Career Opportunity

Assistant Engineer (Electrical) - Transit Division - SF Municipal Transportation Agency (5203)

Recruitment: RTF0160029-01158699

Published: October 17, 2025

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

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.

• Application Opening: October 17, 2025
• Application Filing Deadline: October 31, 2025
• Recruitment ID: TEX-5203-160050 & TEX-5203-160051

APPOINTMENT TYPE: Temporary Exempt - This position is excluded by the Charter from the competitive Civil Service examination process and shall serve at the discretion of the Appointing Officer. The duration of the appointment shall not exceed 36 months.

• Division: Transit Division
• Section/Unit: Transit Program Delivery; Train Control Upgrade Project
• Work Location: 1455 Market Street, 7th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103
• Work Schedule: Monday- Friday, 8:30AM- 5:30PM

The Transit Division is currently in the process of developing and procuring a new Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) system. 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. 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.

Role description

Under the general direction of the Train Control Upgrade Project Manager and Train Control Upgrade Project Lead Engineer, the Assistant Engineer performs system engineering work on the Train Control Upgrade Project. During the project design phases, the Assistant Engineer will support the project by reviewing engineering designs and documents submitted by the CBTC Supplier. The Assistant Engineer will work on systems integration between the train control system and various wayside components such as switch machines, vehicle detection systems, and interlockings. The Assistant Engineer will also assist a dedicated team working on software integration between the CBTC system and other technology systems such as CAD/AVL, asset management systems, SCADA systems, and databases. The Assistant Engineer will contribute to the civil engineering design for any enabling works, including developing electrical drawings, schematics and plans for any cable, conduit, or other connection infrastructure to accommodate the train control system. The Assistant Engineer will participate in design reviews, activities, and technical coordination meetings between the Supplier and the equipment installers.

During the construction and testing phases, the Assistant Engineer will assist in monitoring the progress of construction and compare field conditions to the design drawings. The Assistant Engineer will participate in and monitor train control system testing from the control center, along the wayside, and in the vehicles to ensure that the testing, safety certification, and commissioning of onboard train control equipment is completed according to the project specifications. The Assistant Engineer will participate in the development of installation and testing plans to facilitate this process.

Examples of Important and Essential Duties:

• Provides engineering support to the Train Control Upgrade Project delivering communication-based train control (CBTC) technology to Muni’s rail system.
• Reviews submissions of plans, technical documents, and reports from the CBTC system supplier (Hitachi Rail GTS USA) to support SFMTA design reviews at key milestones.
• Works with vendors, SFMTA technology staff, and consultants to design integration plans between the CBTC system and other systems.
• Reviews/revises SFMTA as-built drawings to communicate condition of assets and facilities to train control vendor.
• Witnesses post-installation tests and other tests necessary to commission the train control system; performs QA/QC tasks
• Monitors performance of train control system for compliance with contractually required performance specifications
• Reviews the delivered system for compliance with SFMTA requirements; communicates findings to SFMTA project engineering staff
• Identifies, tracks and catalogs defects and bugs and communicates them to project staff and contractor
• Conducts periodic field visits to wayside equipment rooms, control centers, and rail yards to research and document issues with various components of the train control system; conducts preliminary field studies and surveys and collects data relative to the preparation of designs and drawings; reviews and analyzes field data and results of office research to determine necessary corrective measures.
• Conducts routine field inspections of train control upgrade projects in progress to ensure conformance with plans, specifications, and codes, checks and records work progress at various construction sites and monitors system testing.
• Performs data entry and formatting tasks as needed to support the project.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

How to qualify

These minimum qualifications establish the education, training, experience, special skills and/or license(s) which are required for employment in the classification. Please note, additional qualifications (i.e., special conditions) may apply to a particular position and will be stated on the exam/job announcement.

• Possession of a baccalaureate degree or graduate degree in the field of Electrical Engineering AND
• One (1) year of verifiable professional engineering experience performing at least three of the following tasks:
  • Preparing or assisting in preparing studies, designs, drawings, sketches, and plans using AutoCAD and other software tools.
  • Collecting data to assess project needs and define project scope through site visits, surveying, review of existing documents, reports, drawing and manuals, performing measurements, collecting samples, or/and interviews with the stakeholders.
  • Preparing or assisting in the preparation of contract specifications, lists of materials, cost estimates, schedules, and progress payments.
  • Preparing or assisting in the preparation of engineering reports and reports concerning field conditions, the progress of projects, the results of studies, and other matters.
  • Conducting data analyses and mathematical calculations, in order to determine type or size of material or equipment.
  • Conducting routine field inspections of construction and repair projects in progress to ensure conformance with plans, specifications and codes; checks and records work progress at various construction sites. AND
• Possession of a valid Engineer-in-Training (EIT) certificate issued by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES). OR
• Possession of a Professional Engineer (PE) license in the field required for each specialty from the California Board of Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists. AND
• A valid California driver license.

Note: Internships, drafting experience and student design work do not qualify as professional engineering experience.

Desirable Qualifications: The stated desirable qualifications may be used to identify candidates advancing to the interview process and/or to identify job finalist(s) at the end of the selection process when referred for hiring. 

• Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related field.
• Knowledge of general systems engineering concepts and ability to use them in real-world
• applications.
• Exposure to communication-based train control (CBTC) systems, signaling systems, or telecommunications systems;
• Exposure to relay-based, solid state low-voltage, or other 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;
• Exposure to 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 with engineering accounting and preparing engineer’s cost estimates;
• Experience with reading engineering schematics and using AutoCAD to prepare designs, drawings, sketches, and plans;
• 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.

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

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

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

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.