AVP Chief Engineer

DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit)•Headquarters, KY

4d•$122,308 - $201,808•Onsite

About The Position

The AVP – Chief Engineer provides strategic leadership and oversight of DART’s major capital projects and maintenance of way (MOW) operations across the DART Light Rail, Trinity Railway Express (TRE), and other DART-owned corridors. This executive-level role manages internal staff, consultants, and contractors, and third parties involved in design, construction, inspection, and maintenance activities, ensuring safety, regulatory compliance, and engineering excellence across multiple transportation modes and systems. This position oversees complex, high-value contracts and infrastructure programs, and serves as a key liaison with federal, state, and local agencies, freight railroads, and other stakeholders. The AVP – Chief Engineer is responsible for aligning engineering and construction efforts with agency goals, managing resources, and delivering high-profile infrastructure programs under public and political scrutiny.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science degree from an accredited college or university in Structural, Civil Engineering or related field.
Six (6) years of progressively responsible experience in engineering, construction, and maintenance of way (MOW) activities, including track, bridges, facilities, and signals.
Experience must include oversight of complex infrastructure projects and supervision of staff, consultants, or contractors.
Experience should also include major engineering and construction project management across various transportation modes, stakeholders, and regulatory/jurisdictional authorities.
Must include experience directing professional staff and/or consultants involved in engineering and/or construction.
Working knowledge of Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) regulations.
Understanding of Federal Transit Administration (FTA) safety and design standards.
Must be able to traverse diverse terrain typical of active rail corridors and construction sites.
Must maintain current roadway worker protection status.
Must be able to respond to emergency situations and participate in on-call assignments as needed.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
Effective communicator with the ability to write clearly and present complex information to varied audiences.
Proven ability to lead teams, foster collaboration, and build morale.
Skilled in resource management, scheduling, and performance evaluation.
Ability to negotiate and resolve disputes equitably.
Quick learner with the ability to adapt to new technical and industry developments.
Ability to accurately scope out length and difficulty of tasks and projects; sets objectives and goals, breaks down work into process steps, develops schedules and task/people assignments, anticipates and adjusts for problems and roadblocks, measures performance against goals, and evaluates results.
Ability to read a situation quickly; good at focused listening; can effectively negotiate difficult agreements and settle disputes equitably; can find common ground and get cooperation with minimum noise.

Nice To Haves

Experience with multiple project delivery methods—such as Design-Build, Design-Bid-Build, Construction Manager/General Contractor, and Progressive Design-Build—is preferred.
Registration as a Professional Engineer (PE) is preferred for this position to apply prudent engineering principles and standards within management portfolio.

Responsibilities

Provides executive leadership over engineering, design, construction, and maintenance activities for DART Light Rail, TRE, and other DART-owned corridors, ensuring safety, quality, and regulatory compliance.
Oversees complex, high-value infrastructure programs and contracts, including capital projects and maintenance of way (MOW) disciplines such as track, bridges, facilities, and signals.
Develops and implements engineering standards and procedures in alignment with AREMA, FRA, FTA, and other applicable regulations.
Directs the activities of contractors, consultants, and internal staff involved in inspections, preventative maintenance, design, construction, and system upgrades.
Serves as the primary engineering liaison with internal departments, Trinity Metro, federal and state agencies, municipalities, third parties, and freight railroads.
Leads a team of internal staff and consultants to review complex third-party projects for design compliance and coordination with DART infrastructure, ensuring protection of agency assets and adherence to standards.
Develops and manages operating and capital budgets, including cost estimates, schedule planning, and variance reporting.
Leads emergency response coordination related to infrastructure incidents, including collaboration with operations and maintenance contractors.
Provides technical analysis and support for capital programs across departments and ensures alignment with agency goals.
Oversees procurement activities including contract development, evaluation, negotiation, and performance monitoring.
Supervises and develops engineering staff; provides coaching, performance feedback, and personnel recommendations.
Prepares and presents reports to executive leadership, the Board, and external stakeholders on project status, performance, and resource allocation.
Participates in on-call duty assignments as needed, including occasional weekend coverage, to support operational and emergency response requirements.
Performs other related duties as assigned.