Career Opportunity

Lead Train Control Vehicle Engineer - Transit Division - SF Municipal Transportation Agency (1374)

Recruitment: RTF0146984-01156385

Published: April 23, 2024

Accepting applications until: May 07, 2024

Apply using SmartRecruiters, the City and County of San Francisco's application portal Learn More

About:

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA or “the agency”) connects San Franciscans with their communities to enhance the economy, environment and, ultimately, the quality of life in the city. As an agency within the City and County of San Francisco, the SFMTA is responsible for managing the city’s transportation network. The agency has more than 6,000 employees who are responsible for the management of all ground and some underground transportation in the city. The SFMTA has oversight over public transit, as well as bicycling, paratransit, parking and curb management, street operations, walking, and taxis.

The Transit Division is currently in the process of developing and procuring a new Communications-Based Train Control system (CBTC). The Transit Program Delivery unit within the Transit Division was created in 2018 to oversee capital program and project budgets, manage vehicle and onboard equipment projects, testing and acceptance of rolling stock and technology projects that will deliver high-quality, cost-effective solutions which improve safety and the Agency’s ability to deliver quality transit service. Within the Transit Program Delivery unit, the Transit Technology Group handles the procurement, delivery, acceptance, and management of technology systems which are critical to transit operations.

The Train Control Upgrade Project is a 9-year, multimillion dollar project with the goal of replacing the existing Automatic Train Control System in Muni’s subways with a modern CBTC and expanding the supervision and limited control aspects of the Communications-Based Train Control System to the entire Muni light rail system.

Role description

APPOINTMENT TYPE: Temporary Exempt - Full Time not to exceed three (3) years – This position is excluded by the Charter from the competitive Civil Service examination process and shall serve at the discretion of the Appointing Officer.

Deadline to Apply: May 7, 2024 

Salary: $155,402 to $188,864/annually

Schedule: Monday to Friday, 8:30AM - 5:30PM

Vacancies: 1

Please Note: A cover letter and resume must be attached to the online application.

Under the general direction of the Train Control Upgrade Project Manager, the Lead Train Control Vehicle Engineer will lead the integration of the new CBTC system with the Siemens LRV4 vehicles, historic streetcars, and non-revenue (hy-railer) vehicles. The Lead Train Control Vehicle Engineer will be responsible for the successful design, fitment, and testing of all onboard equipment necessary to fully install the system on the vehicles as well as any safety recertification of the vehicles necessary to implement the new CBTC system and satisfy CPUC and FTA requirements and will represent the SFMTA in all project review and discussion related to onboard equipment installation.

The Train Control Upgrade Project will be delivered through a series of contracts with the CBTC vendor (“Supplier”) and other firms providing installation, construction support, technical expertise, and professional services. The Lead Train Control Vehicle Engineer will coordinate the design activities related to onboard vehicle equipment between the Supplier, the vehicle manufacturer, and the onboard equipment installer. The Lead Train Control Vehicle Engineer will work closely with these three parties to ensure that the delivery, installation, testing, safety certification, and commissioning of onboard train control equipment is completed according to the project schedule. The Lead Train Control Vehicle Engineer will participate in the development of an installation plan to facilitate this process and assist with the selection, training, monitoring, evaluating, and development of project staff, as it relates to the installation of the system on the vehicles.

In addition, the Lead Train Control Vehicle Engineer will act as the SFMTA technical representative to review, accept, or when necessary, audit, project submittals and deliverables provided by the Supplier and other project contractors as they relate to onboard equipment. As the SFMTA technical representative for onboard equipment, the Lead Train Control Vehicle Engineer will have a strong understanding of the project contract requirements and be able to identify key project staff and agency stakeholders for review when evaluating submittals and project deliverables.

