Job Description
The successful candidate is responsible for conducting field operations, including emergency response to incidents involving dangerous goods, environmentally sensitive commodities, and other operational emergencies affecting CN operations. The role delivers emergency response training and outreach programs, conducts compliance audits and inspections, and supports regulatory compliance initiatives. In addition, the role provides technical guidance and consultation services to various CN departments to help ensure compliance with applicable regulations and CN standards.
Outreach and Training
Maintain positive relationships with regulators, emergency response agencies, customers, and industry partners
Engage with stakeholders to discuss dangerous goods safety, emergency preparedness, and incident response
Deliver information sessions, training, and outreach programs to emergency response agencies through CN's commitment to TRANSCAER
Support Operations by providing dangerous goods training and technical guidance as required
Regulatory Compliance
Emergency Response and Preparedness
This position is performed in a combination of office and field environments, requiring the ability to work under a wide variety of weather conditions. While structured around a typical workweek, hours may fluctuate based on operational demands and coverage needs, and the candidate must remain available on call 24/7 to respond immediately to critical incidents and emergencies. Navigating this role successfully requires strong priority management to deliver work within established timelines, supported by a collaborative team to ensure a sustainable workload. Safety is paramount; the duties involve working in potentially hazardous environments and routinely operating on, under, or around tank cars and other rail equipment. Consequently, maintaining physical fitness is essential to safely perform these tasks and respond to emergencies. Employees must wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) while carrying specialized tools and response gear as conditions warrant. Additionally, this position requires occasional travel of up to 35% across Canada and the United States.
Hazmat Emergency Response
*Any requirement marked with (*) will be considered an asset (not mandatory)
* Any requirement marked with (*) will be considered an asset (not mandatory)
Senior Specialist Dangerous Goods
Req Id:
998
Job Location:
Gary - IN
Business Unit:
Operations
Highest Level Division:
Safety
Posting Start Date:
10/6/26
Posting End Date:
12/30/2026 11:59 EDT
French/English Bilingual Requirement:
No
Hiring Salary Range: $ 88000 - 115000
This range represents the hiring range. Salaries are determined individually depending on skills and experience. You will also be eligible to an annual bonus, employee share investment program (ESIP), Pension, Benefits, Railroad Retirement Benefits (RRB) and other perks.
At CN, we are committed to our pursuit of excellence. We take pride in delivering work of the highest standard, continually innovating to shape the railroad of the future. As responsible railroaders, we make the right decisions every time, putting safety first, acting with unwavering integrity, and holding ourselves accountable for our actions. We believe in succeeding together—by fostering inclusivity and collaboration, we sustainably deliver exceptional results for our customers.
Join us today and get your career moving!
Job Summary
The successful candidate is responsible for conducting field operations, including emergency response to incidents involving dangerous goods, environmentally sensitive commodities, and other operational emergencies affecting CN operations. The role delivers emergency response training and outreach programs, conducts compliance audits and inspections, and supports regulatory compliance initiatives. In addition, the role provides technical guidance and consultation services to various CN departments to help ensure compliance with applicable regulations and CN standards.
Main Responsibilities
Outreach and Training
Maintain positive relationships with regulators, emergency response agencies, customers, and industry partners
Engage with stakeholders to discuss dangerous goods safety, emergency preparedness, and incident response
Deliver information sessions, training, and outreach programs to emergency response agencies through CN's commitment to TRANSCAER
Support Operations by providing dangerous goods training and technical guidance as required
Regulatory Compliance
- Serve as a liaison with federal, provincial, state, and local regulatory agencies
- Participate in integrated safety audits and regulatory reviews
- Conduct regular regulatory inspections to verify compliance with dangerous goods regulations and CN policies
- Act as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) for dangerous goods regulatory requirements and provide guidance to local operations
- Identify compliance risks and recommend corrective actions to support regulatory adherence
Emergency Response and Preparedness
- Coordinate and facilitate emergency response activities to ensure a safe, effective, and timely response to incidents
- Respond to incidents as required, providing tactical support, technical expertise, and mitigation strategies and intervention
- Audit emergency response contractors to assess response capabilities, readiness, and resource capacity
- Inspect, maintain, and ensure the operational readiness of CN emergency response equipment
- Deploy, operate, and maintain specialized field response equipment in support of emergency operations
- Support emergency preparedness initiatives through planning, training, exercises, and continuous improvement activities
Working Conditions
This position is performed in a combination of office and field environments, requiring the ability to work under a wide variety of weather conditions. While structured around a typical workweek, hours may fluctuate based on operational demands and coverage needs, and the candidate must remain available on call 24/7 to respond immediately to critical incidents and emergencies. Navigating this role successfully requires strong priority management to deliver work within established timelines, supported by a collaborative team to ensure a sustainable workload. Safety is paramount; the duties involve working in potentially hazardous environments and routinely operating on, under, or around tank cars and other rail equipment. Consequently, maintaining physical fitness is essential to safely perform these tasks and respond to emergencies. Employees must wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) while carrying specialized tools and response gear as conditions warrant. Additionally, this position requires occasional travel of up to 35% across Canada and the United States.
