Human Factors Specialist – Rail & Transit Systems

In a world of possibilities, pursue one with endless opportunities. Imagine Next!

At Parsons, you can imagine a career where you thrive, work with exceptional people, and be yourself. Guided by our leadership vision of valuing people, embracing agility, and fostering growth, we cultivate an innovative culture that empowers you to achieve your full potential. Unleash your talent and redefine what’s possible.

Job Description:

Parsons is seeking a Human Factors Specialist to support rail and transit projects across Canada and the United States. This role applies human factors engineering and human-system integration principles to the design, operation, and maintenance of complex transportation systems.

Purpose of the Position

The purpose of this role is to ensure that rail and transit systems are designed with the needs, capabilities, and limitations of operators, maintainers, controllers, passengers, and other users in mind. This position helps improve safety, operability, maintainability, usability, and overall system performance by integrating human factors considerations throughout the project lifecycle.

What You’ll Do

• Apply human factors principles to rail and transit systems design, operations, and maintenance

• Support system engineering activities including operational concepts, requirements development, interface definition, and design reviews

• Conduct task analyses and evaluate workflows, operator activities, maintenance tasks, and user interactions with equipment, procedures, and environments

• Assess human-machine interfaces, control rooms, operator workstations, maintenance access, signage, and passenger-facing systems

• Identify human performance risks and provide recommendations to improve usability, reduce human error, and support safe and efficient operations

• Contribute to safety, operability, and maintainability assessments across normal, degraded, and emergency conditions

• Participate in verification, validation, testing, field reviews, and stakeholder workshops

• Prepare technical reports, design comments, assessments, and client-facing presentations

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Factors, Ergonomics, Psychology, Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related discipline from an accredited institution

• 4+ years of related professional experience

• Experience applying human factors methods in complex technical or operational environments

• Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills

• Ability to work independently with limited supervision and collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in rail, transit, transportation, or other safety-critical systems

• Familiarity with systems engineering processes and lifecycle delivery

• Experience with task analysis, usability assessment, operational evaluation, or maintainability review

This position is part of our Critical Infrastructure team.

For more than 80 years, our experts have designed and delivered the critical infrastructure that connects and protects communities around the world. We work in collaborative teams, both within the company and with our partners and customers, to plan, design, build, and modernize infrastructure. We take special pride in projects and solutions that improve communities as well as people’s quality of life by promoting economic growth, enhancing mobility, and increasing sustainability and resiliency. Powered by our people, we provide the imagination necessary to support our customers’ visions—and to help them see what's next!

Salary Range: $74,000 - $137,500

This job posting is for a current addition or replacement opportunity within Parsons.

We value our employees and want our employees to take care of their overall wellbeing, which is why we offer best-in-class benefits such as health, vision, dental, employer paid provincial care premiums, Defined Contribution Pension Plan (DCPP), Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA), Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP), life insurance, paid time off, sick leave, all province observed holidays off, and gym membership discounts to fit your busy lifestyle!

Parsons is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the workplace. Parsons equally employs representation at all job levels for indigenous peoples, women, individuals with disabilities, and visible minorities.

We truly invest and care about our employee’s wellbeing and provide endless growth opportunities as the sky is the limit, so aim for the stars! Imagine next and join the Parsons quest—APPLY TODAY!

Parsons is aware of fraudulent recruitment practices. To learn more about recruitment fraud and how to report it, please refer to https://www.parsons.com/fraudulent-recruitment/.