Locomotive Materials Specialist

It’s not just about your career or job title… It’s about who you are and the impact you will make on the world. Because whether it’s for each other or our customers, we put People First. When our people come together, we Expand the Possible and continuously look for ways to improve what we create and how we do it. If you are constantly striving to grow, you’re in good company. We are revolutionizing the way the world moves for future generations, and we want someone who is ready to move with us.

Locomotive Materials Specialist

Don’t have experience with locomotives? That’s ok! We provide in-depth training to give our materials specialist the knowledge and expertise needed to be successful.

Who will you be working with?

As a member of the Field Services Americas team, you will be responsible for helping our customers maintain their fleet of GE/Wabtec locomotives by providing exceptional materials management and logistics support. You will be part of a team made up of Wabtec technical and materials experts, all working to ensure our customer’s fleet is running at optimal levels.

How will you make a difference?

This position works onsite at our customer’s (Amtrak) facility where you'll play a critical function in ensuring maintenance materials are always available for locomotive repairs and maintenance. Our Materials Specialists are trained subject matter experts in our parts and logistics processes. They receive world-class training and become certified in materials management for state-of-the-art locomotive engines.

What do we want to know about you?

• High school diploma / GED
• Ability to perform basic mathematical calculations
• Successful previous experience working in a logistics or shipping/receiving work environment
• Previous experience safely operating forklifts and other shop equipment
• Experience with inventory software and Microsoft applications
• Ability to complete Wabtec Materials Certification Training within prescribed time (normally 12 months from hire date)
• Experience, willingness, and ability to work in shop environment and to work various shifts on various days as required, including having a flexible work schedule to perform auditing and training on various shifts.

What will your typical day look like?

The location of this position is: 1600 S. Lumber St., Chicago, IL, 60614. Physical presence is required each day as this is not a remote work position. The currently planned schedule that this position will cover, which is subject to change based on customer requirements, is:

• Sunday: Off
• Monday: Off
• Tuesday: Off
• Wednesday (every other week only): 6:00pm – 6:00am Thursday morning
• Thursday: 6:00pm to 6:00am Friday morning
• Friday: 6:00pm to 6:00 AM Saturday morning
• Saturday: 6:00pm to 6:00 AM Sunday morning

Once fully trained, employees can – and sometimes will be required to – provide vacation/vacancy coverage for other shifts, increasing the opportunity for overtime earnings.

Our materials specialists work inside locomotive diesel repair shops located on our customer’s property, and work side by side with our customer, including their management teams.

This is a unique aspect to this role in that you are essentially always in front of the customer, which requires a heightened since of awareness and customer centric focus, but also enables you to see the immediate impact of your contributions on a daily basis.

This role supports 24/7 schedule coverage. Shifts are normally 12 hours in length. Routine tasks include things such as pulling material from the warehouse for shop use, conducting weekly stockouts, and performing daily cycle counts to address inventory inconsistencies. Assisting with the forecasting of material needs for inbound and in-shop locomotives, ensuring quality control processes for inbound and outbound shipments, and arranging LTL and Expedite shipments. Utilize various software programs to facilitate material ordering, receiving, shipping, and tracking, as well as interpreting mechanical drawings to identify necessary materials. Forklift operation and conducting daily shift inspections.

Run reports on various inventory metrics, process sales of material, and retrieve repair cycle assets from the shop floor. Perform general housekeeping, maintenance, and organization of the warehouse, as well as processing warranty claims and conducting daily counts of large commodity assets. Address requests from Circle of Service shops for locomotive material and assembling customer orders from stock. Coordinate physical inventory counting and fulfilling all other assigned job duties with precision.

What about the physical demands of the job?

• Standing and walking throughout the day
• Walking on hard and sometimes uneven surfaces throughout the day
• Walking up and down stairs
• Climbing on/off of locomotives
• Wearing all required personal protective gear (hardhat, steel toe boots, ear plugs, eye protection) throughout the day
• Abiding by all safety rules and requirements
• Speaking and hearing
• Typing and operating a computer
• Working overnight shifts and multiple days in a row, as required
• You may also be asked to perform other duties outside of your function or trade, for which adequate training will be provided if necessary.