Project Manager, Overhead Contact System (OCS)

Burns Engineering, Inc.; Sacramento (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Burns Engineering, Inc. seeks a Project Manager, Overhead Contact System (OCS) to lead electrification infrastructure efforts on the California High-Speed Rail program from design through energization, based in Sacramento, CA.

The role requires managing scope, schedule, budget, risk, and contractor performance across OCS work packages, coordinating with traction power, signaling, track, structures, and operations teams. Travel 25–50% along the alignment is expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Railway, or Systems Engineering, or related field; 10+ years delivering railway electrification/OCS projects.
• 10+ years of project management experience on transportation, railway, utility, or infrastructure programs.
• Experience delivering 25kV AC OCS systems from design through commissioning and operation.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams, contractors, suppliers, and consultants.
• Strong knowledge of railway electrification, OCS interfaces, grounding/bonding, and traction return.
• Experience coordinating OCS delivery with traction power, signaling, track, structures, and rolling stock.
• Experience leading outage planning, energization readiness, and railway electrical safety programs.
• Experience managing approvals with utilities, railroad operators, regulators, and authorities having jurisdiction.
• Experience leading factory/site acceptance testing and energization programs.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Willingness to travel 25–50% along the alignment.

Responsibilities

• Support delivery of OCS systems throughout design, procurement, construction, testing, commissioning, energization, and handover
• Maintain accountability for project scope, schedule, budget, risk, contractor performance, and delivery milestones for OCS work packages
• Coordinate with cross-disciplinary teams including traction power, signaling, communications, track, and structures
• Lead testing and energization programs across OCS work packages
• Coordinate approvals with utilities, railroad operators, regulators, and authorities having jurisdiction
• Provide leadership for railway electrical safety, outage planning, and readiness programs
• Review installation and testing readiness across work packages
• Ensure effective stakeholder engagement and governance for the program

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Stakeholder management

Project management

Team leadership

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Railway, or Systems Engineering, or related field

Job description

About Burns:

Burns Engineering provides professional engineering design and project management services for transportation, facilities, and infrastructure projects. We help our clients attain their strategic goals and initiatives through successful large-scale infrastructure projects. Burns’ full-service capabilities include mechanical, electrical, civil, structural, transportation, and energy consulting engineering.

Recently voted a Top Workplace by Philly.com, we credit our strength as an organization to our talented, driven, vibrant team. Burns is an ENR Top 500 Firm, and has been named an MEP Giant by Consulting‑Specifying Engineer Magazine, as well as a Hot Firm by Zweig. We are industry experts, proven leaders, innovative thinkers, and team players. We put our clients’ successes and best interests first, because their success is our success. We have fun at work because we love making a difference in the world. We are looking for high‑energy, bright, collaborative individuals who want the opportunity to “write their own story” with us.

Burns is currently seeking a Project Manager, Overhead Contact System (OCS) to join our Rail and Transit Team in Sacramento, CA.

Position Summary

The Project Manager, Overhead Contact System (OCS), supports the delivery of 25kV AC railway electrification infrastructure on the California High-Speed Rail (CAHSR) Program. The position covers catenary systems, registration equipment, cantilever assemblies, auto-tensioning systems, sectioning and paralleling facilities, switching infrastructure, neutral sections and overlap zones, grounding and bonding systems, traction return systems, and OCS monitoring, from design through procurement, installation, testing, commissioning, energization, and operational handover.

In this role, the Project Manager is accountable for scope, schedule, budget, risk, contractor performance, and delivery milestones across OCS work packages, and coordinates delivery with traction power, signaling, communications, track, structures, stations, maintenance facilities, operations, and maintenance. The position coordinates with utility providers, railroad operators, local jurisdictions, regulators, and Authorities Having Jurisdiction on the approvals required for energization and railway operation, and leads outage planning, electrical safety, energization readiness, and integrated testing programs.

Reporting to the Rail Systems Lead, the Project Manager supplies the Program with delivery accountability for railway electrification, verified installation and energization readiness, and the dynamic test and acceptance evidence required to support trial running and entry into revenue service. The position is based in Sacramento, California, with travel of 25 to 50 percent along the alignment.

Position Responsibilities

• Support the delivery of OCS systems throughout design, procurement, construction, testing, commissioning, energization, and operational handover
• Maintain accountability for project scope, schedule, budget, risk management, contractor performance, and delivery milestones for OCS work packages
• Coordinate delivery activities between traction power, signaling, communications, track, structures, stations, maintenance facilities, operations, and maintenance teams
• Support delivery of catenary systems, contact and messenger wire systems, cantilever assemblies, registration equipment, and auto-tensioning systems
• Support delivery of sectioning and paralleling facilities, switching infrastructure, neutral sections, overlap zones, grounding and bonding systems, traction return systems, and OCS monitoring systems
• Provide leadership for railway electrical safety, outage planning, energization readiness, and operational readiness programs
• Coordinate with utility providers, railroad operators, local jurisdictions, regulators, and Authorities Having Jurisdiction
• Support approval processes associated with energization, railway operations, and electrification infrastructure
• Coordinate responses to technical reviews, stakeholder comments, and system acceptance requirements
• Support technical oversight of contractor installation activities and system implementation
• Coordinate resolution of technical issues, field changes, interface challenges, and construction constraints
• Review installation readiness, testing readiness, and energization readiness across OCS work packages
• Lead execution of Factory Acceptance Testing, Site Acceptance Testing, integrated testing, dynamic testing, and energization programs
• Coordinate testing interfaces with traction power, signaling, communications, rolling stock, and operations systems
• Support defect resolution, punch‑list closure, operational readiness, and entry into revenue service
• Support executive reporting, forecasting, change management, stakeholder engagement, and governance activities

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Railway Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related engineering discipline, or demonstrable on‑the‑job work experience, and a minimum of ten (10) years of experience delivering railway electrification or OCS infrastructure projects
• Minimum of ten (10) years of project management experience on transportation, railway, utility, or infrastructure programs
• Demonstrated experience delivering 25kV AC OCS systems from design through commissioning and operational service
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams, contractors, suppliers, and consultants
• Strong working knowledge of railway electrification systems, OCS interfaces, grounding and bonding, traction return systems, and railway operations
• Experience coordinating OCS delivery with traction power, signaling, track, structures, and rolling stock disciplines
• Experience leading outage planning, energization readiness, and railway electrical safety programs
• Experience managing approvals with utility providers, railroad operators, regulators, and Authorities Having Jurisdiction
• Experience leading Factory Acceptance Testing, Site Acceptance Testing, integrated testing, and energization programs
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills
• Availability for travel of 25 to 50 percent along the alignment

Preferred Qualifications/ Certifications/ Licensures

• Experience on high-speed rail projects operating above 125 mph (200 km/h)
• Experience delivering high-speed catenary systems and electrification infrastructure
• Experience with EN 50119, AREMA, FRA, and railway electrification standards
• Experience supporting dynamic testing and pantograph‑catenary interaction testing
• Experience supporting entry into revenue service on an electrified passenger railway
• Experience overseeing contracts exceeding $250 million
• PE, PMP, CEng, APM, or equivalent professional certification
• Experience with OCS monitoring systems and electrification asset condition management

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