Rail and Transit Sr Technical Director - Traction Power

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Job Description:

Parsons is looking for a Senior Technical Director – Traction Power to lead and grow our Rail and Transit Traction Power Team in the U.S. West Region.

We are seeking a registered Professional Engineer with extensive experience delivering rail and transit electrification projects through planning, design, construction, installation, systems integration, startup, testing, commissioning, and project closeout. The ideal candidate will bring a strong combination of technical design, project delivery, client development, and team leadership experience.

With more than 50 rail and transit projects underway across the United States and a robust pipeline of upcoming pursuits, this position offers opportunities to lead large-scale transportation projects throughout North America, particularly in the Western United States, including Texas.

The Senior Technical Director will drive technical excellence and successful project delivery while supporting market growth, scope development, staffing, resource management, and client engagement.

What You'll Be Doing:

• Project Delivery and Technical Leadership

  • Lead and grow Parsons’ Rail and Transit Traction Power Team across the Western United States, providing technical direction for traction power, OCS, rail electrical, and corrosion control professionals.
  • Serve as a senior technical leader and subject matter expert for traction power and rail electrical systems.
  • Lead traction power studies and calculations, including load flow, short-circuit, cable sizing, protection coordination, grounding and bonding, step-and-touch potential, arc flash, power quality, and negative-return evaluations.
  • Translate study results into constructable designs, technical specifications, drawings, contract documents, and construction deliverables.
  • Lead the design and integration of complete Traction Power Substation systems, including utility interfaces, transformers, rectifiers, inverters, DC distribution, switching and sectionalization, feeders, protection and relaying, controls, SCADA interfaces, and system monitoring.
  • Provide technical leadership for third-rail and overhead contact system power supply and distribution, including grounding, bonding, negative return, and stray-current mitigation.
  • Direct and review conceptual through issued-for-construction designs, including TPSS site plans, ductbank and cable plans, grounding grids, single-line diagrams, schematics, conduit and wire schedules, and equipment layouts.
  • Manage the design, integration, and implementation of traction power, OCS, and related rail systems on major projects and programs.
  • Ensure compliance with agency requirements, NFPA 130, the National Electrical Code, IEEE standards, and other applicable codes and guidelines.
  • Oversee quality, safety, scope, schedule, budget, risk, and technical performance across assigned projects and task orders.
  • Collaborate with project managers and discipline leads in track, train control, communications, civil and structural engineering, systems integration, and other disciplines to deliver coordinated solutions.
  • Provide technical support during construction, including field investigations, site inspections, constructability reviews, submittal and shop drawing reviews, RFI responses, design clarifications, field engineering, factory testing, witness testing, startup, commissioning, and project closeout.
  • Coordinate with utility companies and project stakeholders regarding service requirements, outages, interface responsibilities, operational constraints, and construction sequencing.
  • Resolve complex technical issues associated with active rail operations, stations, tunnels, underground structures, aerial structures, maintenance facilities, and other rail infrastructure.
  • Promote safe, reliable, maintainable, and constructible electrification solutions throughout the project lifecycle.

• Mentorship and Team Capability Building

  • Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing traction power and electrification team focused on technical excellence, accountability, collaboration, and client service.
  • Recruit, retain, and develop traction power and rail electrical talent throughout the Western United States.
  • Provide technical coaching and review deliverables for quality, completeness, constructability, and compliance.
  • Support succession planning and the long-term growth of the Traction Power discipline within Parsons’ Rail Systems practice.
  • Promote continuous improvement, innovation, and best practices in modeling, design standards, documentation, quality management, and project delivery.
  • Leverage national resources and specialty expertise to support peak workloads and complex assignments.

• Market Growth and Business Management Support

  • Support capture planning, teaming strategies, win themes, proposal development, and differentiated technical approaches for major rail and transit pursuits related to traction power.
  • Develop scopes of work, technical approaches, staffing plans, budgets, schedules, delivery strategies, and risk plans for traction power assignments.
  • Build and maintain relationships with transit agencies, rail operators, contractors, utility companies, technology providers, and industry partners.
  • Represent Parsons at industry events, conferences, panels, and technical forums to strengthen market visibility and client relationships.
  • Coordinate resource planning, monitor project performance, and identify opportunities to improve delivery efficiency, technical quality, and business performance related to traction power discipline.

What Required Skills You'll Bring:

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a related technical discipline.

• Active Professional Engineer license.

• Twenty or more years of progressive experience in rail and transit electrical systems, rail electrification, traction power, or a related field.

• Demonstrated experience leading traction power design and delivery teams on major transit and railway infrastructure programs.

• Significant experience developing traction power designs, including final and issued-for-construction packages, and providing engineering services during construction.

• Experience leading projects through planning, design, construction, installation, systems integration, startup, testing, commissioning, and closeout.

• Demonstrated understanding of complete TPSS systems, including load flow studies, site development, grounding and ground grids, ductbanks, equipment specifications, fabrication, installation, testing, and commissioning.

• Proven ability to manage the design, integration, and delivery of traction power, OCS, and related electrification systems.

• Experience coordinating interfaces among traction power, OCS, third rail, civil, structural, track, signaling, communications, systems integration, utilities, and other disciplines.

• Experience developing technical approaches and supporting proposals for complex rail and transit pursuits.

• Strong client relationship, leadership, communication, presentation, stakeholder engagement, and problem-solving skills.

• Ability and willingness to support field activities in stations, tunnels, underground structures, aerial structures, maintenance facilities, and other active rail environments.

What Desired Skills You'll Bring:

• Experience with traction power load flow and power system analysis software, such as ETAP or equivalent.

• Experience with CAD and design production tools, including MicroStation and/or AutoCAD.

• Experience with protection coordination, relaying, SCADA integration, system monitoring, commissioning, and test procedures.

• Experience with third-rail and OCS power supply and distribution, grounding and bonding, negative return, stray-current mitigation, and power quality.

• Experience leading an electrification, traction power, or rail electrical team within an engineering, construction management, or program management organization.

Security Clearance Requirement:

None

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: $176,900.00 - $332,400.00

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 medical, dental, vision, paid time off, Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), 401(k), life insurance, flexible work schedules, and holidays to fit your busy lifestyle!

This position will be posted for a minimum of 3 days and will continue to be posted for an average of 30 days until a qualified applicant is selected or the position has been cancelled.

Parsons is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other protected status.

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!

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