Senior Manager - Rail Systems Engineering and Integration

Parsons; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 1,000,000 - 1,600,000; Full time

Job summary

Parsons Corporation seeks a Senior Manager - Rail Systems to provide strategic technical leadership on a major Riyadh rail program. The role focuses on governance, system integration, and RAMS across metro, heavy rail, light rail, and high‑speed rail projects, with responsibility for readiness for Entry into Service.

You will oversee technical assurance, safety compliance, and interfaces between signalling, telecommunications, AFC, and central control centres, coordinating multiple project teams

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required in Electrical Engineering, Electronics, Telecommunications, Control Engineering, Systems Engineering, or closely related discipline.

Responsibilities

• Lead rail systems governance, technical assurance, and integration across multiple projects.
• Oversee signalling, train control, telecommunications, SCADA, AFC, security and control centers.
• Ensure RAMS, safety certification, regulatory approvals and EIS readiness.
• Coordinate interfaces between rail systems and civil, mechanical, electrical, and architectural works.
• Provide strategic technical direction and governance for rail systems across the program.

Skills

Rail systems leadership

RAMS

Systems integration

Technical governance

Regulatory compliance

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field

Job description

Senior Manager - Rail Systems Engineering and Integration Job Snapshot - Role: Senior Manager - Rail Systems - Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Industry: Civil Engineering - Function: Program Management - Experience: Minimum 15 years in rail systems engineering on major railway and transportation programs - Job Type: Full Time - Work Arrangement: On-site Position Overview Parsons Corporation is seeking a highly experienced Senior Manager - Rail Systems to provide strategic technical leadership across a major transportation program in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This senior, client-facing position is embedded within an integrated client and Project Management Consultancy (PMC) office. Working within the PUA function, the successful candidate will lead the governance, technical assurance, systems integration, and coordination of rail systems across multiple projects and contracts. The program encompasses rail transportation technologies associated with metro, heavy rail, light rail, and high-speed rail infrastructure. Responsibilities cover signalling and train control, telecommunications, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), platform systems, Automatic Fare Collection (AFC), security systems, control centres, and other line‑wide railway systems. The position focuses on managing and assuring rail systems design and construction delivery on behalf of the client. It does not involve responsibility for day‑to‑day railway operations or maintenance. The Senior Manager will oversee technical requirements, system interfaces, safety assurance, testing and commissioning, regulatory approvals, and readiness for Entry into Service (EIS). Candidates must demonstrate at least 15 years of rail systems engineering experience, including significant responsibility for major railway programs, systems integration, technical assurance, Reliability, Availability, Maintainability and Safety (RAMS), and safety certification.

Job Details

• Country: Saudi Arabia
• City: Riyadh
• Industry: Civil Engineering
• Function: Program Management
• Salary: Not disclosed
• Gender: No Preference
• Candidate Nationality: Not specified
• Job Type: Full Time
• Work Arrangement: On‑site

What You 'll Be Doing

• Rail Systems Strategy and Program Leadership
• Serve as the program‑level lead for rail systems within the PUA function.
• Establish strategic direction, technical priorities, and governance requirements for rail systems across multiple projects.
• Develop and maintain rail systems strategies, standards, and technical principles aligned with the client‘s vision.
• Ensure technical strategies address regulatory compliance, interoperability, and program objectives.
• Define and maintain consistent employer requirements for rail systems across contracts, scopes of work, and design briefs.
• Provide independent strategic advice to senior client leadership on technical risks, opportunities, and long‑term implications.
• Support informed decision‑making on rail systems technologies, engineering approaches, and program delivery priorities.

Multi‑Project Rail Systems Management

• Oversee rail systems activities across multiple projects, packages, and contracts.
• Provide technical leadership for signalling, train control, telecommunications, SCADA, platform systems, AFC, security, control centres, and line‑wide systems.
• Coordinate project‑level rail systems managers and engineers to maintain consistent technical approaches.
• Align engineering assumptions, system interfaces, and technical requirements across delivery packages.
• Review design, procurement, installation, testing, and commissioning plans.
• Assess the feasibility of project schedules and their alignment with program milestones.
• Lead the resolution of technical conflicts affecting multiple projects.
• Escalate significant issues to PUA and program leadership when required.

