Advanced Lead Engineer - Traction & Auxiliary Controls

Wabtec•Erie, PA

8h•$79,300 - $113,000

About The Position

As an Advanced Lead Engineer on Wabtec's Traction & Auxiliary Controls Engineering team, you will develop and integrate traction and auxiliary control systems for diesel-electric, battery-electric, and hybrid locomotive platforms. The role focuses on optimizing locomotive performance, efficiency, reliability, and sustainability, translating system-level requirements into subsystem solutions, and advancing next-generation propulsion technologies. You will lead design, integration, and validation activities; work with engineering, simulation, program, and commercial teams; and support product enhancements and new product introduction. The position includes engineering analysis, simulation and hardware testing, locomotive and customer acceptance testing, field implementation, investigation of system issues, and preparation of technical documentation. You will also provide technical leadership and mentorship and support testing activities and travel as required. The work may take place in office, laboratory, manufacturing, and locomotive test environments. The role may require occasional field testing and travel to customer or testing locations, as well as safely accessing locomotives and testing equipment while following applicable safety procedures.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a related technical field.
Experience in controls engineering, systems integration, or propulsion system development.
Knowledge of control systems, requirements management, verification, and validation.
Familiarity with MATLAB/Simulink and related engineering development tools.
Understanding of power electronics, electric machines, battery systems, and auxiliary controls.
Strong problem-solving, communication, and technical leadership skills.
Ability to support testing activities and travel as required.
Ability to work in office, laboratory, manufacturing, and locomotive test environments.
Ability to perform occasional field testing activities and travel to customer or testing locations.
Legal authorization to work in the U.S.; an offer is conditioned on successful completion of a drug screen and fitness for duty test, as applicable.

Responsibilities

Lead the design, development, integration, and validation of traction and auxiliary control systems for diesel-electric, battery-electric, and hybrid locomotive platforms.
Develop subsystem requirements, control functions, and system architectures that meet customer, application, and product performance requirements.
Integrate control system modules with propulsion batteries, inverters, converters, motors, alternators, rectifiers, diesel engines, cooling systems, compressed air systems, and related locomotive subsystems.
Execute requirements development, dynamic system analysis, failure modes analysis, design trade studies, and verification activities.
Support product enhancements and new product introduction programs through design validation, testing, and field implementation.
Perform testing using simulation models, software verification environments, Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) systems, locomotive testing, customer acceptance testing, and in-service validation activities.
Investigate system issues, identify root causes, and implement corrective actions to improve product performance and reliability.
Collaborate across engineering disciplines to apply advanced controls methods and technologies to emerging customer and business needs.
Prepare and maintain technical documentation in accordance with engineering procedures and quality standards.
Participate in technical reviews, project reviews, and organizational initiatives while providing technical leadership and mentorship.
Support testing activities and travel as required.
Safely access locomotives and testing equipment while following applicable safety procedures.