Design Manager, Rail + Transit

T.Y. Lin International; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 160,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work

Total rewards package

Career development opportunities

Job summary

TYLin seeks an experienced Design Manager to lead the Rail & Transit practice in California. The ideal candidate will bring 15+ years of transportation design expertise, a PE license, and a proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams through complex projects.

You will mentor staff, manage design interfaces across disciplines, and collaborate with clients, regulators, and partners to deliver high-quality, constructible solutions on time and within budget.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering required with PE license.
• Approximately 15+ years in transportation design/rail & transit.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and managing design delivery.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate multidisciplinary engineering design teams through all project phases.
• Manage design processes, deliverables, schedules, budgets, and quality.
• Provide design leadership, ensuring solutions meet client and regulatory requirements.
• Collaborate with project managers, clients, and contractors to resolve challenges.
• Build relationships with public-sector agencies and private clients.
• Support business development and client engagement for new opportunities.
• Mentor engineering staff and foster a high-performing design culture.

Skills

Leadership

Design management

Mentoring

Communication

Stakeholder management

Team coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

PE license

Master's degree (asset)

Job description

TYLin is a globally recognized, full-service infrastructure consulting firm committed to providing innovative, cost-effective, constructible designs for the global infrastructure market. With over 3,000 employees throughout the Americas, Asia, and Europe, the firm provides support on projects of varying size and complexity. Together, we enhance conventional designs with smarter, more resilient systems. We provide people with better mobility. We steward precious resources by finding more sustainable solutions.

Job Summary

TYLin is seeking an experienced Design Manager to support the continued growth and delivery of our Rail & Transit practice in California. This is an opportunity for an accomplished engineering professional to take a leadership role in the delivery of major transportation infrastructure projects, bringing together strong technical expertise, design management experience, and the ability to lead multidisciplinary teams. The successful candidate will have approximately 15+ years of experience within the transportation infrastructure market, ideally with a background in California's Rail & Transit sector. They will understand the complexities of delivering large-scale transportation developments, have a proven track record of managing design delivery, and be comfortable working with sophisticated public- and private-sector clients. Beyond project delivery, we are looking for someone who enjoys developing people, mentoring technical professionals, and helping build the next generation of engineering talent within our organization.

Responsibilities & Qualifications

How You'll be Engaged:

• Leading and coordinating multidisciplinary engineering design teams through all phases of project development and delivery.
• Managing design processes, technical deliverables, schedules, budgets, and quality expectations across major transportation infrastructure programs.
• Providing design leadership and oversight, ensuring technical solutions meet client requirements, regulatory standards, and project objectives.
• Working closely with project managers, technical leads, clients, contractors, and other stakeholders to resolve complex design and delivery challenges.
• Building and maintaining trusted relationships with major public-sector transportation agencies, private-sector clients, and industry partners.
• Supporting project pursuits, client engagement, and the development of new business opportunities.
• Identifying opportunities to improve design delivery processes, technical coordination, and overall project performance.
• Mentoring and developing engineering staff, supporting technical career progression, and fostering a collaborative, high-performing design environment.

What You'll Bring:

• A Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Civil, Structural, Mechanical, or Electrical); a Master's degree is an asset.
• A current Professional Engineer (PE) license.
• Approximately 15+ years of progressive engineering experience, with a significant portion within the Rail & Transit or broader transportation infrastructure market.
• A strong understanding of design processes and project delivery requirements associated with major rail, transit, and transportation infrastructure developments.
• A demonstrated track record of successfully managing and delivering complex engineering design assignments.
• Experience coordinating multidisciplinary technical teams and managing design interfaces across multiple engineering disciplines.
• The ability to build productive relationships with senior-level clients, public agencies, contractors, and project stakeholders.
• Strong communication, leadership, and organizational skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate across technical and business teams.
• An interest in mentoring, coaching, and developing technical professionals.

Ideally, You'll Also Have:

• Experience working within the California transportation market, with established knowledge of regional agencies, clients, and infrastructure programs.
• Exposure to alternative project delivery models, including Design-Build, Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), or other collaborative delivery environments.
• Experience supporting major capital programs and large-scale transportation infrastructure developments.
• Involvement in business development, client relationship management, and strategic project pursuits.

Why Join TYLin?

At TYLin, we are driven by a shared commitment to delivering innovative, sustainable, and technically excellent infrastructure solutions that improve the communities in which we live and work. Our people are our greatest asset, and we are committed to creating an environment where talented professionals can develop, collaborate, and make a meaningful impact. This is an opportunity to bring your design leadership experience to a well-established transportation practice, influence the delivery of significant infrastructure projects, and play an important role in developing the technical talent and capabilities that will shape our future.

Additional Information

TYLin is committed to pay equity. As part of that commitment, we have provided the base compensation range of$160,000 - $230,000 annually for this position and local market. We recognize that each candidate brings a unique set of skills, experience, education and competencies to the table that will be reflected in our offer.TYLin is proud to offer exciting career development opportunities. #LI-Hybrid #LI-GINorthernCalifornia TYLin offers a comprehensive total rewards package. Our benefits may include extensive medical, disability and life insurance coverage, continuing education benefits, paid time off, employee assistance program and a retirement savings plan with company matching contributions. We encourage all candidates to explore our total rewards offering. Collaboration, mission-driven focus, discipline, and leadership skills developed through military service benefit us all. Whether you are a Veteran, Guardsman or Reservist, a Military Spouse or you are planning to transition to civilian life in the near future, we welcome and value your application. TYLin is an equal opportunity employer, and we prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type as protected by federal, provincial, state or local laws. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. The company and its employees are required to comply with all local health authority, legal or lawful client requirements. Our Global Infrastructure team, including TYLin, Introba, Landrum & Brown form the Infrastructure division of Sidara. Sidara is a leading, privately-owned professional services group with a diverse history and a global presence. Sidara world-class planning, design, engineering, and project management firms are dedicated to achieving our clients’ ambitions and supporting sustainable communities worldwide. The Global Infrastructure division is comprised of 5,000 people operating in 21 countries.