Chief Engineering Officer

South Shore Line; Michigan City (IN); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) seeks an experienced railroad engineering leader to serve as Chief Engineering Officer. This senior role has direct responsibility for safety, inspection, maintenance, and regulatory compliance of Engineering Department infrastructure, including Track, Structures, Line, and Signal.

The Chief Engineering Officer leads the Engineering Department, setting standards, enforcing safety rules, developing supervisors, and ensuring work is planned

Responsibilities

• Provide visible, hands‑on safety leadership for the Engineering Department, including field observations and infrastructure inspections.
• Establish and maintain a culture of safe work practices, regulatory compliance, and prompt hazard correction.
• Ensure staff and contractors comply with FRA regulations, Roadway Worker Protection requirements, Track Safety Standards, bridge worker safety requirements, and related obligations.
• Ensure staff have the training, qualifications, tools, personal protective equipment, and supervision necessary to perform work safely.
• Review employee injuries, near misses, infrastructure failures, derailments, rule violations, and significant operating events involving Engineering; identify root causes and ensure corrective actions are implemented and closed.
• Evaluate reported hazards promptly, and track corrective actions to completion.
• Exercise authority to stop or restrict work when conditions warrant.

Job description

Chief Engineering Officer

The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD), operator of the South Shore Line Railroad, is seeking an experienced railroad engineering leader to serve as Chief Engineering Officer. This is a senior railroad operating and maintenance leadership position with direct responsibility for the safety, inspection, testing, maintenance, repair, reliability, regulatory compliance, and state of good repair of NICTD Engineering Department infrastructure, including Track, Structures, Line, and Signal. The Chief Engineering Officer leads NICTD's Engineering Department and is expected to be a visible, hands‑on field leader. The successful candidate will establish clear standards, enforce railroad operating and safety rules consistently, develop supervisors and employees, identify infrastructure risks before they become failures, and ensure that work is properly planned, documented, and executed.

With safety at the front of mind, the Chief Engineering Officer is accountable for the safe condition and regulatory compliance of infrastructure under the Engineering Department's control and for building a department in which employees understand that production, schedule, and cost never take priority over safe work practices, regulatory compliance, accurate inspection and testing, and safe railroad operations.

The Chief Engineering Officer works closely with the Senior Director of Capital Projects and Structures. The Chief Engineering Officer remains accountable for the safe condition, inspection, maintenance, repair, and operational availability of Engineering Department assets, while the Senior Director provides senior structural technical expertise and leads assigned major capital rehabilitation, replacement, and construction projects.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Safety Leadership

• Provide visible, hands‑on safety leadership for the Engineering Department, including regular field observations, work‑site visits, job briefing observations, and infrastructure inspections.
• Establish and maintain a culture in which safe work practices, operating discipline, regulatory compliance, accurate reporting, and prompt correction of hazards are expected every day.
• Ensure employees and contractors comply with NICTD safety rules, applicable FRA regulations, Roadway Worker Protection requirements, Track Safety Standards, bridge worker safety requirements, and other applicable requirements.
• Ensure employees have the training, qualifications, tools, equipment, personal protective equipment, and supervision necessary to perform work safely.
• Review employee injuries, near misses, infrastructure failures, derailments, rule violations, and significant operating events involving Engineering; identify root causes and ensure corrective actions are implemented and closed.
• Ensure reported hazards and safety concerns are evaluated promptly, and corrective actions are tracked to completion.
• Exercise authority to stop or restrict work, impose appropriate operating restrictions, increase inspection or monitoring, or remove infrastructure from service when conditions warrant.