General Position Summary & Responsibilities:
The Commercial Operations Manager (COM) will report to the Vice President Recycling Services. The COM is responsible for the procurement of end-of-life railcars (EOL), maintaining existing book of business of rail accounts, sales of railcar parts, and management and oversight of permanent and short-term mobile car cutting sites. Operationally, this individual will support, manage, and lead the Project Supervisor in processing, loading, and shipping scrap metal from these sites. This individual will serve as a key player through demonstrating his/her operational and technical acumen in the research, technical evaluation, analysis, planning, and implementation of critical rail development initiatives.
This position can require a high level of travel. The primary goal of this position is to achieve excellence in all facets of the railcar dismantling process and parts recoveries. Providing the highest quality product efficiently while contributing to increased profits. Continuous process analysis and improvement is required to ensure maximum efficient processes in the rail supply channel for both offsite and Radius Recycling locations.
Essential Commercial Functions:
Procurement of end-of-life scrap railcars
- The commercial role of the Commercial Operations Manager for Rail Services involves various key functions that ensure efficient and profitable procurement, processing, and recycling of EOL rail assets.
- Find reliable sources for scrap railcars, including rail operators, leasing companies, and other asset holders who recycle decommissioned railcars.
- Keep track of scrap metal prices and the market demand for processed scrap railcars, understanding fluctuations due to factors such as commodity prices, market trends, and industry regulations.
- Develop strategies to source railcars in a way that aligns with financial goals, volume requirements, and operational timelines.
- Forecasting- Analyze industry trends, flows, and recycling activities developing a pipeline of procurement for both the regions and our remote sites. Procurement planning communication for tonnage expectations and forecasting purposes.
- Supplier negotiations and relationship management- negotiate competitive pricing with suppliers, considering factors such as market conditions, competitive market intelligence, transportation costs, and quality of scrap metals.
- Supplier Reporting- Adhere to supplier reporting expectations and work closely with our internal administrative teams to ensure prompt and accurate reporting and settlements to our customers.
- Account maintenance- Establish and maintain relationships with suppliers, rail companies, or asset owners to ensure a steady supply of scrap railcars remains sustainable.
- Regulatory Adherence- Ensure that all procurement activities comply with environmental and safety regulations, including proper disposal of commodity residuals for both hazardous and non-hazardous materials prior to receipt with proper documentation.
- Risk Management- Identify and assess potential risks involved in procuring scrap railcars, such as fluctuating metal prices, transportation costs and issues, or changes in the rail industry.
- Contingency plan Development- Establish contingency plans to mitigate risks, ensure the business remains operational even if there is a disruption of supplier flows.
- Reporting- Provide regular reports on procurement activities, inventory status, and financial performance to senior management.
- Documentation- Maintain clear records of all transactions, contracts, and communications related to the procurement process both internally and externally.
- Networking and Industry Involvement- Participate in trade shows, conferences, and networking events related to the rail industry to stay connected with prospect suppliers for growth.
Railcar Parts Marketing and Sales
- Identify Target Markets- Regularly identify target markets for salvaged railcar parts and wheelsets.
- Competitive Analysis- Regularly monitor competitor pricing, sales strategies, and market share to position offerings competitively in the market.
- Vendor relationships- Develop and maintain vendor relationships for sustainable sales and marketing of all parts and wheelsets. Visit these vendors to understand their needs and identify additional marketable items and sales values.
- Inventory management- Work closely with the Project Supervisor to manage, track, and document all inventories for salvaged parts and wheelsets to ensure proper categorization, quality control, and record-keeping for easy identification and sale.
- Brand Development- Position the company as a trusted provider of high-quality salvaged parts emphasizing reliability, sustainability, and quality standards in management.
- Regulatory Compliance- Ensure that all salvaged parts and wheelsets meet the relevant safety, regulatory, and quality standards, including certifications, and inspections required by the rail industry.
- Monitor Profitability- Track the cost of processing and selling of salvaged parts and wheelsets to ensure the margins are optimized.
