Section Manager, Rail Technical Support

City of Ottawa; Ottawa; On-site; CAD 95,000 - 121,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading municipal government seeks a Rail Systems lead technical specialist for the Transit Services Department. This full-time position demands oversight of maintenance operations and human resources management, alongside project and budget responsibilities within Transit Engineering Services. Candidates should hold an engineering degree and possess significant supervisory experience in transit maintenance, with skill in project management and technical implementation.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in Transit maintenance and engineering activities.
• At least 2 years in the supervision of human resources.
• Completion of a 4 year university degree in Engineering.

Responsibilities

• Act as Rail Systems lead technical specialist and mentor.
• Provide expert advice on technology infrastructure within Transit Services.
• Manage human resources and oversight of compliance to policies.

Skills

Project management principles

Organizational skills

Problem analysis

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Education

4 year university degree in Engineering

Job description

Requisition ID: 17864
Department: Transit Services Dept.
Service: Transit Engineering Services
Branch:Rail Systems Administration Branch
Employment Type: 1 Full-time Permanent -
Work Hours: 35.00 hours per week
Affiliation: MPE
Salary Information: $95,127.76 - $120,309.28 annually (2025 rates of pay)
Location:Transit Service, 1500 St.Laurent
City: Ottawa, ON
Job Category: Transit Services - OC Transpo
Application Close:11/06/2025

JOB SUMMARY

Rail Systems Branch provides oversight of the maintenance contractors which includes corrective and planned maintenance, life cycle management, trending, and analysis within Transit Engineering Services. The oversight includes both diesel and electric rail vehicles, track and infrastructure, stations, systems, and overall maintenance planning.

Within the assigned area of responsibility, you are the Rail Systems lead technical specialist, supervisor, mentor, and relationship manager for the group. This includes oversight of compliance to policies and procedures, network engineering and operational support and maintenance of the Rail network’s head end communication systems infrastructure and related networking solutions, planning for complex networking engineering and cyber technology projects, meeting cyber security requirements and management of the 24/7 group of Rail Systems technical staff.

You will act as the project manager and provide expert advice to the group that is responsible for implementing, monitoring, analyzing, administering, troubleshooting, and resolving technology infrastructure related issues within Transit Services, specific to the Rail Systems branch. You also architect and implement assigned technology infrastructure solutions to meet client requirements and to improve transit operations. You are responsible for establishing and maintaining strategic partnerships and positive client relationships with internal and external management, stakeholders, and consultants/contractors/suppliers. You provide financial and professional input to the manager regarding strategic and operational plans, policy development, budget development and budget adherence.

You are also responsible for managing the human resources of the unit, including recommending hiring, performance management and discipline of staff as necessary.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Completion of 4 year university degree in Engineering, preferably in mechanical, civil, electrical or a related field

Minimum of 5 years of experience in Transit maintenance and engineering activities, including a minimum of 2 years in the supervision of human resources and/or external contract resources, and management of operating and capital budgets, preferably in a municipal setting.

KNOWLEDGE

• Trends and developments in the Transit engineering services communities and industries
• Project management principles and practices
• Service Excellence principles and practices
• Policy and program analysis, development, implementation and evaluation techniques
• Performance measurement, improvement and management practices
• Contract document preparation, the tendering process and supervision of field services
• General knowledge of the City of Ottawa and of corporate and departmental policies and procedures
• Legislation, policies, regulations, guidelines and operational procedures relevant to the Transit maintenance (Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety standards, Ontario Highway Traffic Act, Society of Automotive Engineer standards, Canadian Safety Standards)
• Supervisory experience and motivational techniques. Working knowledge of corporate human resource policies, practices and collective agreements related to managing in a unionized environment, including hiring, dismissal, performance management and the grievance procedure
• Engineering and Configuration Change Management
• Quality Assurance and Control standards and methodology applicable to the automotive industry
• Life Cycle Management and Life Cycle Costing of equipment
• Principles and techniques of project management
• Computer applications, including MS Office, SAP, MMS, M5, FMIS
• Must be familiar with applicable health and safety legislation, have knowledge of any potential or actual danger to health or safety in the work place, and have knowledge of appropriate actions to be taken in order to ensure the health and safety of staff in accordance with applicable legislation and City policies and procedures.

COMPETENCIES, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Possess organizational skills and flexibility to plan, initiate, organize and prioritize own work, and to deal effectively with multiple projects/demands, conflicting priorities, pressures and deadlines
• Able to research and analyze issues, interpret trial results, make decisions, develop appropriate solutions and formulate recommendations
• Possess computer literacy in MS Office Suite in a Windows environment, including use of the SAP, intra/Internet
• Possess excellent interpersonal, communication, and report writing skills
• Able to present information to internal/external audiences
• Effective oral and written communication skills with an ability to bring conflicting points of view to consensus
• Ability to analyze problems involving resources, scheduling, technical and other difficulties, and work with multi-disciplinary teams to develop realistic and innovative solutions
• Ability to conduct quantitative and qualitative analysis
• Ability to develop reports of a technical/engineering nature
• Effective judgment and decision-making capabilities
• Ability to utilize staff resources to accomplish assigned tasks through functional supervision
• Ability to multi-task and prioritize
• Strong interpersonal skills and leadership capabilities; client service focus; self motivated

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Language Requirement:English oral, reading, writing
• Experience and formal training combined with demonstrated performance and ability may substitute for stipulated academic requirements.
• Please save a copy of the job poster. Once the closing date has passed, it will no longer be available.

We wish to thank all applicants for their interest and effort in applying for this position. Only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.

The City of Ottawa promotes the principles of diversity and inclusion and adheres to the tenets of the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Ontario Human Rights Code. We encourage applications from members of Indigenous, Black and other racialized communities, persons with disabilities, women and non-binary persons, persons of all ethnic origins, religions, sexual orientations, classes, gender identities and expressions.
Candidates are encouraged to self-identify as a member of one or more designated employment equity groups in the self-identification questionnaire.

The City of Ottawa provides accommodation to applicants during all parts of the hiring process, upon request. If contacted to proceed to the selection process, please advise us if you require any accommodation.

Accessible formats and communication supports are available upon request. Please contact the Employee Service Centre at 613-580-2424 extension 12211 or via email at [e-mail].