Lead Construction Specialist - 90387081 - Rensselaer

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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.

SUMMARY OF DUTIES:
The Lead Construction Specialist plays a crucial role in managing construction projects from conception to completion. This role to report specifically under the portfolio of the Capital Delivery - Major Bridges Department. The Department’s projects include those executed by various delivery methods, such as Design-Bid-Build, Design Build, Progressive Design Build, Construction Manager at Risk, et al. This position is for a Design Build Project with one of Amtrak’s Partners and has direct reports, contracted general engineering services and matrixed subordinate team members.  

The Lead Construction Specialist will work closely with program and project managers, production managers, division leadership, engineers, architects, contractors, subcontractors and third parties to ensure projects are executed in accordance with contractual obligations. Position will represent Amtrak on site and manages Amtrak’s protocols during the construction phase of projects, and ensure that Amtrak processes and procedures are followed. The candidate will be responsible providing comprehensive administrative support and will work directly under the Project’s Construction Manager. This role will oversee daily operational functions and logistics including but not limited to the coordination of field staff, inspections, safety and target tasks defined in the project’s scope. Selected individual will support and represent project team leaders in the facilitation of the project’s goals and objectives. Individual will directly communicate daily functions and change requirements as they relate to the deployment of Amtrak directives.    

The successful candidate will function as a key team member during the execution of a challenging, signature bridge project through design and construction. This candidate shall deliver safe, on-time, cost-effective and high-quality projects to Amtrak. 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Support capital construction efforts by providing technical support to contractor, force account and supervision as well as helping to satisfy scope, schedule, cost, quality, and safety requirements on the project. Initiate action when necessary to ensure the project is being built as specified in the scope of work. 
• Work with contractor, force account and supervision to ensure the project is executed in accordance to agreed upon scope, costs, and schedule. 
• Communicate effectively with audiences that include but are not limited to management, coworkers, clients, vendors, contractors, and visitors. apply knowledge of applicable local, state/province, and federal/national statutes and guidelines to various area of responsibility. 
• Work with the Program/Project Manager, review potential change requests from the field and, if appropriate, prepares a potential change notice with appropriate justification for submission to PM. 
• Assist and/or lead on coordinating and assuring adherence to Site Specific Safety Work Plans with Contractors and Amtrak Personnel. Coordinate work plan review meetings, functions and documentation. 
• Schedule and administer field inspection requirements. 
• Coordinate applicable track and outages. Prepare outage plans with the relevant teams. 
• Interact with Amtrak personnel leadership for resource planning. Coordinate railroad protection notifications and responsibilities to stakeholders. 
• Schedule and coordinate necessary meetings and presentations. 
• Conduct project site visits to assess project feasibility, determine scope requirements and potential challenges.  
• Coordinate the work of contractors to include engineers, technicians, and other personnel who help on specific project activities and assignments. 
• Monitor and report on various production metrics/units to provide the required data to best meet the goals of the project. 
• Maintain knowledgeable of requirements for applicable codes and standards on a project. 
• Coordinate the completion of construction activities. 
• Provide weekly updates (construction reports) to the project manager on the status of project, including any issues that occurred.  Additionally, provide formal monthly project status reports addressing actual and forecast costs and schedules, production units, change of status, etc. to the Program Manager of the project. 
• Coordinate the preparation and revision of technical work procedures consistent with project design and construction requirements. 
• Analyze and make recommendations regarding solutions to problems with varying complexity in accordance with CAPD, Amtrak and/or project objectives and guidelines. 
• Organize and prioritize a variety of projects and multiple tasks in an effective and timely manner, set priorities, and meet deadlines. 
• Attend progress meetings and report on project status. 
• Other duties as assigned. 

This role involves coordinating project activities, managing schedules, and ensuring that project deliverables are completed on time and within project guidelines. The ideal candidate  will have strong organizational and communication skills, with the ability to multitask  
effectively in a fast-paced environment. Candidate must be competent with overseeing day to  day functions of contracted construction partners and work crews as well as have a thorough working knowledge of Amtrak expectations and compliance requirements.     This role is crucial for ensuring overall project efficiency. Top priorities including the support to the project management teams, third parties and contractors to achieve common goals.  

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Accredited four (4) year degree or global equivalent in Construction Management and/or Associates Degree in Engineering field of study preferred but not required. If non degreed, the equivalent combination of education, training and/or experience, and/or recognized certification will be required. 
• Degree and 5-10 yrs of experience or 8-10 yrs of experience if non-degreed 

MIMINUM KSA (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities):

• Ability to learn and apply knowledge of applicable local, state/province, and federal/national statutes and guidelines. 
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities under tight constraints. 
• Must have the ability to coordinate efforts with other technical disciplines and have knowledge of scheduling, budgeting, and estimating. 
• Possess strategic and tactical skills required for planning and executing complex project work. 
• Strong organizational skills and track record of administrative performance. 
• Strong leadership required, encompassing effective communication, motivation, and team building/team performance skills. 
• Strong Safety Focus. 
• Demonstrated experience in using PC-based word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software (e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint) sufficient to prepare effective business analyses and presentations. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. 
• Ability to work effectively with internal and external stakeholders.
• Meet expectations on attendance and punctuality 
• Ability to work collaboratively with diverse, and extensive teams.  
• Detail oriented with strong problem solving skill.s 
• Valid driver’s license 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Certified Construction Management (CCM) or Project Management Professional (PMP) certification 
• Demonstrated administrative and/or construction experience in a railroad environment.  

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• Various levels of environmental conditions including but not limited to project worksites and vendor/client facilities which may have temporary office space, moving mechanical parts and vibration; high, precarious places; fumes or airborne particles and extreme temperatures and high noise levels 
• Primarily a field-based position. 
• Ability to work weekends and nights to support the needs of the project. 
• Significant travel may be required 

COMMUNICATIONS AND INTERPERSONAL SKILLS:

Must have excellent oral and written communication skills.

The salary/hourly range is $94,300-$122,256. 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:163723
Posting Location(s):New York

Work Arrangement:06-Onsite Click here for more information about work arrangements at Amtrak. 
Job Family/Function:Research & Strategy 
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 state or local statute, 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.