- Financial Reporting- Provide regular reports on sales, revenue, and inventory turnover to senior management, offering insights and opportunities for improvement.
Essential Oversight of Operational Functions:
Environmental and Health & Safety (H&S)
- Follows all Radius and property owner EHS protocol and policies. Also ensure that onsite contractors comply with these procedures.
Mobile Car Cutting Management
- Oversight of day-to-day operations of all mobile car cutting sites.
- Communicate daily with onsite contractor(s).
- Develop relationships and communicate with local switch yards and railroads in receiving railcars for processing and loading.
- Communicating railcars that are approved for processing to the onsite contractor and comply with Radius’ Scrap Acceptance Policy.
- Logging of processed railcar numbers and stenciled light weights.
- Quality Control- Ensuring contractor is processing railcars to mill specifications.
- Inventory and communicate processed scrap to the VP of Domestic Sales.
- Meet monthly processing and tonnage shipment goals.
- Ensure contractor has adequate processing supplies on hand, not limited to oxygen and propane.
Railcar Parts Management
- Identifying and mark all sellable railcar parts castings and wheel sets at mobile car cutting sites.
- Identifying, inspect, and mark all sellable railcar parts castings and wheel sets at Radius railcar dismantling yards.
- Communicate closely with onsite mobile contractors and Radius yard supervisors to inventory, package, and stage salvageable parts and wheel sets.
- Collect, document, and submit salvageable parts and wheel sets to COM for weekly marketing and sales.
- Visit permanent and temporary mobile car cutting sites and Schnitzer Southeast yards regularly to identify parts and wheel sets for sale.
Administrative Responsibilities
- Submit weight tickets for all outbound loads to Corporate Accounts administrative team for revenue recognition.
- Communicate to the supplier when cars have arrived for dismantlement.
- Formulate excel spreadsheets for railcar purchases by site for weekly tracking.
- Create bills of lading for all outbound shipments from permanent and mobile car cutting sites.
- Formulate excel spreadsheets for all scrap metal shipments.
- Formulate excel spreadsheets for parts and wheel sets for marketing purposes.
Internal Control Responsibilities:
Supports the Company’s Internal Control process which includes understanding, communicating and complying with defined internal controls as well as suggesting and making modifications to the policies, procedures and controls to better relate to the business.
Communicates upward problems in operations, noncompliance with the code of conduct, or other policy violations or illegal actions.
Supervisory Responsibility:
Project Supervisor-Rail Services will report this individual.
Physical Activities Required to Perform Essential Functions:
Able to: sit, stand, or walk for up to 12 hours per day; bend, crouch; climb, balance, push/pull, lift or carry up to 50 pounds; Visual acuity for close inspection of documents and computer screens.
Qualifications:
- Minimum 5+ years in the rail industry
- In depth knowledge of railcar parts and wheel sets.
- Knowledge of ferrous and non-ferrous metals
- Familiar with steel mill, foundry, and smelter scrap specifications
- Transportation and logistics experience transporting commodities via truck and rail.
- This individual must be comfortable working in a matrixed organization and be able to communicate with cross functional teams.
- General understanding of operations management.
- Ability to multi-task.
- Communicate, both orally and in writing, in a professional manner
- Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite
- Strong conceptual, analytical skills and time management skills.
- Strong results orientation
- Excellent business planning and organizational skills
- Ability to problem solve
- Ability to work with minimal supervision
- Ability to travel up to 75% of the time
PLEASE NOTE: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required.
All U.S. applicants must be 18 years of age or older and all Canada applicants must be 16 years of age or older.
Radius participates in e-verify for all U.S. new hires.
An offer of U.S. employment by Radius or any of its subsidiaries is contingent on the satisfactory completion of a post-offer drug screen and background check.
All new hires must review and sign an Arbitration Agreement. This applies to all U.S. non-union employees.
As an Equal Opportunity Employer, Radius does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, marital status, disability status, national origin or ancestry, veteran status, age, prior industrial injury, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other protected status under local, state or federal law.
