Shift Manager - Basford Hall LDC

A great opportunity has arisen for 2 Shift Managers to join our team at Basford Hall in Crewe. Reporting to the Operations Support Manager you will contribute to the delivery of the day-to-day UK rail operations.

These roles will be part of a team of 7 Shift Managers who lead and manage the Basford Hall LDC activities in line with Freightliner’s specific standards in safety, performance, and customer service expectations.

If successful you will be a highly visible, point of contact for Freightliners Operations, Control and Planning teams to assist with the daily running of the LDC, and to work with and support other customers and Network Rail in achieving their objectives.

There is a requirement to work shifts with this role.

Main duties and responsibilities

Safety

You have specific responsibilities on a day to day basis for the occupational health and safety of employees in your area, and which includes all locations where your drivers or groundstaff visit.

• Ensure a positive safety culture is developed within your area of responsibility, which is supported by robust safety processes in accordance with company, industry standards and legislation;
• Ensure that any operating or occupational accidents and incidents involving employees in your reporting line are properly recorded and investigated to a productive conclusion;
• Ensure that safety arrangements are adhered to and protect the health and safety of employees, other rail users, and the public;
• Compliance with your duty to take care of your own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by yours/ their own actions at work.

Specific role-related tasks and activities

• Responsible for booking all staff on and off duty and assessing their fitness for Duty and recording activities as required by Freightliner organisation.
• Produce Daily Logs of activity that occurs every 24hrs at Basford Hall & Satellite Sites.
• Be the point of escalation for any concerns from shunters or Team Leaders and pass on important information and messages to your line management team.
• Responsible for the supervision of staff including traincrew located at Basford Hall & all Satellite Sites associated with Crewe LDC.
  • Take action as necessary to remove accident hazards, informing the LDC Manager of any items requiring further attention.
  • Responsible for the efficient traffic working in the Basford Hall complex and satellite sites in dealing with through, terminating and starting services to ensure minimum delay occurs, liaising with the relevant controls signalmen and T&RS staff as necessary.
  • Deal with trains requiring to detach as necessary. Take an interest in the whole of the yard, including all satellite sites.
  • To co-ordinate timely delivery and collection of wagons to and from the Basford Hall complex and satellite sites to ensure an efficient operation.
  • Informing the LDC manager, relevant controls of any unsatisfactory features, which have an adverse effect on train performance.
  • Advise LDC manager and relevant controls of any abnormal circumstances affecting traffic working which will affect yard performance.
  • In the event of accidents or incidents, control and assess response required, including establishing what on call personnel are needed whilst directing staff within your control to assess and work round resulting problems safely.
  • Ensure locomotives for the fuel point are despatched & collected promptly.
  • Ensure Team leaders & Team Operatives are Following laid down freightliner procedures
  • Utilise and use TOPS 2000 in Map/View mode.
  • Qualified Mentor and Assessor duties – For staff who are selected to act as mentors and/or assessors, they will be eligible to receive an allowance as defined in the Shift Manager terms and conditions
  • To be qualified shunters and commit to maintaining shunter competence.
  • To carry out Team Leader Duties if no alternative cover is available.
  • Undertake and manage any Drugs & Alcohol screening that is required for the staff at Basford Hall LDC.
  • Where required, carry out investigations into operating incidents, including SPADs, accidents, local incidents, staff competence, staff attendance issues recommending and taking actions as necessary and as authorised (e.g. including removal from duties where competence concerns are identified). This role will be responsible for producing RG-Gen’s and supporting formal investigators as and where appropriate and required.
  • Issue staff equipment including PPE as required;
  • Conduct sickness/welfare call within 24 hours of reporting; (out of business hours)
  • Complete Return to Work Interviews post staff absence;
  • Conduct out of hours monitoring where necessary, to include weekend work;
  • To undertake additional/alternative work as requested by management, so far as staff are trained to do so
  • To use and utilise any new technology which becomes applicable to this role, including changes to the operating requirements of Network Rail. There is a specific need for shift managers to potentially operate technology such as signalling systems, ERTMS, and any other technological changes that the business requires.
  • Responsible for management of site security including operation of access gates where required.
  • If an environmental incident occurs, the Shift Managers will be required to contact the Environment Agency and advise them. This is for incidents such as fuel spills, although any environmental incident is included in this requirement.
  • Ensure all safety critical staff comply with their requirement of the company drug and alcohol policies (RG Gen 023);
  • Prepared to get involved in any other activities/ projects within your competence/ remit from time to time that add productive value to Rail Operations UK activities.
  • Manage the CSSOW or LWI for Basford Hall with customers to ensure it is fit for purpose.
  • Ensure T3 possessions are set up and managed correctly with Network Rail and any other contractors.
  • Be the interface with Freightliner Maintenance Limited for the VMF at Crewe, and work together to best deliver the operational & engineering plan.
  • Management of contractors activities on site, and ensuring that they have the correct permits to work and the area of work secured and free of traffic.
  • Management of site access for the Freightliner Track Maintenance Team in respect of access requests and safe system of work checks.
  • Liaison as appropriate with Network Rail Signallers or Controllers.
  • Liaison as appropriate with Freightliner or other FOC’s control, and act as the point of contact for all enquiries pertaining to Basford Hall & Satellite Sites.
  • A robust handover between shifts is expected for every shift changeover.

Key Job requirements

• Thorough understanding of the principles of safe and efficient railway operation including but not limited to the application of operating instruction, policies, procedures, rule book, railways standards;
• Experience of managing people within an operational environment;
• Understanding the application of safety management systems and compliance;
• Track record of delivering customer service in a transportation industry.

Qualifications and Training

• Ability to work under pressure while maintaining high standards of safety and compliance;
• Competent to undertake risk assessments;
• Competent to undertake investigations using Root Cause Analysis.
• Good IT knowledge e.g. Microsoft packages, and ability to use and interpret data sourced from job-related software (e.g. TOPS/ ERIC/ Qtron);
• Ability to write concise, factual-based reports to laid down standards, and with the ability to make clear recommendations based on factual evidence;
• Diligent and self-motivated with strong interpersonal skills and effective people management skills;
• TOPS, TRUST, DMS knowledge, IRMA platform or equivalent desirable;
• Dangerous Goods Qualified.
• Personal Track Safety to Network Rail standard;
• Effective incident management training;

Behavioural competencies

• Commitment to work safely, and that it is the first consideration in everything that we do;
• Flexibility in respect of hours worked, location, application and output, dependant on the operational requirements of the business – you may be required to work out of hours, at weekends, or away from home on occasion;
• Set the tone for the LDC and lead as an example. Challenge inappropriate behaviours from both Freightliner & 3rd Party staff.
• Maintenance of trust, tact and confidentiality – any breach of confidentiality, pursuit of personal agendas, or expression of opinions not directly related to the requirements of this role will not be tolerated;
• Awareness of the nature of our customers business requirements and an outward looking focus towards helping them achieve their objectives;
• Ability to work to standardised instructions and processes and ensuring that others do the same;
• Motivated to follow rules and procedures;
• Influencing, persuading and motivating others;
• Demonstrates interpersonal skill, empathy and understanding;
• Demonstrates emotional control and management;
• Demonstrates independence and fairness.

Statutory Duties

• Health & Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974
• Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999
• The Workplace (Health, Safety & Welfare) Regulations 1992
• Data Protection Act 2002
• ROGS, 2011