Senior Rail Engineer

HDR; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading engineering firm seeks a Discipline Lead for railway engineering projects in Atlanta. The role requires a Bachelor’s degree, a professional engineering license, and 10 years of railway engineering experience. Key responsibilities include managing project scopes, budgets, and schedules, as well as leading design projects and mentoring junior staff. Ideal candidates will possess strong communication skills and experience with engineering design software. Join a collaborative culture where your contributions will impact community transport solutions.

Qualifications

• 10 years experience in railway engineering and managing complex multidisciplinary railway projects.
• Requires professional engineering license recognized for the position location.
• Proficient with relevant engineering software.

Responsibilities

• Serve as Discipline or Task Lead for engineering design projects.
• Manage scope, budget and schedule for design criteria and specifications.
• Perform civil engineering/design planning and analysis for transportation projects.

Skills

Leadership skills

Communication skills

Technical writing

Project Management

Rail engineering knowledge

Mentoring skills

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

MicroStation

OpenRail Designer/OpenRoads Designer

AutoCAD

Civil3D

MS Office (Word, Excel, Project)

Job description

Overview

At HDR, our employee-owners are fully engaged in creating a welcoming environment where each of us is valued and respected, a place where everyone is empowered to bring their authentic selves and novel ideas to work every day. As we foster a culture of inclusion throughout our company and within our communities, we constantly ask ourselves: What is our impact on the world? Watch Our Story: https://www.hdrinc.com/our-story. Each and every role throughout our organization makes a difference in our ability to change the world for the better. Read further to learn how you could help make great things possible not only in your community, but around the world. At this point in your career, you know what you’re looking for in your next role. A solid company with collaborative colleagues that do interesting and unique work for clients that trust them to push open the doors to what’s possible. That’s what you’ll find at HDR.

HDR is an employee-owned company with more than 100-years of making great things possible, together with our clients. Our pride is in our people — smart, hardworking team members who take their employee ownership seriously and will have your back at every turn. Their expertise will inspire you to be your best and develop new and better solutions. We believe transportation is more than movement, it’s the foundation of connected, thriving communities.

As part of HDR’s Transportation Business Group, you’ll help shape the systems that move people and goods safely, efficiently, and sustainably. From designing resilient highways and iconic bridges to advancing transit, passenger and freight rail, aviation, federal transportation ports and marine infrastructure, your work will directly support economic vitality, public safety, sustainable and resilient communities and quality of life. We bring together planners, engineers, architects, construction management staff, environmental, strategic communications, economists, management consultants and specialists across disciplines to solve complex mobility challenges with innovation, technical excellence, and a deep understanding of community needs. Whether you\'re modernizing aging infrastructure or pioneering next-generation transportation solutions, your contributions will help define the future of mobility. This isn’t just a job, it’s a chance to lead progress, drive meaningful impact, and leave a legacy of smarter, more connected transportation networks. We are all employee-owners at HDR, which is the foundation of our collaborative culture that connects employees around the world.

Primary Responsibilities

• Serve as Discipline or Task Lead for railroad or civil engineering design projects, and other offices to support the Freight Rail Market Sector and other market sectors as needed.
• Support Project Managers by leading or participating in marketing and contracting activities.
• Manage scope, budget, and schedule, as well as development of design criteria, specifications, project guides, project meeting notes, and cost estimating activities.
• Perform railroad and/or civil engineering/design planning, analysis, and design aspects of rail and rail-related transportation projects.
• Lead and/or perform detailed QC reviews of projects.
• Support Project Managers by leading, or participating in client and stakeholder visits, site visits, field assessments, and construction inspections as needed.
• Attend industry events and represent HDR as needed.
• Mentor younger staff and support technical development.
• Supervise junior staff performance of engineering tasks.
• Work across industries with rail, industrial, terminal, utility, agency, DOT, port, transit, and other industry clients.
• Provide leadership across technical disciplines.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ability to become licensed as a P.E. or P. Eng. in additional jurisdictions through the NCEES or similar
• Demonstrated ability to lead projects through design and production through coordination with other disciplines and production staff
• Project Management experience managing projects for rail, industrial or transit clients
• Demonstrated client development or client management experience
• Construction inspection or construction management experience is a plus
• Experience in technical writing, communicating, and presenting to clients and the public is desirable
• Proven hands-on experience in all aspects of rail and/or civil design projects
• Experience working with AREMA\'s Manual for Railway Engineering (MRE) and other railroad design guidelines, specifications, and design criteria
• Knowledge of railroad analysis programs, and railroad and/or civil design software
• Demonstrated leadership skills, strong communication skills, and ability to work in a team environment with various teams.
• Desire to mentor younger staff and grow in skill set related to the railroad industry
• Local candidates are preferred

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor\'s degree
• 10 years experience in railway engineering and managing complex multidisciplinary railway projects
• Requires professional engineering license recognized by the licensing board for the location of the position offered. Example: Professional Engineer (PE or P.Eng) license.
• Proficient with MicroStation, OpenRail Designer/OpenRoads Designer, and/or AutoCAD and Civil3D
• Skilled in technical writing, communicating and presenting to clients and the public
• Demonstrated ability to lead a team on railway projects
• Should be familiar with water and wastewater treatment processes and technologies
• Computer literate with MS Office (Word, Excel, Project)
• An attitude and commitment to being an active participant of our employee-owned culture is a must

What We Believe

HDR is our company. Together, we build on each other\'s life experiences and perspectives to make great things possible every day. This shapes our collaborative culture, encourages organizational trust and connects us closer to the clients and communities we serve.

Our Commitment

As employee owners, we all have a role in creating an inclusive environment where each of us is welcomed, valued, respected and empowered to bring our authentic selves to work every day.

Our eight Employee Network Groups (Asian Pacific, Black, Hispanic/Latino(a), LGBTQ+, People with Disabilities, Veterans, Women, Young Professionals) help create a sense of belonging and foster a supportive environment where everyone is empowered to engage and contribute. Each group has an executive sponsor and is open to all employees.

Primary Location

United States-Georgia-Atlanta

Industry

Freight Rail

Schedule

Full-time

Employee Status

Regular

Business Class

Railway Design

Job Posting

Nov 12, 2025

At HDR, we are committed to the principles of employment equity. We are an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer (https://www.hdrinc.com/equal-employment-opportunity-employer). We consider all qualified applicants, regardless of criminal histories, arrest and conviction records.