Director of Design Services

Zephyr Rail

The Role

Overview

Lead and oversee daily operations, staff, and project delivery for rail design services.

Key Responsibilities

  • strategic planning
  • resource management
  • quality assurance
  • proposal support
  • team leadership
  • project management

Tasks

-Strategic Contribution - Contribute to strategic planning for design group growth, resource development, and market competitiveness. -Business Management - Monitor group financials, utilization, and manpower. Provide staffing and level-of-effort estimates for proposals and ongoing projects. -Quality and Innovation - Enforce QA/QC standards across design deliverables. Stay current with tools, technology, and best practices to drive efficiency. -Client and Proposal Support - Provide input for proposals, staffing plans, and resource needs. Support interviews and client pursuits as needed. -Collaboration - Partner with the VP of Design Services for technical guidance and client engagement while focusing on daily operations, staffing, and business oversight. -Lead and Manager Staff - Supervise and mentor engineers, designers, and support staff. Oversee assignments, workloads, and performance reviews. -Project Delivery - Manage plan production, schedules, and deliverables. Ensure design projects meet quality, budget, and client requirements.

Requirements

  • ca pe
  • bsc civil
  • 12+ yrs
  • leadership
  • rail design
  • team management

What You Bring

-Must be able to work on-site, daily at our Headquarter located in Orange, CA. -Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering or related field. -12+ years of experience in engineering design, including at least 4 years in management/supervisory roles. -Direct experience in engineering plan production. -PE License in California (or ability to obtain). -Excellent leadership, organizational, and communication skills. -Strong understanding of workload forecasting, resource planning, and project budgets. -Rail, transit, or infrastructure design project experience. -Experience managing medium to large design teams (20+ staff)

Benefits

-Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance - 100% employer-paid for employees; 50% for dependents. -Paid Vacation -Retirement - 401K with employer match -Paid Holidays -Paid Sick Time -Base Salary - $140, 000 - $200,000 DOE.

The Company

About Zephyr Rail

-Carved a niche delivering railway engineering design—from feasibility studies and track alignment to at‑grade crossings and PS&E packages. -Provides full‑spectrum construction management services including contract administration, resident engineering, project controls and agency coordination. -Augments engineering and CM capabilities with a state‑of‑the‑art UAV fleet for aerial mapping, inspection, photogrammetry, 4K video and terrain modeling. -Awarded recent contracts such as LOSSAN’s Ortega Siding and Leesdale Siding Extension to expand track capacity and reliability in Southern California. -Typically works on light, commuter, freight and heavy rail corridor projects across California and beyond, often deploying drones to accelerate schedules. -Standout fact: one of the few firms FAA‑approved under Part 107 to operate UAVs in support of railroad engineering projects.

Sector Specialisms

Railway Engineering Design

Feasibility Studies

Track Alignment

Engineering Design

At-Grade Crossing Design

Site Civil Design

Construction Management

Contract Administration

Resident Engineering

Project Controls

Inspection Services

Procurement Packages for Rail Materials

Expert Testimony

Coordination and Agency Liaison

Constructability Review

Program Management

Risk Management

Schedule Management

Change Management

Document Control and Management

Claim Prevention Management

Aerial Imagery

Aerial Photography

Ultra High-Resolution Aerial Images

High Quality 4K Digital Video

Ultra High-Resolution Mapping

Photogrammetry

Digital Terrain Modeling

Survey-Grade Aerial Mapping

Inspection and Close-Up Mapping

Video Editing