Examples of Important and Essential Duties:

• Oversees the successful integration of the train control system with the Siemens LRV4s, historic streetcars and non-revenue vehicles, including design, fitment, and testing;
• Leads a team of SFMTA vehicle engineers assigned to the project;
• Coordinates the design activities of the CBTC System Supplier with the LRV manufacturer (Siemens) and vehicle onboard equipment installers;
• Evaluates the CBTC System Supplier’s technical designs and installation materials for the historic streetcars and non-revenue vehicles and assists the Train Control Upgrade Project Manager in determining the quantity and type of historic streetcars and non-revenue vehicles which will be fitted with CBTC equipment.
• Represents the SFMTA during technical discussions between the CBTC System Supplier, the LRV manufacturer, and onboard equipment installers;
• Responds to technical RFIs related to vehicle onboard integration and equipment, resolves clarifications from project contractors and addresses their requests by issuing addendums;
• Reviews all vehicle-related technical documents and correspondence from the CBTC System Supplier, the LRV manufacturer, and other project contractors;
• With the CBTC Supplier, develops and manages the migration and installation plan for equipping the entire LRV4 fleet with train control system equipment;
• With the CBTC Supplier, develops and manages the migration and installation plan for equipping the historic streetcars and non-revenue vehicles with train control system equipment;
• Works with Rail Maintenance and SFMTA staff at the transit yards to coordinate and schedule work activities by the onboard equipment installer(s) for fitting of equipment on the vehicles;
• Supervises the testing of train control system equipment on the vehicles and assists the project QA team in assessing the quality of installed components;
• Tracks completion of technical requirements and evaluates the system and individual subsystems and components for acceptance;
• Analyzes and solves electrical and vehicle sub-systems problems, such as power, EMI connectivity, and fitment for onboard train control system components;
• Communicates with the CBTC System Supplier for technical support as needed to address system issues under warranty;
• Works with the CBTC System Supplier, SFMTA operations and maintenance staff to ensure both the designed and finished onboard train control system meets operations and maintenance needs and works within their stated constraints;
• Participates in the selection, training, monitoring, evaluating, and counseling of project vehicle engineering staff;
• Analyzes related project schedules and budgets;
• Reviews and manages workload assignment to consultants, junior staff and interns as required;
• Performs other duties as required.

How to qualify

Minimum Qualifications

• Five (5) years’ experience working on rail vehicle, train control or rail signaling projects, including a minimum of two (2) years’ experience supervising engineers on rail vehicle, train control or rail signaling projects; AND
• Possession of a baccalaureate, master’s or Ph.D. degree in mechanical or electrical engineering.

Substitution:

• A Master's Degree in mechanical or electrical engineering may substitute for one year of the overall work experience listed above. A Ph. D. in mechanical or electrical engineering may substitute for two years of the overall work experience.  The two (2) years of supervisory experience are required and cannot be substituted.

Desirable Qualifications

• Technical expertise and knowledge of the principles, practices, purposes, scope and techniques of train control and/or signaling systems;
• Engineering experience working on train control, train signaling systems, transit or communications infrastructure projects;
• Experience designing and engineering rail vehicle onboard electronic communication systems, such as train control systems;
• Leadership experience and/or experience managing a team of engineers on a project;
• Experience fitting transit vehicles with onboard electronic equipment;
• An understanding of electric propulsion and braking methods and design;
• Experience with relay-based and solid state low-voltage control system designs;
• Experience with computer systems, computer networks, and communications/network systems;
• Experience with and/or an understanding of packet-based networks, human-machine interfaces, and number systems;
• Experience with high-level control system programming;
• Experience developing or manipulating computer software to parse and process low-level data;
• Experience with field engineering, testing, or other hands-on engineering work;
• Experience working as a contractor for public transit agencies or as an employee of a public transit agency;
• Technical writing and editing experience; experience writing technical specifications and/or manuals;
• Experience with CAD software or other computer-aided design tools;
• Experience with P6 Primavera, Microsoft Project, or other project management software applications;
• Experience with Microsoft Office products such as Excel, Outlook, and Word;
• Experience interpreting and analyzing telematics data, using Python, SQL, Tableau or other tools to perform calculations and visualize data;
• Ability to work well with a multi-disciplinary, diverse workforce, including operations staff, maintenance technicians, technical professionals, contractors, executives and elected officials, and stakeholder groups.
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What else should I know?

Verification:
Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. More information can be found at: https://sfdhr.org/information-about-hiring-process#verification. Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.

Selection Process:
Applications will be screened for relevant qualifying experience. Additional screening mechanisms may be used to determine candidates' qualifications.  Only those applicants who most closely meet the needs of the Agency will be invited to move forward in the selection process.

• Information About the Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview
• Equal Employment Opportunity
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

This recruitment may be utilized to fill similar positions in this classification at SFMTA.

For questions or inquiries, please contact: Silvia Yuan, Human Resources Analyst at Silvia.Yuan@sfmta.com.  

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.