Technical Governance and Design Assurance

• Oversee the program‑level rail systems technical assurance framework.
• Verify compliance with employer requirements, performance specifications, and applicable regulatory obligations.
• Ensure relevant international and industry standards are incorporated into technical assurance activities.
• Provide senior technical review and approval of key rail systems concepts, architectures, and engineering decisions on behalf of the client.
• Oversee the application of requirements management, verification, and validation processes.
• Ensure appropriate technical evidence supports compliance and design acceptance.
• Participate in and, where necessary, chair high‑level technical and design review boards.
• Challenge technical proposals where required to protect safety, performance, interoperability, and program objectives.

Rail Systems Integration and Interface Management

• Provide program‑level oversight of systems integration across railway infrastructure and associated technologies.
• Coordinate interfaces between signalling, train control, and rolling stock.
• Oversee integration between rail systems and civil, mechanical, electrical, and architectural works.
• Ensure requirements for equipment rooms, cable routes, environmental conditions, and physical interfaces are addressed.
• Coordinate interfaces involving central control centres and operational systems.
• Oversee integration with external utilities, telecommunications providers, legacy railway systems, and adjacent networks.
• Ensure consistent implementation of interface registers and interface agreements across contracts.
• Lead the resolution of major cross‑project interface issues.
• Promote integrated, end‑to‑end technical solutions that support the intended railway operating concept.

Rail Safety, RAMS and Regulatory Certification

• Provide leadership on rail systems safety and RAMS at program level.
• Coordinate safety assurance activities with Engineering and Safety teams and PUA governance.
• Oversee the preparation and review of rail systems safety cases.
• Monitor hazard logs, RAMS analyses, and supporting safety evidence.
• Ensure safety documentation is consistent and sufficient to support regulatory approvals.
• Coordinate with independent safety assessors, notified bodies, and relevant regulatory authorities.
• Support the planning and achievement of required rail systems safety approvals and certifications.
• Ensure appropriate application of recognized railway safety engineering standards, including relevant CENELEC requirements.
• Oversee the incorporation of cybersecurity requirements for critical rail systems into contracts, designs, and assurance documentation.

Testing, Commissioning and Entry into Service

• Oversee rail systems testing and commissioning strategies across the program.
• Review testing schedules and their alignment with major delivery milestones.
• Coordinate Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) and Site Acceptance Testing (SAT) requirements.
• Ensure appropriate alignment of static testing, dynamic testing, and integrated systems testing.
• Oversee coordination of trial operations across multiple projects and contracts.
• Review rail systems readiness for power‑on and system integration testing milestones.
• Assess readiness for trial operations and Entry into Service.
• Support the client in establishing rail systems acceptance criteria.
• Provide technical recommendations supporting go or no‑go decisions for Entry into Service.
• Ensure testing and commissioning activities demonstrate the required system functionality, integration, and safety performance.

Program Controls, Risk and Change Management

• Coordinate with program controls teams to integrate rail systems activities into the master program schedule.
• Ensure critical technical dependencies, constraints, and milestones are appropriately represented.
• Identify and manage program‑level rail systems risks and opportunities.
• Assess risks involving technology selection, systems integration, safety, regulatory approvals, and supplier performance.
• Coordinate with risk management teams to maintain relevant program risk registers.
• Review proposed changes and variations affecting rail systems scope or technical performance.
• Evaluate value engineering proposals from technical, commercial, and lifecycle perspectives.
• Advise program leadership on the implications of significant technical changes.
• Provide clear reporting on rail systems progress, risks, constraints, and decisions requiring management attention.

Client and Stakeholder Management

• Act as a senior technical interface with client leadership and program governance bodies.
• Coordinate with client Operations, Maintenance, Safety, IT, Commercial, and Customer Experience functions.
• Ensure rail systems designs support operational concepts and required service levels.
• Engage future railway operators and maintainers during design development and acceptance activities.
• Incorporate relevant operational requirements and maintenance strategies into technical decisions.
• Liaise with transport authorities, regulators, and adjacent infrastructure owners.
• Support coordination where railway systems interface with external networks or shared infrastructure.
• Communicate complex technical matters clearly to senior stakeholders and non‑technical decision‑makers.
• Support external stakeholder engagement on matters involving rail systems technology, safety, and performance.

