Director – Systems and Rolling Stock

In a world of possibilities, pursue one with endless opportunities. Imagine Next! At Parsons, you can imagine a career where you thrive, work with exceptional people, and be yourself. Guided by our leadership vision of valuing people, embracing agility, and fostering growth, we cultivate an innovative culture that empowers you to achieve your full potential. Unleash your talent and redefine what’s possible. Job Description: Parsons are looking for an incredibly talented Director of Systems & Rolling Stock to join their team. As the Director of Systems & Rolling Stock, you will provide the technical vision, engineering leadership, and governance required to deliver a world-class, fully automated (GoA4) driverless rail system. Operating client-side within a highly dynamic, developer-led environment, you will bridge the gap between master planning, and core rail systems. You will own the technical integrity of the system, driving decisions across the entire lifecycle—from concept and design management to procurement and eventual integration. A critical part of your mandate is managing technical consultants, ensuring internal governance framework compliance, and managing alignment with interfacing developers. Key Responsibilities - System Ownership: Serve as the ultimate technical authority for all railway sub-systems, including Grade of Automation 4 (GoA4) signaling (CBTC), rolling stock, power supply/traction, telecommunications, SCADA, and depot equipment. - Interface Architecture: Lead the integration of rail infrastructure into master-planned developer sectors, ensuring civil, structural, and architectural interfaces match the system's spatial and functional needs. - Innovation & Future-Proofing: Ensure the system leverages modern, reliable automated rail technologies optimized for the unique environmental conditions of Saudi Arabia. - Consultant Oversight: Act as the primary client interface managing international engineering consultants, Project Management Officers (PMOs), and specialized shadow operators. Hold partners accountable to strict deliverables, quality, and timelines. - Internal Governance: Establish and execute technical review gateways, safety assurance protocols (RAMS), and configuration control boards. Ensure all systems engineering processes comply with international standards and local regulations. - Risk & Value Engineering: Identify technical risks early and implement mitigation strategies. Run rigorous value engineering exercises to optimize capital expenditure without compromising safety, capacity, or performance. - Stakeholder Integration: Coordinate directly with internal and external real estate development teams to align the rail system's alignment, station footprints, and utility corridors with adjacent mixed-use developments. - Commercial Mindset: Navigate a developer-led environment by understanding how delivery timelines, construction phasing, and rail boundaries impact the broader commercial master plan. - Conflict Resolution: Resolve complex technical interface conflicts between transit systems and real estate assets, protecting the rail system’s operational performance while facilitating developer progress. Required Qualifications & Experience - Experience: Minimum of 20 years of experience in major rail infrastructure projects, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role operating client-side or within a major project management consultancy. - Technical Expertise: Proven track record of delivering fully automated, driverless rail transit systems (GoA4 / CBTC). Deep technical understanding of rolling stock procurement, systems integration, and automated depot operations is essential. - Developer Environment: Demonstrated experience working within developer-led, giga-project, or complex multi-stakeholder real estate environments. - Consultant Management: Mastered the art of directing and evaluating Tier 1 international engineering and design consultants. - Education: Bachelor’s degree in Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, or Systems Engineering. A Master’s degree or relevant professional certifications (e.g., Chartered Engineer, PMP) is highly advantageous. - Regional Knowledge: Experience navigating the regulatory landscape, environmental challenges, and supply chain dynamics of Saudi Arabia or the wider GCC region is preferred. Parsons equally employs representation at all job levels no matter the race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability or genetic information. We truly invest and care about our employee’s wellbeing and provide endless growth opportunities as the sky is the limit, so aim for the stars! Imagine next and join the Parsons quest—APPLY TODAY! Parsons is aware of fraudulent recruitment practices. To learn more about recruitment fraud and how to report it, please refer to https://www.parsons.com/fraudulent-recruitment/.