Senior OCS Rail Electrification Project Engineer

Burns Engineering, Inc.; Sacramento (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Burns Engineering, Inc. is seeking a Project Engineer for the Overhead Contact System (OCS) to join our Transit and Rail Team in Sacramento, CA.

The role focuses on leading OCS engineering for 25kV AC electrification on the CAHSR program, coordinating with designers, contractors, suppliers, and operations stakeholders, and delivering verified electrification deliverables. The position requires a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Railway/Systems/Civil Engineering and at least 10 years of railway

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Railway Engineering, Systems Engineering, Civil Engineering, or a related discipline and a minimum of ten (10) years of railway electrification or OCS engineering experience.
• Strong technical writing, coordination, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Availability for travel of 25 to 50 percent along the alignment.
• Knowledge of railway electrification interfaces and operational requirements.
• Willingness to travel 25–50% along the alignment.

Responsibilities

• Develop and review OCS engineering deliverables, construction packages, technical specifications, interface documentation, design changes, and technical submissions.
• Lead review of OCS designs, wiring plans, structure layouts, electrification studies, and construction packages.
• Review catenary layouts, structural interfaces, grounding and bonding requirements, and electrical clearances.
• Review geometry requirements, system performance requirements, and dynamic interaction criteria.
• Coordinate interfaces between OCS, traction power, trackwork, structures, signaling, communications, and rolling stock.
• Coordinate OCS interfaces with traction power substations, SCADA systems, stations, maintenance facilities, and operations.
• Provide engineering support for 25kV AC OCS systems, catenary systems, contact wire systems, and messenger wire systems.
• Provide engineering support for cantilever assemblies, registration equipment, and auto-tensioning systems.
• Provide engineering support for sectioning facilities, switching stations, neutral sections, and overlap zones.
• Provide engineering support for grounding and bonding systems, traction return systems, and OCS monitoring systems.
• Provide engineering support during installation, testing, commissioning, and energization activities.
• Support technical issue resolution, field design clarifications, and implementation challenges.
• Review contractor technical submissions and turnover documentation.
• Develop and review testing procedures, commissioning documentation, and energization programs.
• Participate in Factory Acceptance Testing, Site Acceptance Testing, integrated testing, dynamic testing, and operational readiness activities, and review test results supporting system acceptance

Skills

Technical writing

Coordination

Stakeholder engagement

Travel readiness

Railway electrification knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Railway/Civil/Systems Engineering

Job description

Burns Engineering, Inc. is seeking a Project Engineer for the Overhead Contact System (OCS) to join our Transit and Rail Team in Sacramento, CA.

The role focuses on leading OCS engineering for 25kV AC electrification on the CAHSR program, coordinating with designers, contractors, suppliers, and operations stakeholders, and delivering verified electrification deliverables. The position requires a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Railway/Systems/Civil Engineering and at least 10 years of railway