Railway Yard Clerk

Railway Yard Clerk

Salary

$33.51 - $44.68 Hourly

Location

Tacoma, WA

Job Type

Classified

Job Number

7101-26

Department

Rail

Opening Date

08/25/2026

Closing Date

9/8/2026 5:00 PM Pacific

• Description

• Benefits

• Questions

Position Description

Tacoma Rail (https://www.mytpu.org/tacomarail/general-information/) has provided rail transportation as a public entity since 1914. With 16 locomotives, more than 100 employees and about 43 miles of track in two operating divisions within Pierce County, Tacoma Rail provides key freight connections for customers in the greater Tacoma Washington area, handling in excess of 100,000 freight shipments per year (https://www.mytpu.org/tacomarail/general-information/tacoma-rail-system.htm) .

The Yard Clerk works both in an office environment and while out in the rail yard. They will be performing data entry and clerical duties in the checking, marking, and recording of railway cars to support the billing and generation of reports. A significant portion of time is spent entering alphanumeric information in an accurate and timely manner. They will inform switching crew of railroad yard, location, disposition, and number of railroad cars to be switched for loading, unloading, makeup, and breakup of trains.

Responsibilities include:

• Check railroad tracks for railcars; record cars received from and returning to mainline railroads; mark cars to indicate destination. Yard Clerks must keep an accurate inventory of all railcars arriving and departing the Tacoma Railyard from our class 1 railroad partners and our many customers in the Tideflats.

• Enter electronic data related to the movement of railcars to maintain records; generate and distribute computer reports to appropriate railroad personnel.

• Report railcar, track, or any other defects to appropriate personnel.

• Operate office equipment such as computers, printers and copiers; operate a motor vehicle as necessary to conduct work.

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions:

• Railway office and railyard environment; subject to noise and fumes.

• Position requires walking and climbing, including stairs and uneven surfaces.

• Position is subject to all weather conditions.

• Position requires availability to work during any 24 hour period.

• Position is subject to 12 hour workdays.

Qualifications

An equivalent combination to: graduation from high school and two years' increasingly responsible clerical experience. Six months of railway yard clerk experience is preferred.

LICENSES, CERTIFICATES AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS

• Valid Washington State driver's license

• Successfully obtain a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) card and maintenance thereafter. Begin application process within 14 days of hire.

Knowledge & Skills

• Record-keeping techniques.

• Operation of a computer terminal.

• Railway rules, regulations, policies and procedures.

• Railway language and terms.

• Safety regulations and precautions.

• Interpersonal skills using tact, patience and courtesy.

• Telephone techniques and etiquette.

• Modern office practices, procedures and equipment.

• Maintain computerized records and generate reports.

• Anticipate and prioritize based upon changing circumstances.

• Meet schedules and time limits.

• Establish and maintain cooperative and effective working relationships with others.

• Operate office equipment machinery such as computer terminals, printers and copiers.

• Operate a motor vehicle.

• Quickly adapt to changes in operating procedures.

Selection Process & Supplemental Information

This recruitment is being managed by Kye Merritt, if you would like to be notified of similar opportunities or stay connected with things going on at Tacoma Public Utilities and the City of Tacoma, connect with me on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyemerritt/) !

Compensation & Benefits

Pay Details:

Hourly Rate: $33.51 - $44.68

Employee Benefits | City of Tacoma (https://tacoma.gov/government/departments/human-resources/employee-benefits/)

City of Tacoma’s Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

A Commitment to Equity & Diversity

At the City of Tacoma, we're on a mission to make our workforce as diverse and inclusive as the community we serve. We actively seek out candidates from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures. Join our team at the City of Tacoma and help us build a more vibrant, inclusive, and equitable community for all.

If you have a less traditional background, we want to hear about your transferrable skills and experience. We value a variety of perspectives and are excited to see what you bring to the table.

The Community

Tacoma is centrally located just 32 miles south of the city of Seattle and 31 miles north of the state capital, Olympia. The City of Tacoma is also home to the Port of Tacoma, which is among the largest container ports in the United States. Like most cities in the northwest, Tacoma is surrounded by beautiful nature, offering residents many opportunities for outdoor adventures.

Largely suburban in nature with a small, but dense, urban core, Tacoma is home to numerous institutes of higher learning that attract students from across the country. The University of Washington Tacoma, Pacific Lutheran University, University of Puget Sound, a satellite campus of the Evergreen State College, three community/technical colleges, and several trade and business schools are within Tacoma's geographic area. Downtown's Cultural District is the site of the Washington State History Museum, Museum of Glass, the Tacoma Art Museum, and America's Car Museum.

With its affordable housing and distinctive neighborhoods and business districts, the city has been recognized numerous times as a best city to live in the nation. To see a few of the great things Tacoma has to offer, view this YouTube Video!

View this exciting video to learn more about the City of Tacoma: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n5MWl8KFvI

Application Process

Interested individuals should apply online by completing the application and attaching a resume and cover letter by the closing date and time listed on the job announcement. Applications received without attaching the required materials may not progress in the selection process. Applicants who have the strongest backgrounds related to the responsibilities of this position may be invited to participate in the interview process, which may include a work problem. Appointment is subject to passing a background check.

