual budget and monthly forecasting.
• Coordinates hotel needs for Amtrak Training, Police Department, Marketing’s National Park Service guides, and Operations management through contracted vendor. 
• Approves and monitors user access to contracted vendor’s system.
• Manages projects and programs as needed, including WBS issuance and management for service disruptions and OIG inquiries.
• Supports the RFP process for crew lodging and transportation coordinating with Purchasing, Finance and Operations field personnel for contract bid and renewals. 
• Oversees the contracted vendor representative working on Amtrak property to properly allocate room usage on daily basis to reduce unnecessary expense.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration or related field or equivalent work experience.
• 6 years relevant work experience.
• Demonstrated experience in policy and administrative management and analytic / budgeting roles performing multiple business and administrative activities.
• Experience implementing departmental and administrative policies, procedures, and programs.
• Experience working with third-party contracts. 
• Experience in effectively working with multiple team members at various levels in an organization.
• Significant experience using PC-based word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation software (e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Demonstrated organizational and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively manage multiple projects/processes.
• Demonstrated ability to establish priorities to meet business needs and monthly deadlines.
• Teamwork and highly capable communications and consensus building.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Ability to effectively interact with senior level management, business partners, and internal/external customers.
• Ability to learn new tasks in a fast paced-environment with frequently changing priorities.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Extensive experience in analytical and administrative management roles in an operating department.
• 8+ years of relevant work experience
• Demonstrated experience working with contract management.
• Familiarity with LMS system and knowledge of crew couplet development. 
• Familiarity with Operations department functions.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• Works primarily in office atmosphere but will spend some time in field areas and traveling via train/plane.  
• Prolonged sitting and data analysis/PC related activities.
• A dynamic, fast-paced environment that requires the individual to simultaneously manage several tasks, while paying attention to detail and qualify.
• Additional working hours may be required.
• Travel 15% of time.

COMMUNICATIONS AND INTERPERSONAL SKILLS:

Must have excellent oral and written communication skills.

The salary/hourly range is $95,160 - $123,330. Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to education, work experience, certifications, etc. Depending on an employee’s assigned worksite or location, Amtrak may consider a geo-pay differential to be applied to the employee’s base salary. Amtrak may offer additional incentive and pay programs to recognize and reward our employees, including a short-term incentive bonus based upon factors such as individual and company performance that is commensurate with the level of the position and/or long-term incentive plan compensation. In addition to your salary, Amtrak offers a comprehensive benefit package that includes health, dental, and vision plans; health savings accounts; wellness programs; flexible spending accounts; 401K retirement plan with employer match; life insurance; short and long term disability insurance; paid time off; back-up care; adoption assistance; surrogacy assistance; reimbursement of education expenses; Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility; Railroad Retirement sickness and retirement benefits; and rail pass privileges. Learn more about our benefits offerings here.

Requisition ID:158643
Posting Location(s):Pennsylvania; California; Delaware; District of Columbia; Illinois
Job Family/Function:Finance 
Relocation Offered:No 
Travel Requirements:Up to 25% 
 

You power our progress through your performance.
 

We want your work at Amtrak to be more than a job. We want your career at Amtrak to be a fulfilling experience where you find challenging work, rewarding opportunities, respect among colleagues, and attractive compensation. Amtrak maintains a culture that values high performance and recognizes individual employee contributions. 

Amtrak is committed to a safe workplace free of drugs and alcohol. All Amtrak positions requires a pre-employment background check that includes prior employment verification, a criminal history check and a pre-employment drug screen. 

Candidates who test positive for marijuana will be disqualified, regardless of any start or local statue, ordinance, regulation, or other law that legalizes or decriminalizes the use or possession of marijuana, whether for medical, recreational, or other use. Amtrak's pre-employment drug testing program is administered in accordance with DOT regulations and applicable law.  

In accordance with DOT regulations (49 CFR § 40.25), Amtrak is required to obtain prior drug and alcohol testing records for applicants/employees intending to perform safety-sensitive duties for covered Department of Transportation positions. If an applicant/employee refuses to provide written consent for Amtrak to obtain these records, the individual will not be permitted to perform safety-sensitive functions.

In accordance with federal law governing security checks of covered individuals for providers of public transportation (Title 6 U.S.C. §1143), Amtrak is required to screen applicants for any permanent or interim disqualifying criminal offenses. 

Note that any education requirement listed above may be deemed satisfied if you have an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.

Amtrak is an EOE/Affirmative Action Minority/Female employer, and we welcome all to apply. We consider candidates regardless of race/color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related conditions), national origin/ethnicity, age, disability (intellectual, mental and physical), veteran status, marital status, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, genetic information, citizenship or any other personal characteristics protected by law.