Senior Project Engineer-Traction Electrification

Socket.dev; Seattle (WA); Hybrid; USD 87,000 - 191,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Retirement plans

Paid time off

Parental leave

Tuition reimbursement

ORCA card

Pet insurance

Job summary

Sound Transit in Seattle seeks a Senior Engineer to provide high-level engineering support for the Capital Delivery Department’s Maintenance Development Program, focusing on traction electrification systems, AC/DC distribution, OCS, and monitoring/control systems.

The role entails collaboration across agency groups to ensure reliable facilities, design input, installation, and commissioning support, and ongoing optimization for long-term operations and maintenance.

Qualifications

• Four-year bachelor’s degree in electrical, mechanical, or closely related field.
• Four years of experience in mechanical systems engineering for complex industrial systems.
• Equivalent combination of education and experience.

Responsibilities

• Reviews and inputs to contract deliverables for design compliance and testing.
• Develops system enhancements to improve reliability and performance of facilities.
• Supports design, installation, and commissioning of new assets within the maintenance facility program.
• Coordinates with agency teams for seamless system integration and project updates.
• Collaborates across agency to adopt new technologies and best practices.
• Provides engineering economic analysis for total cost of ownership.
• Prepares reports and presents to committees; supports safety and sustainability initiatives.

Skills

Power distribution

Traction electrification

System integration

Regulatory compliance

Root cause analysis

Time management

Collaboration

Communication

Meeting management

Systems thinking

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Electrical/Mechanical Engineering

Job description

Salary range is $87k to $191k with a midpoint of $139k. New hires typically receive between minimum and midpoint, however, we may go slightly higher based on experience, internal equity and market.

Sound Transit also offers a competitive benefits package with a wide range of offerings, including:

• Health Benefits: We offer two choices of medical plans, a dental plan, and a vision plan all at no cost for employee coverage; comprehensive benefits for employees and eligible dependents, including a spouse or domestic partner.
• Long-Term Disability and Life Insurance.
• Employee Assistance Program.
• Retirement Plans: 401a – 10% of employee contribution with a 12% match by Sound Transit; 457b – up to IRS maximum (employee only contribution).
• Paid Time Off: Employees accrue 25 days of paid time off annually with increases at four, eight and twelve years of service. Employees at the director level and up accrue additional days. We also observe 12 paid holidays and provide up to 2 paid floating holidays and up to 2 paid volunteer days per year.
• Parental Leave: 12 weeks of parental leave for new parents.
• Pet Insurance discount.
• ORCA Card: All full-time employees will receive an ORCA card at no cost.
• Tuition Reimbursement: Sound Transit will pay up to $5,000 annually for approved tuition expenses.
• Inclusive Reproductive Health Support Services.
• Compensation Practices: We offer competitive salaries based on market rates and internal equity. In addition to compensation and benefits, you’ll find that we provide work-life balance, opportunities for professional development and recognition from your colleagues.

GENERAL PURPOSE

Under general direction, provides senior engineering support for the Capital Delivery Department’s Maintenance Development Program.

This is a technical role as an engineer responsible for traction electrification systems which includes incoming AC utility feeds and medium voltage AC power distribution, DC traction power substations, overhead contact systems (OCS), and related automated monitoring and control systems. Provides support for building electrical systems, electrical safety monitoring systems, uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems, and all distribution systems required to support light rail infrastructure. Provides support for power protection and control implementation on the project, safety and grounding analyses, and integration with electrical controls systems including remote SCADA systems.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

The following duties are a representative summary of the primary duties and responsibilities. Incumbent(s) may not be required to perform all duties listed and may be required to perform additional, position-specific duties.

• Reviews and provides input to formal contract deliverables and submittals to provide assurance of project compliance with established agency technical criteria, policies, and procedures for design development, systems interface coordination and integration, construction, and testing and commissioning.
• Provides input to design requirements based on asset performance, operating needs and technological advancement of all power engineering needs for the project.
• Develop and implement system enhancements to ensure system reliability and performance of the maintenance facilities and infrastructure systems when they enter service.
• Supports the design, installation, and commissioning of new assets as part of the development of the maintenance facility program. Acts as the project’s point of contact with Agency activation teams and provides timely updates on system integration and contractor commissioning work.
• Partners closely with other Agency groups to ensure the seamless integration with existing infrastructure and encourages innovation through the implementation of new technologies on the projects to support long term operations and maintenance.
• Provides engineering economic analysis in determining total cost of ownership.
• Provides support to the department/division and others on matters as directed; serves as staff on a variety of committees as assigned; prepares and presents reports and presentations; attends and participates in professional group meetings.
• Collaborates with staff across the agency to ensure continuous improvement and best practice is applied to engineering criteria, policies, and procedures.
• Champions and models Sound Transit's core values and demonstrates values-based behaviors in everyday interactions across the agency.
• Contributes to a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion in alignment with Sound Transit’s Equity & Inclusion Policy.
• It is the responsibility of all employees to follow the Agency safety rules, regulations, and procedures pertaining to their assigned duties and responsibilities, which could include systems, operations, and/or other employees.
• It is the responsibility of all employees to integrate sustainability into everyday business practices.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Education and Experience: Four (4) year Bachelors Degree in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or closely related field. Four (4) years of experience in mechanical systems engineering in design, construction or operations and maintenance of complex industrial mechanical systems.Or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Required Licenses and Certifications

• None

Preferred Licenses and Certifications

• P.E Electrical Preferred

Required Knowledge and Skills

• Industrial power distribution systems and rail transit traction electrification.
• Operational characteristics, services, and activities of traction power and/or overhead contact systems engineering projects and programs.
• Application of principles and practices of electrical and traction power systems engineering, design, and construction.
• Oversight and monitoring the integration and design of traction electrification systems within a transit system.
• Federal, state, and local codes, OSHA requirements, and related regulations.
• Principles of business letter writing and basic report preparation.
• Troubleshooting, diagnostics, and root cause analysis - ability to systematically investigate equipment failures, determine the root cause, and recommend corrective action.
• Time management - ability to control a large workload, prioritize effort, and manage commitments.
• Collaboration - ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with other agency staff, consultants, contractors, authorities having jurisdiction, and other stakeholder groups.
• Communication - ability to communicate clear and accurate technical information to technical and non-technical audiences in verbal and written form.
• Meeting management - ability to plan, conduct, and record effective meetings.
• Systems thinking - ability to understand the whole problem, seek different perspectives, understand interdependencies, and decompose complex problems into solvable elements.

Preferred Knowledge and Skills

• None

Physical Demands / Work Environment

Work is performed in a hybrid environment with an expectation of working in office a minimum of 3 days per week.

Sound Transit is an equal employment opportunity employer. No person is unlawfully excluded from employment action based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status or other protected class.