Carriage Shop Manager

● Join a national market leader in rail freight leasing and maintenance

● Learn, grow and be valued for your contribution

● Be competitively remunerated and receive an additional two days’ paid leave per year to enhance your wellbeing

Want to get your career on track, working locally with a rollingstock solutions success story? Join us, and experience the Rail First difference.

Who we are

We’re proud to be Australia’s only domestic manufacturer of rail wagons, and the country’s number-one provider of rolling stock solutions for the rail industry. But what we’re most proud of are our people, and what they bring to the Rail First team every day.

What you’ll do

As the Carriage Shop Manager you’ll be responsible for the overall leadership and delivery of activities associated with carriage refurbishment projects. You will be focused on ensuring that operations and production activities within the Carriage Shop are carried out in accordance with engineering specifications, time schedules, expense budgets, quality standards, cost objectives and employee safety. You will be responsible for planning, organising and directing the workshop activities to maintain output and production sequence in alignment with organisational and customer objectives.

Other key responsibilities for the role include:

• Lead pre-start meetings and assign daily tasks to staff, ensuring clear communication of work expectations and priorities.
• Supervise workshop staff, providing leadership, direction, guidance and support in operational and human resources activities.
• Plan, prioritise and schedule team workload, maintenance activities, inspections, services, and repairs.
• Liaise with customers and ensure their requirements are addressed in accordance with organisational objectives.
• Arrange and coordinate the purchase and supply of equipment, plant, materials and other resources as required.
• Promote continuous improvement initiatives and proactively contribute to the development of a workshop environment that supports current and future business needs.
• Assist in the training, development and ongoing support of new and existing workshop staff.
• Assist with the preparation, implementation and maintenance of the Safety Management System, including work instructions, procedures, standards, audits, and risk assessments
• Maintain and promote a safe working environment and ensure compliance with applicable Work Health and Safety, Rail Safety, and Environmental Protection legislation, regulations and company requirements.

What you’ll bring

• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with demonstrated high level of proficiency in the use of computers and software packages
• Recognised trade certificate as well as (ideally) post-trade qualification
• Sound knowledge in the manufacture and/or maintenance of rail rolling stock.
• Project Management capability
• Planning and co-ordinating scheduled and unscheduled work
• Strong understanding of rail safety management; quality systems; WHS; and budget control
• Proven experience in workshop and team supervision
• Ability to work as part of a leadership team including business planning and performance review
• Effective communication with management, employees and external stakeholders
• Ability to share knowledge to others to assist with their skills development.
• Interpreting established policies procedures and work instructions and safety guidelines to workers.

You’ll live and breathe our core values of Safety, Trust, Achievement and Care, and thrive on being part of our team-based culture where your voice is always heard and your contribution matters.

Whatever your role at Rail First, we will support you to develop, grow and contribute to our Australian success story.  Here are some other things we hope you’ll love about working with us:

● We’re a proudly Australian, well-established small business. From humble beginnings, we’re now Australia’s market leader in rail freight leasing and maintenance.

● We’re built to grow, and we champion your upskilling and career progression, as well as collective growth for our team.

● We’re an organisation that genuinely cares for an invests in your wellbeing

● We value the diversity and experience of our people and constantly strive to champion a safe and inclusive workplace culture.

Ready to get your career on track?

Visit our website to find out more about us and you can apply for the role there. Applications close Friday 21st August 2026.