Lead Project Engineer

Job Description

How will you make a difference?
As a Lead Project Engineer, you will serve as the technical execution leader for customer-facing Train Handling software projects. Working across Engineering, Program Management, Product Management, Quality, and Customer teams, you will translate customer requirements into executable plans and lead multidisciplinary teams to successfully deliver high-quality software solutions on time and within budget.

This role requires both strong engineering judgment and project leadership capability. The successful candidate will be responsible for driving technical execution, managing project scope and risks, and ensuring software deliverables meet customer and business objectives. You will lead project planning, coordinate cross-functional activities, and provide technical leadership throughout the full product development lifecycle.

This position offers the opportunity to directly influence the future of locomotive automation, train handling technologies, and advanced software solutions used by railroads worldwide.

What do we want to know about you?

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Systems Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Minimum of 4 years of experience leading complex engineering or software development projects.
• Strong understanding of software development lifecycles (Agile and Waterfall) and systems engineering processes.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence technical decision-making.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience using project planning and execution tools such as ELM, Jira, Microsoft Project, Azure DevOps, or similar platforms.
• Experience leveraging AI-enabled tools to improve engineering productivity and project outcomes.
• Experience in railroad, transportation, industrial automation, safety-critical, or embedded software environments.
• Experience leading customer-facing software programs and deployments.
• Experience with systems integration, software validation, and product release activities.
• PMP, Agile, Scrum Master, or equivalent project management certification.
• Experience working with global and geographically distributed engineering teams.
• Master's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Systems Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field.

What will your typical day look like?

Technical and Project Leadership

• Lead the planning, execution, and delivery of Train Handling software projects from concept through customer deployment.
• Serve as the engineering lead responsible for technical execution, schedule performance, quality, and engineering deliverables throughout the project lifecycle.
• Collaborate with Program Managers, Product Managers, Software Engineers, Systems Engineers, Test Engineers, and other stakeholders to establish project objectives and execution strategies.
• Translate customer, product, and business requirements into detailed project plans and actionable engineering tasks.
• Lead cross-functional engineering teams to achieve project milestones and deliver customer commitments.
• Provide technical leadership, mentoring, and guidance to project team members.
• Facilitate technical decision-making and resolve project execution challenges.

Project Planning and Execution

• Develop and maintain detailed project plans, software release plans, schedules, resource forecasts, and execution strategies.
• Identify critical milestones, dependencies, and critical-path activities, and proactively manage associated risks.
• Monitor project performance and drive corrective actions to maintain schedule, quality, and cost objectives.
• Establish and maintain project metrics, dashboards, and status reporting for leadership and stakeholders.
• Coordinate software development, verification, validation, release, and deployment activities.
• Lead project reviews and ensure readiness for key program milestones.

Risk and Issue Management

• Identify technical, schedule, resource, and program risks.
• Develop mitigation plans and drive resolution of project issues.
• Escalate critical concerns and provide recommended recovery actions when necessary.
• Ensure lessons learned are captured and incorporated into future projects and processes.

Customer and Stakeholder Engagement

• Serve as the engineering point of contact for customer technical discussions, status reviews, and issue resolution activities.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to align expectations and priorities.
• Communicate project status, accomplishments, risks, and recovery plans to stakeholders and leadership teams.
• Support customer demonstrations, deployments, and product acceptance activities as required.

Process and Tool Management

• Own project planning, execution tracking, and reporting within Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) and other project management tools.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives that enhance engineering productivity, quality, and program execution.
• Promote best practices in software development, systems engineering, and project execution.
• Leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, where appropriate, to improve engineering productivity, software quality, decision-making, and project execution effectiveness.

You may also be asked to perform other duties outside of your function or trade, for which adequate training will be provided if necessary.

Relocation assistance may be provided if eligibility requirements are met.

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Qualifications

Additional Information

Our job titles may span more than one career level. The salary rate for this role is currently $79100-112800 The actual salary offered to a candidate may be influenced by a variety of factors, such as: training, transferable skills, work experience, education, business needs, market demands and work location. The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future. More information on offered benefits, which include health, welfare, and retirement, are available at mywabtecbenefits.com. Other benefit offerings for this role may include annual bonus, if eligible.

What could you accomplish in a place that puts People First?

At Wabtec, it’s not just about a job - it’s about the impact you make. When our people come together, we’re Expanding the Possible by continuously improving what we do and how we do it - for our clients and each other.

If you’re ready to revolutionize how the world moves for future generations, Wabtec is the place for you.
 

Who are we?

Wabtec is a leading global provider of equipment, systems, digital solutions, and value-added services for the freight and transit rail sectors. Drawing on more than 150 years of experience, we are leading the way in safety, efficiency, reliability, innovation, and productivity. Whether it’s freight, transit, ports, logistics, mining, industrial, or marine, our expertise, technologies, and people together – are accelerating the future of transportation. With roots that date back to George Westinghouse, Thomas Edison, and Louis Faiveley, Wabtec has always built technologies and implemented solutions for a variety of sectors that are critical to meeting the needs of customers and governments alike.

Our global team of about 30,000 employees worldwide delivers performance that moves the world forward. We’re lifelong learners, obsessed with better. Learn more at www.WabtecCorp.com.

Culture powers us and the possibilities.

We believe the best ideas come from a mix of experiences and backgrounds. At Wabtec, we strive every day to create a place where everyone belongs. We’re building a culture where leadership, inclusion and your unique perspective fuel progress.

We’re proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We welcome talent of all backgrounds, experiences, and identities, including race, gender, age, disability, veteran status and more.

Need accommodation? Just let us know - we’ve got you.