Get Assistance

For assistance with the application process or questions regarding this job announcement please contact the Human Resources office at (253) 591-5400 by 4:00 p.m. of the closing date of the job announcement.

For technical difficulties using the NEOGOV system, call the applicant support line at 1-855-524-5627 between 6:00a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. This will allow us to assist you before the job announcement closes.

Communication with the City of Tacoma

We primarily communicate via email during the application process. Emails from Tacoma.gov and/or governmentjobs.com should be placed on your safe domain list to ensure that you receive notifications in a timely manner. As a precaution, you may also want to check your junk email folders.

Note: The provisions of this job announcement do not constitute an expressed or implied contract. Any provision contained herein may be modified and/or revoked without notice.

The City of Tacoma provides excellent medical, dental and vision plans for the whole family; paid holidays and paid leave; participation in the Tacoma Employees' Retirement System (alternate plan for Police/Fire); continuing education and advancement opportunities and a growing variety of City-sponsored health and wellness opportunities and incentives.

Medical Coverage: For eligible employees and their families, including domestic partners and dependent children age 26 or younger.

Dental Coverage: For eligible employees and their families, including domestic partners and dependent children age 26 or younger.

Vision Coverage: For eligible employees and their eligible dependents.

Paid Leave: City employees are entitled to received paid holidays, sick/vacation leave or personal time off (PTO), depending upon union affiliation and appointment type.

Insurance Plans: Employees are covered by a long-term disability plan. Short-term and expanded long-term disability insurance plans are also available to employees. The State Industrial Insurance Act also covers employees.

Deferred Compensation: Income can be set aside on a pretax basis and invested for supplementation of normal retirement income.

Retirement: All employees of the City, except members of the Police and Fire services, Tacoma Rail and certain project employees, are included in the Tacoma Employees' Retirement System. Information on the Tacoma Employees' Retirement System can be found at www.cityoftacoma.org or by calling (253) 502-8200.

Other Employment Information

Direct Deposit: Employees are paid on a bi-weekly schedule by direct deposit.

Salary Increases: Based on satisfactory job performance, the City provides for a regular progression of salary increases for most classifications according to the salary schedule.

Union Affiliation: Many job classifications are covered by union security provisions which require union membership, dues, or payment of equivalent service fees.

Note: The provisions of this job announcement do not constitute an expressed or implied contract. Any provision contained herein may be modified and/or revoked without notice.

01

Responses to supplemental questions must be original content created by the applicant using their own words. The use of online tools or resources to create responses, such as Artificial Intelligence (ChatGPT, etc.), Google, Bing, etc., or plagiarism in any form, is considered cheating and falsification of the application. I understand that any form of cheating or falsification will disqualify my application for further consideration.

• Yes

• No

02

Do you have an equivalent combination to graduation from high school and two years' increasingly responsible clerical experience? (Please note education and experience can be substituted on a year for year basis)

• Yes

• No

03

How many years of experience do you have working with RMI transportation management software.

• No experience working with RMI transportation management software

• Less than 2 years

• 3-5 years

• More than 5 years

04

How many years of increasingly responsible clerical experience do you have?

• No clerical work experience

• Less than 2 years

• 3-5 years

• More than 5 years

05

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING TEST:

Questions #7-10 are the experience and training test that will be used to establish the eligibility list. These questions will be scored by subject matter experts who will not have access to any of your application materials, and will provide scores based solely upon your answers to the questions. Your answers must stand on their own merit. DO NOT RESPOND WITH "SEE RESUME" in lieu of answering this question, as raters will not have access to your resume or application and this will result in a score of 0 points and you will fail the test. Your score on the experience and training test will ONLY reflect your response to the questions asked.

Please indicate "Yes" that you have read and understand the instructions for questions #7-10.

• Yes

• No

06

List your experience with switching railroad operations. Include position title, employer, and dates of employment.

07

Describe your experience multi-tasking in an office environment.

08

Describe your experience handling customer inquiries and/or problems.

09

One of the City's Principles that guides us is Equity. Describe what equity means to you and describe any experience you have working with diverse groups of people.

10

Please tell us how you learned about this job opening.

• Job Interest Card notification

• Professional organization

• Military organization

• City of Tacoma employee

• Online job board posting

• Word of mouth

• LinkedIn

• Indeed

• Facebook

• Instagram

• Careers in Government

• Government Jobs

• Outreach Event

• National Diversity Network

• African American Job Network

• Asian Job Network

• Disability Job Network

• Latino Job Network

• Retirement Job Network

• LGBT Job Network

• Veteran Job Network

• Other

11

Please provide specific information regarding how you learned about this job opening. Thank you, your feedback will be used to evaluate our success reaching the public and refine our methods for future job postings.

Required Question

Employer

City of Tacoma

Address

Human Resources Department 747 Market Street Tacoma, Washington, 98402-3764

Phone

253-591-5400

Website

http://www.tacoma.gov

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