Project Engineer - Traction Power and Medium Voltage

Jaquith Consulting Group Inc; Sacramento (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k)

Dental insurance

Health insurance

Paid time off

Vision insurance

Job summary

Jaquith Consulting Group is seeking a Project Engineer, Traction Power and Medium Voltage (Track Engineer) to lead electrical design and integration for the CAHSR program in Sacramento. You will oversee technical reviews, field engineering resolutions, and coordination across OCS, signaling, SCADA, and stations to ensure energization readiness and revenue service preparation.

Reporting to the Project Manager, Traction Power and Medium Voltage, you will provide verified electrical deliverables,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering and 10+ years of relevant project experience.
• 10+ years on major transportation or infrastructure programs.
• Experience delivering traction power, electrical infrastructure, and railway systems.
• Strong ability to review calculations, studies, specs, and construction docs.
• Travel availability of 25–50% along the project alignment.

Responsibilities

• Lead engineering coordination for traction power, MV, and auxiliary power across design, procurement, construction, testing, energization, and handover.
• Coordinate interfaces between traction power, OCS, signaling, communications, SCADA, stations, and maintenance facilities.
• Lead technical review of studies, load flow, short-circuit, and grounding analyses; oversee specs and design deliverables.
• Review contractor submittals, shop drawings, calculations, and test procedures.
• Provide engineering support for substations, interconnections, and SCADA systems.
• Support regulatory approvals, energy authorization, and energization readiness.
• Monitor field implementation, safety, and commissioning activities; ensure readiness for revenue service.

Skills

Leadership

Coordination

Technical writing

Stakeholder engagement

Travel availability

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Professional Engineer licensure

Tools

SCADA systems

Substation equipment knowledge

Job description

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Client / Engagement:

California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA)

Location: Sacramento, California (on-site), up to 50% travel

Salary Range: $120,000-$200,000 (based on experience)

Employment Type: Full-Time

Position Summary

Jaquith Consulting Group is looking for a Project Engineer, Traction Power and Medium Voltage (Track Engineer) to provide engineering leadership for traction power, medium voltage distribution, and auxiliary power systems on the California High-Speed Rail (CAHSR) Program. The position covers 25kV AC traction power systems, traction power substations, switching and paralleling stations, utility interconnection facilities, traction power SCADA, protective relay systems, power transformers, high and medium voltage switchgear, grounding and bonding, traction return, auxiliary power substations, medium voltage distribution networks, wayside power distribution, emergency and standby power, UPS systems, and electrical metering and monitoring.

In this role, the Project Track Engineer leads technical review of traction power studies, protection schemes, load flow analyses, short circuit and grounding studies, equipment specifications, construction packages, contractor submittals, shop drawings, calculation packages, and test procedures. The position coordinates engineering interfaces with OCS, signaling, communications, SCADA, stations, maintenance facilities, civil works, track, operations, and maintenance; supports utility coordination and Authority Having Jurisdiction approvals; and provides engineering oversight during installation, testing, commissioning, and energization.

Reporting to the Project Manager, Traction Power and Medium Voltage, the Project Track Engineer supplies the Program with verified electrical engineering deliverables, documented field engineering resolutions, and the technical evidence required to support energization readiness, system acceptance, and entry into revenue service. The position is based in Sacramento, California, with travel of 25 to 50 percent along the alignment.

What You'll Do

• Lead engineering coordination and technical oversight for traction power, medium voltage, and auxiliary power systems throughout design, procurement, construction, testing and commissioning, energization, and operational handover
• Coordinate engineering interfaces between traction power, OCS, signaling, communications, SCADA, stations, maintenance facilities, civil works, track, operations, and maintenance teams
• Lead technical review of traction power studies, protection schemes, load flow analyses, short circuit studies, grounding studies, equipment specifications, construction packages, and design deliverables
• Review contractor submittals, shop drawings, calculation packages, test procedures, and engineering documentation
• Provide engineering support for 25kV AC traction power systems, traction power substations, switching and paralleling stations, utility interconnection facilities, and traction power SCADA systems
• Provide engineering support for protective relay systems, power transformers, high and medium voltage switchgear, grounding and bonding systems, traction return systems, and power monitoring systems
• Provide engineering support for medium voltage distribution networks, station and maintenance facility power, wayside power distribution, ring main units, distribution transformers, motor control centers, emergency and standby power, UPS systems, low voltage distribution, and electrical metering
• Review engineering deliverables associated with substations, cable routes, duct banks, equipment shelters, and corridor-wide distribution infrastructure
• Coordinate electrical power interfaces supporting signaling, communications, train control, station, maintenance facility, security, and operational control center systems
• Support utility coordination for transmission, sub-transmission, and distribution service connections, including service applications, interconnection agreements, load studies, protection coordination reviews, and energization authorizations
• Provide technical support for statutory, regulatory, and Authority Having Jurisdiction approvals, and support preparation of responses to regulator comments, permit conditions, and inspection findings
• Monitor construction of substations, utility interconnections, medium voltage distribution systems, and wayside electrical infrastructure, and conduct field inspections to verify compliance with approved designs and standards
• Support resolution of field issues, design changes, RFIs, utility conflicts, site access constraints, and construction sequencing challenges
• Provide technical leadership for electrical safety, outage planning, energization readiness, commissioning readiness, and operational handover programs
• Support Factory Acceptance Testing, Site Acceptance Testing, System Integration Testing, protective relay testing, transformer testing, switchgear testing, SCADA verification, and trial running
• Support defect resolution, corrective actions, punch-list closure, final system acceptance, revenue service demonstration, and operational readiness

What You Need

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related engineering discipline and a minimum of ten (10) years of experience delivering traction power, electrical infrastructure, utility, medium voltage, or rail systems projects
• Minimum of ten (10) years of engineering experience on major transportation, utility, energy, or infrastructure programs
• Demonstrated experience supporting traction power and electrical systems from design through construction, testing, commissioning, energization, and final acceptance
• Strong experience reviewing engineering calculations, technical studies, specifications, and construction documentation
• Strong working knowledge of traction power systems, medium voltage distribution systems, substations, protective relays, utility interfaces, and railway electrical infrastructure
• Experience coordinating contractors, utilities, suppliers, and multidisciplinary engineering teams
• Experience reviewing protection schemes, load flow analyses, short circuit studies, and grounding studies
• Experience supporting utility coordination, interconnection, and energization authorization activities
• Experience supporting Factory Acceptance Testing, Site Acceptance Testing, and electrical commissioning programs
• Strong technical writing, coordination, and stakeholder engagement skills
• Availability for travel of 25 to 50 percent along the alignment

Preferred Qualifications/ Certifications/ Licensures

• Professional Engineer (PE) licensure; additional years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of licensure
• Experience on high-speed rail projects operating above 125 mph (200 km/h)
• Experience with California High-Speed Rail, HS2, European high-speed rail programs, or comparable large-scale rail programs
• Experience delivering 25kV AC traction power systems
• Experience supporting traction power substations, auxiliary power substations, switching stations, and utility interconnections
• Experience with electrical SCADA systems, power monitoring systems, and integrated railway power management systems
• Experience supporting substation construction, wayside equipment installation, energization planning, and commissioning programs
• Experience supporting integrated testing, revenue service demonstration, and entry into revenue service activities

Jaquith Consulting Group is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.