Experience
Hazmat Emergency Response
- Minimum 5 years of relevant hands-on hazmat emergency response experience
- Candidates with an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience will be considered
Education/Certification/Designation
- Hazardous Materials Technician
- Tank Car Specialist or Advanced Tank Car Specialist
- High School Diploma or General Educational Development (GED)
- Trained in Incident Command, Industrial Firefighting, and Wildland Firefighting
- Trained in flammable liquids and wildland firefighting as well as foam trailer use*
- Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry, or Fire Science*
- Qualified as an Advanced Tank Car Specialist*
- Trained in Incident Command with completion of NIMS 300 and 400*
- Driver's license
- Passport or ability to obtain a passport
- Candidates with equivalent practical experience, education, or training will be considered
*Any requirement marked with (*) will be considered an asset (not mandatory)
Competencies
- We Care About Each Other
- We Strive for Excellence
- We Succeed Together
- We Lead Responsibly
- Vision and strategic thinking
- Impactful and inclusive leadership
- Performance and value delivery
- Empowerment and talent development
- Strategic communication and influence
- Managerial courage and decisiveness
- Abstract reasoning skills
- Build trust
- Stakeholder management
- Planning
- Public speaking
- Coordination
Technical Skills/Knowledge
- Comprehensive knowledge of toxicology, hazardous materials, chemical and physical properties, air monitoring and sampling techniques, liquid and compressed gas transfer methods and operations, and firefighting strategy and tactics
- Comprehensive knowledge of tank car nomenclature, railcar design, and construction, as well as demonstrated advanced knowledge of valve and fittings identification, operation, troubleshooting, and leak remediation
- Comprehensive knowledge of response methodology and the ability to assess an incident site, identify hazards and vulnerabilities, develop risk-based response strategies, and effectively manage rail-related emergencies
- Working knowledge of Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) Regulations, 49 CFR Hazardous Materials Regulations, United States Operating Rules (USOR), Canadian Rail Operating Rules (CROR), and Transport Canada Standard TP14877
- Knowledge of regional hazardous materials response resources, including response contractors, specialized equipment, and emergency response capabilities
- Understanding of Canadian Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations and U.S. hazardous materials transportation requirements
- Fluently bilingual in both written and verbal communication (English and French)*
* Any requirement marked with (*) will be considered an asset (not mandatory)
Additional Information (If Any)
About CN
CN is a premium railroad that sustainably generates value for our customers, shareholders, employees, and stakeholders with an unwavering commitment to safety and service. Essential to the economy, to the customers, and to the communities it serves, CN safely transports more than 300 million tons of natural resources, manufactured products, and finished goods throughout North America every year. CN's network connects Canada’s Eastern and Western coasts with the U.S. South through an 18,800-mile rail network. CN and its affiliates have been contributing to community prosperity and sustainable trade since 1919. CN powers the North American economy and is committed to programs supporting social responsibility and environmental stewardship.
At CN, we are dedicated to building North America's safest, most inclusive and sustainable railroad, which includes reflecting the communities in which we operate. Research shows that candidates often don't apply unless they feel they fit the job posting at 100%. To all potential applicants, even if you don't meet every job requirement listed in a posting, we still encourage you to apply. If you require an accommodation for the recruitment process (including alternate formats of materials, accessible meeting rooms or other accommodations), please get in touch with our team at cnrecruitment@cn.ca.
As an equal opportunity employer, qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law.
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