• Application Opening: April 21, 2022
• Application Filing Deadline: Continuous
• The Job Announcement has been reopened to accept additional applications. Applicants who have already submitted their application do not need to reapply.
• Recruitment ID: RTF0121451-01150748

APPOINTMENT TYPE: Temporary Exempt - This position is excluded by the Charter from the competitive Civil Service examination process and shall serve at the discretion of the Appointing Officer. The duration of the appointment shall not exceed 36 months.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA or “the agency”) connects San Franciscans with their communities to enhance the economy, environment and, ultimately, the quality of life in the city. As an agency within the City and County of San Francisco, the SFMTA is responsible for managing the city’s transportation network. The agency has more than 6,000 employees who are responsible for the management of all ground and some underground transportation in the city. The SFMTA has oversight over public transit, as well as bicycling, paratransit, parking and curb management, street operations, walking, and taxis.

• Division: Transit Division
• Section/Unit: Program Delivery and Support; Transit Technology
• Work Location: 1455 Market Street, 7th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103
• Work Schedule: Monday- Friday, 8:30AM- 5:30PM

Project Name: Train Control Upgrade Project

The Transit Division is currently in the process of developing and procuring a new train control system, as well as streamlining operations at the new Transportation Management Center (TMC). The Program Delivery and Support Unit within the Transit Division was created in 2018 to oversee capital program and project budgets, manage vehicle and onboard equipment projects, testing and acceptance of rolling stock and technology projects that will deliver high-quality, cost-effective solutions which improve safety and the Agency’s ability to deliver quality transit service. Within the Program Delivery and Support unit, the Transit Technology Group handles the delivery, acceptance, and management of technology systems which are critical to transit operations.

The Train Control Upgrade Project is an 8-year, multimillion dollar project with the goal of modernizing the existing Automatic Train Control System in Muni’s subway as well as expanding the supervision and limited control aspects of a Communication-Based Train Control System to the entire Muni light rail system.

Under the general direction of the Train Control Upgrade Project Manager, the Lead Project Engineer manages the Train Control Upgrade Project engineering team and acts as the SFMTA lead for the overall system design. The Lead Project Engineer assists the Project Manager with oversight duties related to project design and scheduling to facilitate the procurement, development, and maintenance of the future train control system. Additionally, this position is responsible to the Train Control Upgrade Project Manager for ensuring that the future train control system design meets the SFMTA’s objectives for the project, and that the system design conforms to all applicable SFMTA, state, local, and federal standards.

The Train Control Upgrade Project will be delivered through a series of contracts with the technology vendor (Supplier) and other firms providing installation, construction support, technical expertise, and professional services. The Lead Project Engineer will act as the SFMTA design authority for the project by supervising the production of technical documentation from the project contractors, leading technical coordination between the department and Supplier, and ensuring the future system meets the performance metrics and technical specifications laid out in the Supplier contract(s).

In addition, the Lead Project Engineer will act as the SFMTA technical representative to review, accept, or when necessary, audit, technical project submittals and deliverables provided by the Supplier and other project contractors related to system design. As the SFMTA technical representative, the Lead Project Engineer will have a strong understanding of the project contract requirements and be able to identify key project staff and agency stakeholders for review when evaluating submittals and project deliverables.

Essential Duties:

