Design Lead Jobs in Seattle, WA (NOW HIRING)

This Opportunity
WSP is looking for a Track Engineering Design Lead to join our team in Seattle, WA.
This position blends hands-on track design leadership with strategic oversight of the transit and rail engineering discipline, ensuring that all technical deliverables, system integrations, and infrastructure projects meet or exceed industry, regulatory, and company standards. The Track Engineering Design Lead guides project delivery from planning and design through construction support, testing, commissioning, and long-term maintenance, while also serving as a subject-matter expert (SME) for transit and rail engineering across the organization. In addition to track design, this role will include serving as owner's representative to provide design review and oversight of designs performed by others.
The role requires deep expertise in track design, multidisciplinary systems coordination (signals, communications, traction power), regulatory compliance, and field inspection. It also plays a critical role in business development, client engagement, and the long-term growth of the transit and rail engineering practice.
Your Impact
Track Design Leadership & Technical Delivery

• Lead all phases of track design and installation for transit and railroad projects, ensuring alignment with design intent, contract requirements, and operational standards.
• Provide technical direction for track geometry, alignment, special trackwork, systems integration, and constructability.
• Coordinate and supervise multidisciplinary engineering teams to ensure seamless integration of track, signal, communications, and traction power systems.
• Provide technical design support for field activities, ensuring work is executed safely, on schedule, within budget, and in accordance with agency requirements.
• Lead development of solutions for unforeseen field conditions and coordinate design revisions or contract modifications as necessary.
• Support PMC teams in reviewing contractor deliverables, cost estimates, change orders, claims, and progress payments.
• Prepare detailed reports, presentations, and documentation for internal and client review.

Transit & Rail Engineering Discipline Leadership

• Provide proactive, strategic leadership for the transit and rail engineering discipline, ensuring technical excellence and regulatory compliance across all projects.
• Perform engineering review of permit applications, design plans, specifications, standby plans, contracts, and construction inspections to ensure compliance with FRA, FTA, CPUC, AREMA, and other applicable standards.
• Lead large, complex transit and rail engineering projects, overseeing budgets, schedules, subcontractors, and performance metrics.
• Ensure discipline certifications, accreditations, and technical capabilities are continuously developed and maintained.
• Conduct needs analyses and client value assessments to align engineering functions with business strategy and identify skill gaps or operational risks.
• Schedule and lead discipline meetings, promoting innovation, technical excellence, and knowledge sharing.
• Provide strategic oversight of design development and implementation, as well as support to teams delivering major programs

Project Delivery & Program Management

• Guide engineering efforts from planning and design through construction support and maintenance.
• Monitor external events, risk contingencies, hours, expenses, and contractual obligations to ensure successful project execution.
• Lead technical aspects of contract negotiations, presentations, and client meetings.
• Develop project scopes, timelines, pricing, and budgetary metrics in compliance with all applicable codes and regulations.
• Interpret and summarize engineering data, reports, and regulatory documents to support sound technical conclusions.
• Provide high-level strategic advice to clients and multidisciplinary project teams.

Client Engagement & Business Development

• Establish and maintain strong client relationships with transit agencies, railroads, and regulatory bodies.
• Actively market the organization's transit and rail engineering capabilities and support pursuit strategies for major infrastructure opportunities.
• Develop new business opportunities and cross-sell additional services across planning, design, strategic consulting, and program/construction management.
• Meet with public and private entities to discuss engineering challenges, program needs, and project strategies.

Leadership, Mentorship & Organizational Growth

• Mentor and guide engineering staff, promoting a culture of technical excellence and professional development.
• Provide performance leadership to assigned staff and project teams.
• Support long-term strategy, growth, and pipeline development for the transit and rail engineering practice.
• Collaborate across disciplines to deliver "trusted advisor" service and future-ready solutions.
• Uphold ethical decision-making, safety standards, and compliance with company policies.

Who You Are
Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or closely related discipline (or equivalent experience).
• 12+ years of relevant post-education experience in engineering, with prior transit and rail experience and infrastructure design.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license required; WA State required, multi-state preferred.
• Advanced proficiency with transit and rail engineering principles, practices, processes, design/build delivery, standard of care, and application to permitting and project work. Experience with light rail transit design and design management preferred.
• Strong working knowledge of FRA, FTA, CPUC, AREMA, and other rail regulatory standards, procedures, codes, compliance practices, and record-keeping requirements.
• Advanced proficiency in technical computations, engineering calculations, interpreting plans and specifications, and comparing them to applicable regulations.
• Ability to work independently while providing guidance and leadership to mid-level and senior-level team members, with strict adherence to QA/QC.
• Excellent leadership and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to interact effectively and tactfully with employees at all organizational levels.
• Strong analytical skills, lateral thinking, attention to detail, and ability to prioritize responsibilities in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to elicit cooperation from senior management, clients, regulators, subcontractors, and staff across the organization.
• Advanced proficiency with office automation and discipline-specific design software (MicroStation, AutoCAD, Civil 3D, OpenRail), predictive models, spreadsheets, and engineering tools.
• Proven track record of upholding workplace safety and compliance with company health, safety, drug/alcohol, and harassment policies.
• Strong ability to adapt to change and demonstrate flexibility to meet business needs.
• Occasional travel may be required depending on project-specific requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with modernization programs, system upgrades, and major capital rail projects.
• Experience coordinating track design with signals, communications, and traction power systems.
• Experience supporting construction, field inspections, and commissioning activities.
• Master's Degree in Engineering
• PMP Certification

WSP Benefits:
WSP provides a comprehensive suite of benefits focused on a providing health and financial stability throughout the employee's career. These benefits include coverage related to medical, dental, vision, disability, and life; retirement savings; paid sick leave; paid vacation (or other personal time); paid parental leave; and paid time off for purposes of bereavement, voting, and/or attendance at naturalization proceedings.
Compensation:
Expected Salary (all locations): $174,500 - $296,600
WSP USA is providing the compensation range that the company in good faith believes it might pay and offer for this position, based on the successful applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities in addition to internal equity and specific geographic location. WSP USA reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant's sex or other status protected by local, state, and/or federal law.
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About Us
About WSP
WSP USA is the U.S. operating company of WSP, one of the world's leading engineering and professional services firms. Dedicated to serving local communities, we are engineers, planners, technical experts, strategic advisors and construction management professionals. WSP USA designs lasting solutions in the buildings, transportation, energy, water and environment markets. With more than 15,000 employees in over 300 offices across the U.S., we partner with our clients to help communities prosper.
www.wsp.com
WSP provides a flexible and agile workplace model while meeting client needs. Employees are also afforded a comprehensive suite of benefits including medical, dental, vision, disability, life, and retirement savings focused on providing health and financial stability throughout the employee's career.
At WSP, we want to give our employees the challenges they seek to grow their careers and knowledge base. Your daily contributions to your team will be essential in meeting client objectives, goals and challenges. Are you ready to get started?
WSP USA (and all of its U.S. companies) is an Equal Opportunity Employer Race/Age/Color/Religion/Sex/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/National Origin/Disability or Protected Veteran Status.
The selected candidate must be authorized to work in the United States.
NOTICE TO THIRD PARTY AGENCIES:
WSP does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters, employment agencies, or other staffing services. Unsolicited resumes include any resume or hiring document sent to WSP in the absence of a signed Service Agreement where WSP has expressly requested recruitment/staffing services specific to the position at hand. Any unsolicited resumes, including those submitted to hiring managers or other business leaders, will become the property of WSP and WSP will have the right to hire that candidate without reservation - no fee or other compensation will be owed or paid to the recruiter, employment agency, or other staffing service.