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