My job: KiwiRail Manager – Westfield

Colin Vickery has worked in the railway industry since leaving school.

Name: Colin Vickery.

Age: 34.

Role: KiwiRail Manager - Westfield.

Working hours: 40 to 50 hours in office with some shift work.

Average salary range: $80,000-$100,000.

Qualifications: Diploma of Frontline Management (Level 5) through New Zealand Institute of Management (currently studying).

Describe what you do.

As KiwiRail manager in Auckland I oversee about 100 staff; both locomotive engineers (train drivers) and rail operators (shunters).

I am involved with everything from managing staff and sorting budgets to establishing relationships with KiwiRail customers such as Mainfreight and Ports of Auckland.

The freight goes nationwide, from logs moving between Wellsford and Kinsleith to frozen goods moving from Auckland Port to Dunedin and Invercargill.

Why did you choose this line of work?

Since knee-high I've been a train nutter. When I was a young kid in Hamilton I would hound Dad to take me to watch the trains. When I left school in 1992, I signed up as a trainee signal maintainer, looking after level crossing signals, points wiring and maintenance.

From there?

I spent about seven years as a signal maintainer. Then I moved into a train controller role, which involved doing a correspondence course about the rules and regulations for about eight months in my own time, before attending an internal railways school. Train controllers ensure the efficient running of trains, including controlling where trains will cross, shunt and pass. I did this for about three years.

Then I went into a network control management role for around two years which involved the day-to-day running of the network, supervising the train control centre and dealing with any incidents on the network.

After that I became a linehaul service manager looking after the business side of rail freight. I left that after 18 months and worked as a service delivery manager for Veolia Transport which runs the suburban train system. And then I came here. I took my current job because I wanted to manage more people and I was keen to get back to freight. I find freight services more varied and challenging than passenger services.

Who are your clients?

KiwiRail clients include Fonterra, Toll Networks, Ports of Auckland, Ports of Tauranga, Pacific Steel and freight companies.

What training or experience do you need?

You need knowledge of the rail industry, business knowledge, marketplace knowledge and people management skills.

The line management diploma is great because it is refining my practical management skills and experience. We do a lot out of habit so it has been good to sit down and learn about proven models of best practice and then apply those business models in my everyday work; I've adapted some of my management style in areas where I could see I could do better. I prefer the combination of work and study over doing a tertiary qualification straight from school.

What skills or qualities do you need?

You need a passion for rail and trains.

In management you have to be able to move with the times and adapt to change. You also need to be able to value your staff and treat them well. I have had good and bad bosses and know the kind of qualities I want to have as a boss.

Best part of the job?

I love working around trains. If I'm driving somewhere and a train goes past, I can tell what it is and how many wagons it is pulling . Trains really are my passion.

I also enjoy working with people and coming up with a plan and seeing it take off.

Least favourite?

The least favourite part of the job is attending level crossing accidents and trespasser collisions because I have to manage the tragedy, liaise with the police, emergency services, and drivers and pull it all together to reopen the track.

After a collision the locomotive engineer has a mandatory stand-down period and access to post-incident counselling support. I can access that too. I've been in the job since October 2007 and have so far dealt with around nine incidents.

How would you define success in this job?

Meeting business targets and budgets, reducing operating incidents, putting more business in freight, having freight move more efficiently and creating really good working relationships with staff.

Advice to others who'd also love to work with trains?

You can't eat an elephant in one bite, so take time and learn each aspect properly. There are many areas within the railways - train driving, shunting, engineering, office work. I took opportunities to move across and around the industry and all those experiences have now come together for this role. You can work your way up if you're not afraid to keep learning new things.

Where would you like to be in five years?

In five years I'd like to be a bit further up the corporate tree, in a new and more challenging role.