• Manages a team of SFMTA engineers assigned to the project, including vehicle engineers, electrical engineers, and traffic engineers;
• Responsible to the Project Manager for ensuring the train control system design meets the project objectives as well as applicable SFMTA, state, local and federal design standards;
• Acts as the lead SFMTA design authority for the project, provides technical review and recommendation to the Project Manager for approval/acceptance of project CDRLs;
• As assigned by the Project Manager, represents the SFMTA in reviewing, approving and auditing technical submittals provided by the Supplier and other project contractors;
• Leads the SFMTA technical team during project design reviews and prepares technical comments on behalf of the SFMTA;
• Reviews all technical documents and correspondence from the Train Control System Supplier and other project contractors;
• Prepares and supervises staff and project Consultants in the preparation of documents, including technical specifications, engineering reports, contract documents, advertisement for bids, instructions to potential bidders, detailed project specifications, technical manuals, and contract bonds;
• Assists Project Manager in negotiating contracts and contract modifications;
• Responds to technical RFIs, resolves clarifications from vendors and addresses their requests by issuing addendums;
• Works with the Technical Program Manager and Technology Department engineers on communications infrastructure design and technical coordination between the Supplier and supportive infrastructure installers;
• Works with Real Estate department, Maintenance of Way staff, facilities project team and engineers on ensuring SFMTA facilities are prepared for train control equipment installation;
• Reviews proposals from vendors and evaluates bid documents for conformance with project specifications;
• Observes train control system component installation and ensures installation is occurring according to plans;
• Ensures smooth communication, and when necessary, mediates technical disputes between the train control system Supplier and installers;
• Supervises the train control system testing program and assists the project QA team in assessing the quality of delivered and/or installed components;
• Tracks completion of technical requirements and evaluates the system and individual subsystems and components for acceptance;
• Participates in the RAM demonstration and verifies that the system as designed and delivered meets the project performance metrics;
• Communicates with Train Control System Supplier for technical support as needed to address system issues under warranty;
• Works with Supplier, SFMTA operations and maintenance staff to ensure both the designed and finished train control system meets operations and maintenance needs and works within their stated constraints;
• Reviews and manages workload assignment to consultants, SFMTA engineers, and interns as required;
• Performs other duties as required.

Minimum Qualification:

1. Seven (7) years of verifiable professional electrical engineering work experience of which four (4) years of that experience must be as a licensed professional engineer. Two (2) of the seven (7) years must be equivalent to the City and County of San Francisco class 5241 Engineer; AND
2. Possession of a baccalaureate degree with major course work in engineering; AND
3. Possession of a Certificate of Registration as a Professional Engineer (Electrical) in the State of California.

Substitution:

• A Master's Degree in Engineering may substitute for one-year work experience.
• A Ph. D. in Engineering may substitute for two years work experience.
• Candidates licensed in other states, who otherwise meet the minimum requirements of this announcement, but do not possess the required California license, may file for this recruitment, and must obtain the required California license within 1 year of appointment.

Desirable Qualifications:

• Technical expertise and knowledge of the principles, practices, purposes, scope and techniques of train control and/or signaling systems.
• Engineering experience working on train control, train signaling systems, transit or communications infrastructure projects;
• Engineering experience working with rail vehicle electrical and/or communications systems;
• Experience working with public transit agencies or as an employee of a public transit agency;
• Leadership experience and/or experience managing a team of engineers on a project;
• Experience working on communications and/or network infrastructure projects;
• Experience managing contracts and overseeing the design and delivery of public sector procurement projects, especially for rail transit agencies;
• Experience managing testing and commissioning vehicle and/or wayside equipment on an active railway;
• Experience working with third-party vendors and contractors to deliver public infrastructure projects on-time and on-budget;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills. Ability to communicate with diplomacy and conduct meetings with stakeholders throughout the agency;
• Technical writing and editing experience; experience writing technical specifications and/or manuals;
• Experience with CAD software or other computer-aided design tools;
• Experience with P6 Primavera, Microsoft Project, or other project management software applications;
• Experience with Microsoft Office products such as Excel, Outlook, and Word;
• Experience interpreting and analyzing telematics data, using Python, SQL, Tableau or other tools to perform calculations and visualize data;
• Ability to work well with a multi-disciplinary, diverse workforce, including operations staff, maintenance technicians, technical professionals, contractors, executives and elected officials, and stakeholder groups

Applicants must meet the minimum qualification requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.

Verification:
Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. More information can be found at: https://sfdhr.org/information-about-hiring-process#verification. Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.

Selection Process:
Applications will be screened for relevant qualifying experience. Additional screening mechanisms may be used to determine candidates' qualifications.  Only those applicants who most closely meet the needs of the Agency will be invited to move forward in the selection process.

• Information About the Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview
• Equal Employment Opportunity
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

For questions or inquiries, please contact: Keaney Chan, Human Resources Analyst at [email protected].

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.