Senior Rail Engineer

Huitt-Zollars • Dallas, TX

1d • Onsite

About The Position

Huitt-Zollars, Inc. is seeking a Senior Rail Engineer based in Dallas or Fort Worth, Texas, to support regional and nationwide transit and rail projects. The position leads railway engineering design and coordinates multidisciplinary teams for freight rail, industrial rail, commuter rail, and light rail projects. It requires at least 10 years of engineering experience, including 5 years of direct railroad track design experience, and familiarity with AREMA standards and UPRR/BNSF design guidelines. The engineer may also support proposals and client coordination.

The role serves as a rail discipline lead or engineer on multidisciplinary projects and supports project managers with scope, schedule, budget, quality, and technical delivery. It includes mentoring junior staff, coordinating with clients and stakeholders, supporting railroad reviews and construction-phase services, and contributing to business development. The position follows Huitt-Zollars’ project management procedures and Quality Management System, and is subject to the company’s Core Value Competencies and Task Manager performance expectations.

The position is full-time and salaried, and reports to a Vice President or Associate Vice President. A Texas Professional Engineer license is required, or the ability to obtain Texas licensure within the first six months of employment. A bachelor’s degree in civil engineering or a related engineering discipline is required. The role is based in the Dallas/Fort Worth area; the posting specifies that the position will office out of the Dallas location in a Class A office with a gym, covered parking, food court, and other amenities.

Huitt-Zollars is a privately held, 100% employee-owned A/E firm established in 1975, with more than 20 locations in 10 U.S. states. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States without employer sponsorship; the company does not sponsor H-1B or other work visa petitions. The company states that qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to legally protected status.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
• 10 or more years of engineering experience, including at least 5 years of direct railroad track design experience.
• Texas Professional Engineer registration, or ability to obtain Texas licensure within the first six months of employment.
• Demonstrated ability to independently lead rail engineering tasks and coordinate multidisciplinary design deliverables.
• Working knowledge of AREMA standards and applicable freight railroad or transit agency design requirements.
• Proficiency with rail and civil engineering design software, including MicroStation, Bentley OpenRail/OpenRoads Designer, or AutoCAD Civil 3D.
• Strong written and verbal communication, technical problem-solving, and mentoring skills.
• Legally authorized to work in the United States for Huitt-Zollars without employer sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with Class I railroads, particularly Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR).
• Experience with rail design software such as MicroStation/OpenRail or comparable CAD and rail alignment tools.
• Experience supporting railroad design reviews, construction coordination, and proposal development.
• Construction inspection or construction management experience.
• TxDOT pre-certifications in rail categories.

Responsibilities

• Lead and perform engineering design for freight rail, industrial rail, commuter rail, and light rail infrastructure projects.
• Lead track design tasks, including horizontal and vertical alignment, track geometry, turnouts, rail crossings, grading, and related civil improvements, as applicable to project scope.
• Prepare and review engineering calculations, design drawings, technical specifications, quantities, and construction cost estimates.
• Apply applicable AREMA, FRA, railroad owner, transit agency, and local design criteria, including UPRR and BNSF requirements.
• Coordinate track design with civil, drainage, structural, signals, communications, utilities, and other disciplines.
• Provide technical direction and quality-control reviews for engineering deliverables, and help resolve design issues.
• Serve as rail discipline lead or rail engineer on multidisciplinary projects and support the Project Manager in meeting scope, schedule, budget, and quality objectives.
• Assist or lead development of level-of-effort estimates, task schedules, and technical deliverable requirements.
• Coordinate technical matters with clients, railroads, transit agencies, subconsultants, and other stakeholders.
• Support permitting, railroad review and approval processes, construction-phase services, responses to RFIs, and review of submittals as assigned.
• Follow Huitt-Zollars’ project management procedures and Quality Management System.
• Provide technical input for statements of qualifications, proposals, scopes of work, fee estimates, and interviews.
• Support client relationships and identification of rail and transit opportunities through technical expertise and responsive project delivery.
• Mentor junior engineers and designers, provide technical guidance and design reviews, and coordinate design work with project managers and discipline leads.
• Maintain current knowledge of rail design practices, standards, and industry developments.
• Understand and follow Huitt-Zollars’ business processes, contribute to project task planning and execution, and seek opportunities to improve project or company quality, efficiency, and profitability.
• Adhere to Huitt-Zollars’ Core Value Competencies and applicable Task Manager performance expectations.

Benefits

• Health insurance (BCBS TX BlueChoice PPO)
• Dental insurance (BCBS TX BlueChoice PPO)
• Vision insurance (BCBS TX BlueChoice PPO)
• MDLive Telehealth
• Employer-paid short- and long-term disability
• 8 paid holidays
• Employee morale and teambuilding events and activities
• Paid vacation/annual leave
• Paid sick leave
• Tuition reimbursement
• Commuter benefits
• Professional societies and registrations fee reimbursements
• Term life / AD&D insurance
• Cancer and specified disease insurance
• Two retirement plans: 401(k) and an ESOP
• Employee ownership
• No-cost state-of-the-art gym, covered parking, and food court at the Dallas office

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior