OCS Specialist/ Engineer (Overhead Catenary System)

SYSTRA; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

SYSTRA Canada is seeking an experienced OCS Design Lead for rail and transit projects in Canada. You will oversee the OCS design and delivery, coordinate interfaces across civil, electrical, and systems teams, and ensure compliance with CSA, AREMA, EN, IEC standards.

The role includes mentoring junior staff and supporting construction and commissioning. Ideal candidates bring 10+ years in railway OCS design, leadership experience, and a P.Eng or eligibility, with strong English communication.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of railway OCS design experience with exposure to transit or urban rail projects.
• Experience leading technical teams, managing project delivery and interfacing with contractors.
• P.Eng designation in Canada or eligible to obtain; fluency in English; French is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Oversee and check OCS design and delivery across projects.
• Coordinate OCS interfaces with adjacent disciplines to ensure integration.
• Review submissions, provide timely technical responses and clarifications.
• Lead design reviews, hazard workshops, and provide OCS input for safe, buildable solutions.
• Mentor junior engineers, implement QA/QC for OCS deliverables, and manage risks.
• Prepare technical reports and maintain project documentation; support construction and commissioning.

Skills

OCS design experience

Team leadership

Multidisciplinary coordination

Communication skills

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical, Mechanical, or Civil/Structural Engineering

Tools

MicroStation

AutoCAD

Job description

SYSTRA Canada is part of the SYSTRA group, an international consulting and engineering group, a world leader in the design of transport infrastructures. SYSTRA Canada is an engineering and consulting firm whose primary focus is to offer transportation solutions, whether for passengers or goods: feasibility studies of building a new railway line, increasing the capacity of the existing infrastructure, privatization of a railway.

Understand better who we are by visiting www.systracanada.com.

Context

This is an engineering role responsible for overhead contact system (OCS) design and delivery for rail and transit infrastructure projects. The position operates within multidisciplinary rail systems teams, coordinating across civil, structural, electrical, and systems engineering interfaces.

The role encompasses a comprehensive approach to electrification systems, supporting critical project phases from initial conceptualization through preliminary and detailed design, construction support, and final commissioning.

Missions/Main Duties

Responsibilities Include But Are Not Limited To

• Oversee and checking of the OCS design and delivery.
• Coordinate OCS interfaces with Traction Power, Signaling, Communications, Civil/Structural, Trackwork, Stations/Architectural, and Utilities, ensuring physical and functional integration.
• Support the management of System Interfaces and creation of Interface Control Documents (ICDs)
• Be the Lead checker of the OCS designs, drawings, and specifications produced by the engineers.
• Ensure compliance with relevant standards, codes, and project requirements (CSA, AREMA, EN, IEC, etc.).
• Review contractor submissions including shop drawings, material approvals, method statements, and RFIs, providing timely technical responses and design clarifications.
• Attend project meetings and provide technical expertise.
• Participate in design reviews and hazard/interface workshops, providing OCS input to support safe, buildable, and maintainable solutions.
• Mentor and guide junior engineers and designers.
• Implement QA/QC processes for OCS deliverables.
• Identify risks and propose mitigation strategies.
• Prepare technical reports, design documentation, and progress updates.
• Maintain project records and ensure proper documentation.
• Provide technical support during construction and commissioning.
• Stay updated with latest OCS technologies and best practices.
• Promote process improvements and innovation within the team.

Profile/Skills

The ideal candidate brings a minimum of10 years of railway OCS design experience, with demonstrated exposure to transit or urban rail projects. Experience leading technical teams, managing project delivery, and interfacing with contractors and regulatory authorities is required

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical, Mechanical, or Civil/Structural Engineering.
• P.Eng. designation in Canada (or eligibility to obtain).
• At least 10 years of railway experiencein OCS design and implementation.
• Experience as an OCS Engineer in the design phase, with the ability to analyze and comment on designs, providing expert consultancy during feasibility, preliminary, detailed design, and assessment of constructability.
• Experience with OCS structural calculations in Canadian Context.
• Excellent leadership, coordination and communication skills with a proven ability to guide multidisciplinary teams and drive digital innovation.
• Proficiency in software used for OCS design, such as MicroStation and AutoCAD.
• Commissioning supervision experience is advantageous.
• Preference for Light Rail Transit (LRT) experience. Heavy rail and High-Speed rail experience is advantageous.
• Fluency in English and excellent communication skills. French is advantageous.

SYSTRA Canada is committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer that values applications from all and offers employment equity based on the merits and abilities of candidates and personnel.

Note: In this description, the masculine gender is used for easy reading purposes and includes the feminine.

We use AI-enabled tools in our recruitment platform (iCIMS) for tasks like resume parsing and candidate matching. These tools do not make hiring decisions; all applications are reviewed by a human recruiter, and final decisions are made by our hiring team.

For questions about our hiring process or AI tools, please contact [e-mail].

Workplace Type

Hybrid