Rail Customer Success Manager

Company Overview
Come join a winning Team! Since 1970 Plastic Express has met the bulk trucking, bulk terminal, packaging, and warehousing needs of the plastics industry. Our strategic locations, modern systems, and dedicated employees allow us to provide custom tailored logistical solutions to fulfill the most challenging needs of our customers. Plastic Express operates from 22 full-service facilities, more than 40 bulk terminals, and 52 railcar terminals offering more than 8,500 railcar spots across the country. We are located near 9 major ports in the U.S. and rely heavily on our rail infrastructure to handle imports /exports as well as regional distribution. At many of the Plastic Express sites, we also handle some non-plastic commodities, which include; paper rolls, steel, building materials and other dry bulk materials. Plastic Express owns and operates roughly 250 trucks, with approximately 250 trailers performing full bulk truck distribution business. Plastic Express is headquartered in Houston, TX and has over 600 employees nationwide. Our goal has always been to exceed our customer's expectations, and our can do-attitude is what differentiates us from the competition.

Plastic Express employees have always been our key to success and total customer satisfaction. We are always looking for dependable & talented business professionals that will help us to grow and to continue our “Can Do” tradition.

Essential Functions:
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Company Overview
Come join a winning Team! Since 1970 Plastic Express has met the bulk trucking, bulk terminal, packaging, and warehousing needs of the plastics industry. Our strategic locations, modern systems, and dedicated employees allow us to provide custom tailored logistical solutions to fulfill the most challenging needs of our customers. Plastic Express operates from 22 full service facilities, more than 40 bulk terminals, and 52 railcar terminals offering more than 8,500 railcar spots across the country. We are located near 9 major ports in the U.S. and rely heavily on our rail infrastructure to handle imports /exports as well as regional distribution. At many of the Plastic Express sites, we also handle some non-plastic commodities, which include; paper rolls, steel, building materials and other dry bulk materials. Plastic Express owns and operates roughly 250 trucks, with approximately 250 trailers performing full bulk truck distribution business. Plastic Express is headquartered in Houston, TX and has over 600 employees nationwide. Our goal has always been to exceed our customer's expectations, and our can do-attitude is what differentiates us from the competition.

Plastic Express employees have always been our key to success and total customer satisfaction. We are always looking for dependable & talented business professionals that will help us to grow and to continue our “Can Do” tradition.

Job Summary:
With reporting responsibilities to the AVP of Rail Operations, this position is directly responsible for the management of the company’s Rail Clerical department. Provides consistent leadership, coaching, and performance management. Direct daily management to include: daily communication with customers, and railroads, maintaining inventories, management of the RAN system, employee development, employee counseling, employee discipline and training, record keeping and communication of issues with management. The Rail Customer Success Manager will be supported by a Rail Supervisor for this site.

This role works closely with the Safety Director, Quality Manager, Rail Operations, Customer Success representatives (CSR’s), Trucking department and Sales department. Must oversee the department to meet KPI targets and goals.
 
Essential Functions/Duties:
Leadership and Employee Management

• Supervise the Rail Coordinator Supervisor and Rail Coordinators, including assigning work, establishing priorities, monitoring performance, and maintaining appropriate staffing.
• Provide coaching, training, performance evaluations, and corrective guidance in coordination with Human Resources and the AVP of Rail Operations.
• Develop and maintain departmental training materials and support the implementation of new and revised SOPs.
• Ensure employees are trained on assigned responsibilities, systems, safety procedures, SOPs, and customer requirements.
• Promote professionalism, teamwork, accountability, continuous improvement, and the company’s safety culture.
• Review employee time records and maintain required training and performance documentation.

Rail Operations and Customer Success

• Oversee daily railcar inventory, coordination, releases, bills of lading, Railcar Authorization Numbers, invoice disputes, and RAN-system activities.
• Maintain accurate physical and electronic railcar inventories and work toward 100% inventory accuracy.
• Communicate effectively with customers, railroads, local operating authorities, and internal departments.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for customer and operational issues and ensure concerns are investigated, communicated, and resolved timely.
• Monitor departmental KPIs, including inventory accuracy, railcar-release timeliness, BOL completion, billing dispute resolution, customer response times, and required documentation.
• Identify performance gaps and recurring service issues and implement or recommend corrective actions.
• Provide operational and KPI updates to the AVP of Rail Operations.
• Support the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of departmental processes and training materials.

