Transit Platform Door Engineer

Lea+Elliott, Inc.; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee Stock Ownership Plan

401(k)/Profit Sharing Plan with match

Medical

Job summary

Lea+Elliott, Inc. is seeking a PD engineer to support rail transit modernization in North America, with responsibility for platform door systems (PSD/PSG/APG/PED) and related interfaces. The role includes feasibility studies, design reviews, and supplier coordination.

You will collaborate with cross-functional teams, review submittals, and participate in field activities, testing, and commissioning. Travel to project sites is expected, with remote work within the United States possible.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant engineering discipline.
• 5+ years of engineering experience, including rail transit or PD systems.
• Direct PD systems experience with PD interfaces and gate systems.

Responsibilities

• Conduct PD engineering assessments, feasibility studies, and planning for PD systems.
• Review technical submittals, drawings, calculations, and designs for completeness and consistency with project requirements.
• Support supplier procurement, design reviews, and multidisciplinary interface coordination (CBTC, signaling, stations, SCADA, power).
• Provide field oversight, witness testing, and verification of implementation and commissioning activities.

Skills

PD experience

Rail transit experience

Technical writing

Travel readiness

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Civil/Mechanical/Systems

Job description

Location: This role may be based in Lea+Elliott's Pittsburgh office or performed remotely within the United States, with periodic travel required to project sites, transit agency facilities, supplier facilities, and client meetings.

Salary Range: Salary commensurate with relevant experience, education and professional registration and requires client approval.

Lea+Elliott is seeking an engineer with direct experience in Platform Door (PD) systems to support rail transit modernization, platform edge protection, and Automated People Mover (APM) projects across North America. Platform Door systems include Platform Screen Doors (PSD), Platform Screen Gates (PSG), Automatic Platform Gates (APG), Platform Edge Doors (PED), and other related platform barrier systems. The position will contribute to feasibility studies, technical assessments, design reviews, supplier procurements, systems integration and interface oversight, and implementation oversight across a variety of rail transit and APM applications, including evaluation and coordination of PD interfaces with other transit subsystems.

We particularly welcome candidates with experience working for PD manufacturers, suppliers, rail systems integrators, or engineering consulting firms. Prior consulting experience is not required. Candidates with product design, civil/structural, mechanical, electrical, controls, systems engineering, installation, testing, or commissioning backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Position level and responsibilities will be determined based on qualifications and demonstrated PD experience.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. PD Engineering Assessments and Technical Oversight

• Support feasibility studies, engineering assessments, and conceptual planning for PD systems on new and existing rail transit and APM systems.
• Review PD technical submittals, system designs and architectures, layouts, specifications, drawings, calculations, design assumptions, and engineering assessments for technical completeness and consistency with project requirements.
• Evaluate PD product and system considerations, including door mechanisms, controls, safety features, equipment arrangements, maintainability, and site-specific installation constraints.
• For candidates with civil or structural expertise, support review of platform-edge conditions, PD loads and anchorage concepts, structural modifications, design calculations, and constructability considerations in coordination with structural specialists.

2. Supplier Procurement and Systems Integration

• Support preparation and review of technical requirements, performance specifications, procurement documents, concepts of operation, and supplier technical proposals.
• Participate in supplier workshops, technical evaluations, design reviews, and resolution of engineering and interface issues.
• Support coordination of PD interfaces with CBTC and signaling, rolling stock and vehicle doors, SCADA, communications, power, grounding and bonding, station infrastructure, accessibility, fire/life safety, and operations and maintenance.
• Review interface documentation, support requirements traceability, identify technical risks, and participate in multidisciplinary engineering coordination.

3. Field Activities and Implementation Oversight

• Support site surveys, field assessments, and review of implementation strategies for operating rail transit environments, including brownfield retrofit and construction phasing.
• Review supplier installation plans, inspection records, test procedures, and test reports; witness factory acceptance testing, site acceptance testing, integrated testing, and commissioning activities as applicable.
• Identify, document, and track technical deficiencies, design issues, interface risks, corrective actions, and verification of issue resolution.

4. Reporting and Client Support

• Prepare concise and technically defensible engineering review comments, reports, technical memoranda, meeting summaries, and recommendations for client use.
• Participate in coordination meetings with transit agencies, suppliers, design teams, and other stakeholders.
• Work independently or lead selected technical activities based on experience, while coordinating with Lea+Elliott project managers and discipline specialists.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related engineering or technical discipline.
• Five or more years of relevant engineering experience preferred, including experience in rail transit, automated transportation, electromechanical systems, or related industries. Candidates with varying levels of experience will be considered based on their qualifications and demonstrated PD experience.
• Direct professional experience with PD systems, automatic platform gates, or comparable railway platform barrier systems. Experience may be in system or product design, integration, technical assessment, installation, testing, commissioning, or maintenance.
• Ability to read and interpret applicable engineering drawings, technical specifications, calculations, schematics, interface documents, and/or test documentation.
• Strong technical writing, communication, coordination, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to collaborate with multidisciplinary project teams and to travel periodically for project needs.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE

Experience in one or more of the following areas is desired but not required:

• Experience working for a Platform Door manufacturer or supplier.
• Experience with civil or structural aspects of PD implementation, including platform modifications, loading, anchorage, structural interfaces, or constructability in existing stations.
• Experience on operating metro or rail transit systems, particularly brownfield PD retrofit projects.
• Experience in at least one specialized PD area, such as mechanical systems, electrical power and controls, CBTC/signaling interfaces, rolling stock interfaces, SCADA and communications, obstacle detection, safety/RAMS, or operations and maintenance.
• Experience with engineering assessments, feasibility studies, supplier procurements, technical specification development, technical submittal reviews, or project oversight.
• Experience with factory and site testing, installation support, commissioning, troubleshooting, or acceptance of PD systems.
• North American transit project experience and/or familiarity with applicable rail transit codes and standards.
• Professional Engineer (PE) licensure, particularly for candidates pursuing senior technical or discipline-lead responsibilities.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Flexible work arrangements, including remote work within the United States or work from Lea+Elliott's Pittsburgh office.
• Periodic travel to transit agency facilities, active rail stations, project sites, supplier offices, manufacturing facilities, and testing locations.
• Some project activities, field visits, testing, or commissioning work may occasionally occur during nights or weekends based on transit operating requirements.
• Field assignments may involve active railway environments, construction sites, equipment rooms, and industrial facilities.

WHY JOIN LEA+ELLIOTT?

Lea+Elliott is an employee-owned transportation consulting firm specializing in planning, design, procurement, implementation, integration, and oversight of automated transit and rail systems worldwide. For more than 50 years, we have supported airport and transit agency clients on Automated People Movers (APMs), driverless railways, Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC), platform door systems, and other transportation technologies.

This position offers the opportunity to apply practical PD expertise across multiple transportation programs while working directly with transit owners, system suppliers, and multidisciplinary engineering teams. The role can accommodate a range of career stages, from an engineer developing deeper technical specialization to an experienced professional taking on significant technical leadership and client-facing responsibilities.

If you are interested in a long-term, growth-oriented opportunity supporting rail transit modernization and platform protection systems, we are interested in hearing from you.

• Employee Stock Ownership Plan
• 401(k)/Profit Sharing Plan with company match
• Medical

Lea+Elliott is an Equal Opportunity Employer.