Principal Track Alignment Engineer - Rail

AECOM Middle East Ltd; Dubai; On-site; AED 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

AECOM Middle East Ltd is seeking a Principal Track Alignment Engineer in Dubai to provide technical leadership for railway alignment solutions. This role involves overseeing the design and delivery of various rail projects, including metro, freight, and high-speed lines.

Ideal candidates will have a minimum of 15 years of experience in rail engineering, particularly in the GCC, and will possess strong technical skills and the ability to lead complex projects.

Qualifications

• Minimum 15 years of rail engineering experience, including strong experience in the GCC region.
• Proven background in railway track alignment design for metro, freight, high-speed, conventional rail, or major transport infrastructure projects.
• Professional engineering registration such as CEng, PE, or equivalent is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership for railway track alignment planning, design, review, and delivery.
• Act as a technical advisor for project teams on complex rail alignment matters.
• Develop study and design procedures that support high-quality, cost-effective engineering work.
• Oversee alignment teams and maintain strong quality control across design outputs.

Skills

Rail alignment design

Track alignment engineering

Horizontal alignment

Vertical alignment

Track geometry

Corridor optimization

Metro rail projects

Freight rail projects

High-speed rail

Conventional rail

Operational integration

Design assurance

Education

Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Engineering

Master of Science, Master of Engineering, or PhD

Job description

Job Overview

Principal Track Alignment Engineer – Rail in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. This senior rail design professional provides technical leadership for railway alignment solutions across metro, freight, high‑speed, and conventional rail projects.

Job Details

• Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Industry: Civil Engineering
• Function: Engineering
• Job Type: Full‑time
• Experience: Minimum 15 years rail engineering experience, including the GCC region
• Gender: Any
• Nationality: Any

Key Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership for railway track alignment planning, design, review, and delivery across metro, freight, high‑speed, and conventional rail projects.
• Lead the development and review of horizontal alignments, vertical alignments, track geometry, corridor layouts, and operational integration strategies.
• Act as a technical advisor for project teams on complex rail alignment matters, design standards, interface issues, and constructability challenges.
• Develop study and design procedures that support high‑quality, cost‑effective, and consistent engineering work across project teams.
• Establish alignment design methodologies and ensure design teams apply approved standards, client requirements, and project governance procedures.
• Oversee alignment teams by reviewing key deliverables, guiding technical decisions, and maintaining strong quality control across design outputs.
• Participate in interdisciplinary reviews of project deliverables and coordinate with trackwork, civil, systems, signalling, rolling stock, structures, stations, utilities, and construction teams.
• Perform quality control reviews of design calculations, drawings, technical reports, specifications, and alignment models.
• Prepare and review technical specification sections related to railway alignment, track geometry, corridor design, and design assurance.
• Develop construction cost estimates and estimate technical effort required for studies, design packages, proposals, and project delivery.
• Support the preparation of engineering budgets and schedules to ensure technical delivery meets project requirements.
• Manage technical risks by identifying design constraints, operational conflicts, interface issues, compliance gaps, and construction‑stage risks.
• Support stakeholder engagement by providing clear technical input to clients, authorities, consultants, contractors, and internal project leaders.
• Contribute to bid preparation, technical proposals, project strategies, scope definition, and delivery planning for rail infrastructure opportunities.
• Mentor and develop engineers by providing technical guidance, design review feedback, and best‑practice support.
• Drive innovation, quality, and continuous improvement in alignment design workflows, digital tools, review processes, and rail engineering standards.
• Apply specialized engineering knowledge across all steps required to complete the discipline component of PS and E packages.
• Support project phases from feasibility and concept design through detailed design, tender support, construction support, and technical clarification.
• Ensure alignment solutions support safe train operations, maintainability, passenger comfort, construction feasibility, and long‑term infrastructure performance.

Ideal Profile

• Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Engineering from an accredited university in a relevant engineering discipline.
• Master of Science, Master of Engineering, or PhD is preferred.
• Minimum 15 years of rail engineering experience, including strong experience in the GCC region.
• Proven background in railway track alignment design for metro, freight, high‑speed, conventional rail, or major transport infrastructure projects.
• Strong expertise in horizontal alignment, vertical alignment, track geometry, corridor optimization, operational integration, and design assurance.
• Professional engineering registration such as CEng, PE, or equivalent is advantageous. Relevant professional registration in Qatar, Bahrain, and UAE is required where applicable.
• Advanced understanding of rail engineering standards, alignment criteria, design methodology, technical specifications, and authority requirements.
• Ability to lead technical teams, review complex deliverables, mentor engineers, and support multidisciplinary project delivery.
• Strong experience with technical risk management, stakeholder coordination, bid support, budget input, and schedule planning.
• Confident in developing engineering procedures, reviewing calculations, checking drawings, and supporting PS and E documentation.
• Excellent analytical judgment with the ability to resolve complex engineering problems through practical, compliant, and cost‑effective solutions.
• Strong communication skills for engaging with clients, senior management, contractors, authorities, and multidisciplinary design teams.
• Commitment to technical excellence, safe design, sustainable infrastructure, quality assurance, and continuous professional development.

Skills Set

• Rail alignment design
• Track alignment engineering
• Horizontal alignment
• Vertical alignment
• Track geometry
• Corridor optimization
• Metro rail projects
• Freight rail projects
• High‑speed rail
• Conventional rail
• Operational integration
• Design assurance
• Technical authority
• Rail engineering leadership
• Design methodology
• PS and E packages
• Technical specifications
• Design calculations
• Drawing review
• Quality control review
• Construction cost estimates
• Technical effort estimation
• Engineering budget input
• Schedule planning
• Multidisciplinary coordination
• Civil interface coordination
• Systems interface coordination
• Signalling interface coordination
• Rolling stock interface coordination
• Technical risk management
• Stakeholder engagement
• Bid preparation
• GCC rail projects
• Engineer mentoring
• Construction support