Safety, Compliance, and Confidentiality

• Maintain a safe work environment and ensure employees comply with applicable company policies, safety requirements, and laws.
• Conduct or supervise required safety meetings, including personally conducting a documented meeting with Rail staff at least once per calendar month.
• Maintain the confidentiality of employee, customer, pricing, operational, and proprietary company information.
• Maintain required operational, safety, and training records and submit employee-relations documentation to Human Resources.

Additional Specific Duties:

• Cross-train in all departments as required, to assist on the development of training aids, including but not limited to: Inventory Management, Material Handling of PE Issued Equipment, Rail & Switching Operations, Rail Terminal Inventory Management & Software, and any additional programs as assigned.
• Ensure SOP’s are rolled out and training completed.
• Actively seek to support implementation of and contribute ideas and suggestions for continuous improvement, may perform quality-control tasks.
• Maintains and assists in development of training methods/procedures.
• Duties and responsibilities may be added, deleted and/or changed at any time at the discretion of the management.

Qualifications: 
Required Education and Experience

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in rail, logistics, transportation, customer service, or operations.
• Prior supervisory or management experience.
• Working knowledge of railcar inventory management, railcar tracking, releases, bills of lading, and customer service operations.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and organizational skills.
• Must have the ability to think independently and make decisions that are in the company’s best interest.
• Strong analytical abilities for planning, forecasting, inventory management, product scheduling, and product balancing.
• Must be multi-task oriented with the ability to handle many activities simultaneously.
• Computer proficiency in a Windows environment, especially using Excel spreadsheets and business management systems along with customer interface systems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, logistics, supply chain management, transportation, or a related field.
• Five to ten years of experience in rail, transportation, logistics, terminal operations, or a related industry.
• Experience managing a rail customer service, rail coordination, logistics, or transportation team.
• Knowledge of demurrage, switching operations, railroad terminology, railcar billing, and rail-service issue resolution.
• Experience with TMS, WMS, railcar tracking, RAN, and customer-interface systems.

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  These tasks include, but are not limited to:

• Must be able to safely perform physical tasks, including occasionally lifting or carrying materials weighing up to 55 pounds.
• Occasionally stand, walk, bend, reach, and climb stairs.
• Remain in a stationary position for extended periods.
• Must be able use fingers, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk and/or hear.

• Possess the visual and auditory ability necessary to review detailed information, communicate effectively, and safely identify workplace hazards.
• Must have peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to focus on subjects or objects at any safe working distance

Licenses/Certificates:  

• None

Additional Job Details:
Supervisory Responsibility: 

• Rail Coordinator Supervisor
• Rail Coordinators

Work Environment:  This position works primarily in a professional office environment located within or adjacent to an active rail terminal and warehouse operation. The employee may occasionally enter operational areas where there is exposure to moving vehicles and equipment, railcar activity, varying temperatures, outdoor weather conditions, dust, noise, and other conditions typical of an industrial and transportation environment. The employee must follow all applicable safety rules and wear required personal protective equipment when entering designated operational areas. The position also requires regular use of computers, telephones, and other standard office equipment.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work:

• This is a full-time, Exempt position.
• Must be available to work extended hours and weekends as operationally necessary.

Travel: 

• Minimal travel may be required based on business needs.

Benefits and Perks:

• Family health benefit packages
• Vacation pay after 90 days
• Holiday pay after 90 days
• Company matching 401k retirement program after 90 days

Duties and responsibilities may be added, deleted and/or changed at any time at the discretion of management.

In line with Plastic Express’ Environmental Promise, the hired individual is expected to enthusiastically support all facets of Operation Clean Sweep; specifically, making a conscious effort to prevent pellet, flake and powder loss into the environment and ensure any spills are swiftly and effectively cleaned up.