Team Leadership and Capability Development

• Lead and mentor rail systems managers and engineers within the integrated client‑PMC environment.
• Promote collaboration across engineering disciplines, contractors, consultants, and original equipment manufacturers.
• Establish consistent approaches to rail systems engineering, integration, and technical assurance.
• Support technical knowledge sharing and professional development within PUA and client teams.
• Encourage the application of lessons learned across multiple projects.
• Promote effective technical governance and engineering best practices.
• Contribute to succession planning and long‑term capability development for rail systems disciplines.
• Foster a high‑performance working environment focused on collaboration, technical quality, and client outcomes.

What You 'll Bring

Education

• Bachelor 's degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics, Telecommunications, Control Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a closely related discipline.

Professional Experience

• Minimum 15 years of experience in rail systems engineering on major railway programs.
• Experience involving metro, heavy rail, light rail, or high‑speed rail projects.
• Significant experience within a PMC organization, client organization, or major engineering consultancy.
• Previous responsibility for rail systems at program or portfolio level.
• Proven experience in railway systems integration and technical assurance.
• Demonstrated expertise in RAMS processes and rail systems safety certification.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams and coordinating multiple contractors or original equipment manufacturers.
• Experience working within integrated client and PMC environments.
• Essential experience across design, procurement, installation, testing, commissioning, and Entry into Service phases.

Rail Systems Technical Expertise

• Deep understanding of railway systems architectures and technologies.
• Advanced knowledge of signalling and train control systems.
• Strong understanding of railway telecommunications and SCADA systems.
• Knowledge of platform systems, Automatic Fare Collection, security systems, and central control centres.
• Ability to manage technical interfaces between railway systems and supporting infrastructure.
• Experience coordinating systems integration across multiple projects and contracts.
• Understanding of railway interoperability and end‑to‑end system performance.
• Ability to assess complex technical designs and engineering decisions.

Systems Engineering and Safety Assurance

• Strong knowledge of systems engineering methodologies.
• Experience with requirements management, verification, and validation.
• Advanced understanding of railway systems integration processes.
• Strong knowledge of RAMS principles and safety assurance requirements.
• Familiarity with applicable CENELEC standards for safety‑related railway systems.
• Experience with safety cases, hazard management, and certification processes.
• Ability to coordinate technical assurance with independent assessors and regulatory authorities.
• Understanding of cybersecurity considerations for critical railway systems.

Program and Commercial Management

• Strong understanding of program controls, including schedule, cost, and risk management.
• Ability to assess the program implications of technical decisions.
• Experience reviewing engineering changes, contract variations, and value engineering proposals.
• Ability to balance technical performance, commercial considerations, and delivery objectives.
• Strong strategic planning and technical governance capabilities.
• Experience reporting to senior client and program leadership.

Leadership and Communication

• Excellent leadership and senior stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to influence technical and commercial decisions across multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking capabilities.
• Advanced problem‑solving and decision‑making skills.
• Excellent communication and presentation abilities.
• Ability to explain complex engineering matters to non‑technical stakeholders.
• Strong professional judgment and commitment to client objectives.
• High standards of integrity, accountability, and professional conduct.

Additional Qualifications and Certifications

• Master 's degree in Railway Systems, Transportation Engineering, Systems Engineering, or Project and Program Management.
• Professional engineering registration or chartership, such as Chartered Engineer (CEng), Professional Engineer (PE), or an equivalent credential.
• Recognized project or program management certification.

Role Context

This is a senior technical management position within an integrated client‑PMC office supporting a major transportation program. The successful candidate will represent the client‘s technical interests throughout the design and construction delivery process, providing governance and assurance across multiple railway systems contracts. The role requires extensive coordination between engineering disciplines, delivery contractors, system suppliers, client stakeholders, and regulatory bodies. Success depends on maintaining consistent technical standards, resolving complex interfaces, supporting safety certification, and ensuring railway systems are integrated and ready for acceptance and Entry into Service. The position is focused on engineering delivery, program governance, and technical assurance rather than operational railway management or routine maintenance.

About Parsons Corporation

Parsons Corporation promotes a professional environment built around technical expertise, collaboration, innovation, and continuous development. The company‘s leadership approach emphasizes valuing people, embracing agility, and fostering growth. At Parsons, experienced engineering and program management professionals contribute to complex assignments while working with multidisciplinary teams and supporting client objectives.