Project Manager, Traction, Power and Medium Voltage
Burns Engineering · Sacramento
About Burns:
Burns Engineering provides professional engineering design and project management services for transportation, facilities, and infrastructure projects. We help our clients attain their strategic goals and initiatives through successful large-scale infrastructure projects. Burns’ full-service capabilities include mechanical, electrical, civil, structural, transportation, and energy consulting engineering.
Recently voted a Top Workplace by Philly.com, we credit our strength as an organization to our talented, driven, vibrant team. Burns is an ENR Top 500 Firm, and has been named an MEP Giant by Consulting-Specifying Engineer Magazine, as well as a Hot Firm by Zweig. We are industry experts, proven leaders, innovative thinkers, and team players. We put our clients’ successes and best interests first, because their success is our success. We have fun at work because we love making a difference in the world. We are looking for high-energy, bright, collaborative individuals who want the opportunity to “write their own story” with us.
Burns is currently seeking a Project Manager, Traction, Power and Medium Voltage to join our Transit and Rail Team in Sacramento, CA.
Position Summary
The Project Manager, Traction Power and Medium Voltage, oversees the delivery of traction power, medium voltage distribution, and auxiliary power systems on the California High-Speed Rail (CAHSR) Program. The position covers 25kV AC traction power systems, traction power substations, switching and paralleling stations, static frequency converters, utility interconnection facilities, traction power SCADA, protective relay systems, power transformers, high and medium voltage switchgear, grounding and bonding, traction return, auxiliary power substations, medium voltage distribution networks, station and maintenance facility power, wayside power distribution, emergency and standby power, UPS systems, and electrical metering and monitoring.
In this role, the Project Manager is responsible for scope, schedule, budget, risk, and contractor performance across traction power and electrical infrastructure work packages, and coordinates delivery with OCS, signaling, communications, SCADA, stations, maintenance facilities, civil works, track, operations, and maintenance. The position leads utility coordination for transmission, sub-transmission, and distribution service connections; oversees statutory, regulatory, and Authority Having Jurisdiction approvals; and monitors construction, energization planning, outage planning, electrical safety, and integrated testing and commissioning.
Reporting to the Rail Systems Lead, the Project Manager supplies the Program with delivery accountability for railway electrical infrastructure, a cleared utility interconnection and energization authorization path, and the test and inspection evidence required to support operational readiness and entry into revenue service. The position is based in Sacramento, California, with travel of 25 to 50 percent along the alignment.
Position Responsibilities
- Oversee the delivery of traction power, medium voltage, and auxiliary power systems throughout design, procurement, construction, testing and commissioning, energization, and operational handover
- Oversee project scope, schedule, budget, risk, and contractor performance for traction power and electrical infrastructure work packages
- Coordinate delivery activities between traction power, OCS, signaling, communications, SCADA, stations, maintenance facilities, civil works, track, operations, and maintenance teams
- Oversee utilities, electrical suppliers, contractors, consultants, commissioning teams, and specialist system integrators
- Oversee delivery and integration of 25kV AC traction power systems, traction power substations, switching and paralleling stations, static frequency converters, and utility interconnection facilities
- Oversee delivery and integration of traction power SCADA, protective relay systems, power transformers, high and medium voltage switchgear, grounding and bonding systems, traction return systems, and power monitoring systems
- Oversee delivery and integration of auxiliary power substations, medium voltage distribution networks, station and maintenance facility power systems, wayside power distribution, ring main units, distribution transformers, motor control centers, emergency and standby power, UPS systems, low voltage distribution, and electrical metering
- Oversee review and approval of traction power studies, protection schemes, load flow analyses, equipment specifications, and construction packages
- Lead utility coordination associated with transmission, sub-transmission, and distribution service connections, including service applications, interconnection agreements, load studies, protection coordination reviews, and energization authorizations
- Oversee statutory, regulatory, and jurisdictional approvals, and coordinate with utility providers, Authorities Having Jurisdiction, electrical inspectors, fire authorities, public agencies, railroad operators, and local jurisdictions
- Support permitting, environmental compliance, and utility relocation programs, and manage responses to regulator and utility comments, permit conditions, and inspection findings through final authorization
- Monitor construction activities associated with substations, utility interconnections, medium voltage distribution systems, and wayside electrical infrastructure, and oversee contractor performance, construction quality, and safety compliance
- Support resolution of field issues, design changes, RFIs, utility conflicts, site access constraints, and construction sequencing challenges
- Provide leadership for electrical safety, outage planning, energization readiness, and operational readiness programs
- Oversee test plans, commissioning procedures, and energization programs, including Factory Acceptance Testing, Site Acceptance Testing, System Integration Testing, protective relay testing, transformer testing, switchgear testing, SCADA verification, and trial running
- Oversee defect resolution, corrective actions, punch-list closure, final system acceptance, revenue service demonstration, and operational handover
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related engineering discipline or demonstrable on-the-job work experience, and a minimum of ten (10) years of experience delivering traction power, electrical infrastructure, utility, medium voltage, or rail systems projects
- Minimum of ten (10) years of project management experience on major transportation, utility, energy, or infrastructure programs
- Demonstrated delivery accountability on programs exceeding $250 million in value
- Demonstrated experience overseeing traction power and electrical systems from design through construction, testing, commissioning, energization, and final acceptance
- Experience overseeing contractors, utilities, suppliers, and multidisciplinary delivery teams
- Strong working knowledge of traction power systems, medium voltage distribution systems, substations, protective relays, utility interfaces, and railway electrical infrastructure
- Experience leading utility coordination, interconnection agreements, and energization authorization activities
- Experience securing Authority Having Jurisdiction, statutory, and regulatory approvals for electrical infrastructure
- Experience overseeing substation construction, wayside equipment installation, outage planning, and commissioning programs
- Demonstrated leadership of electrical safety and energization readiness programs
- Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills
- Availability for travel of 25 to 50 percent along the alignment
Preferred Qualifications/ Certifications/ Licensures
- Experience on high-speed rail projects operating above 125 mph (200 km/h)
- Experience with California High-Speed Rail, HS2, European high-speed rail programs, or comparable large-scale rail programs
- Experience delivering 25kV AC traction power systems and static frequency converters
- Experience delivering medium voltage distribution and auxiliary power systems supporting railway operations
- Experience with electrical SCADA systems, power monitoring systems, and integrated railway power management systems
- Experience managing corridor-wide wayside electrical infrastructure and power distribution systems
- Experience supporting integrated testing, revenue service demonstration, and entry into revenue service activities
- PMP, PRINCE2, PE, or comparable project management or engineering certification
Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities: This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.