Chief Engineering Officer

Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD), operator of the South Shore Line Railroad, is seeking an experienced railroad engineering leader for this senior operating and maintenance leadership role.

About the role

The Chief Engineering Officer is directly responsible for the safety, inspection, testing, maintenance, repair, reliability, regulatory compliance, and state of good repair of NICTD Engineering Department infrastructure, including Track, Structures, Line, and Signal. This hands-on field leader establishes clear standards, enforces railroad operating and safety rules, develops supervisors and employees, identifies infrastructure risks, and ensures work is properly planned, documented, and executed. Safety is the top priority; the role ensures production, schedule, and cost never override safe work practices, regulatory compliance, or safe railroad operations.

The Chief Engineering Officer works closely with the Senior Director of Capital Projects and Structures, remaining accountable for the safe condition and maintenance of Engineering Department assets while the Senior Director provides technical expertise and leads major capital projects.

Responsibilities

• Safety Leadership
  • Provide visible, hands-on safety leadership through field observations, work-site visits, job briefings, and infrastructure inspections.
  • Establish and maintain a culture of safe work practices, operating discipline, regulatory compliance, accurate reporting, and prompt hazard correction.
  • Ensure compliance with NICTD safety rules, FRA regulations, Roadway Worker Protection, Track Safety Standards, bridge worker safety, and other requirements.
  • Ensure employees and contractors have necessary training, qualifications, tools, equipment, PPE, and supervision to work safely.
  • Review employee injuries, near misses, infrastructure failures, derailments, rule violations, and significant operating events; identify root causes and implement corrective actions.
  • Evaluate and track reported hazards and safety concerns to completion.
  • Stop or restrict work, impose operating restrictions, increase inspections, or remove infrastructure from service when warranted.
  • Report significant safety, regulatory, infrastructure, and service risks to executive leadership.
  • Collaborate with NICTD Safety and Transportation leadership to improve employee, infrastructure, and operating safety.
• Track and Right-of-Way
  • Direct inspection, maintenance, repair, rehabilitation, and renewal of track and right-of-way infrastructure.
  • Ensure compliance with 49 CFR Part 213 (Track Safety Standards), NICTD standards, and accepted railroad engineering practices.
  • Ensure required inspections are performed, documented, reviewed, and followed by timely corrective action.
  • Establish maintenance priorities based on safety risk, asset condition, operating requirements, inspection findings, failure history, and resources.
  • Monitor track geometry, rail condition, switches, turnouts, roadbed, drainage, crossings, and related infrastructure for safety, reliability, and performance.
  • Develop preventive and predictive maintenance practices to identify deterioration before unsafe conditions or service disruptions occur.
  • Establish slow orders or operating restrictions when required and manage corrective work to safely remove restrictions.
  • Plan and direct seasonal infrastructure programs for winter, extreme heat, drainage events, severe weather, and vegetation.
  • Coordinate maintenance and construction with Transportation and other departments to minimize service impacts while prioritizing safety.
• Line and Signal
  • Direct safe inspection, testing, maintenance, repair, reliability, and state of good repair for signal systems, highway-rail grade crossing warning systems, and line infrastructure.
  • Ensure compliance with 49 CFR Parts 234 and 236, NICTD standards, manufacturer requirements, and accepted railroad signal and communications practices.
  • Ensure required signal and grade-crossing inspections, tests, records, and reports are completed, reviewed, retained, and followed by corrective action.
  • Establish preventive and corrective maintenance programs based on safety risk, regulatory requirements, failure history, asset condition, and lifecycle needs.
  • Monitor signal failures, crossing-warning activations, trouble calls, repeat defects, and performance indicators; identify root causes and implement corrective actions.
  • Ensure Signal and Line employees are trained, qualified, equipped, and supervised to perform work safely and in compliance with regulations.
  • Coordinate signal and line outages, testing, cutovers, and maintenance with Transportation and other departments to protect operations and minimize service impacts.
  • Maintain emergency-response capability for signal failures, crossing-warning system failures, storm damage, utility interruptions, and other safety-critical conditions.
  • Work with the Senior Director of Capital Projects and Structures on capital projects affecting signal, crossing, line, and related assets, retaining responsibility for safe operation and compliance post-turnover.
  • Participate in design, constructability, maintainability, testing, commissioning, acceptance, and turnover reviews for capital projects affecting Line and Signal systems.
• Bridges and Structures
  • Maintain responsibility for the safe condition, inspection, maintenance, repair, and operational availability of bridges, culverts, retaining structures, and other assigned structures.
  • Ensure bridge inspection and management comply with FRA bridge safety requirements, NICTD policies, and accepted railroad engineering practices.
  • Document, evaluate, prioritize, monitor, and correct structural defects and deficiencies within appropriate timeframes.
  • Implement operating restrictions, increased inspection frequency, monitoring, temporary repairs, or removal from service for structural conditions requiring immediate action.
  • Collaborate with the Senior Director of Capital Projects and Structures to evaluate significant structural conditions, develop repair strategies, establish capital priorities, and plan major improvements.
  • Retain responsibility for immediate safe operation and maintenance of the railroad while the Senior Director provides technical and capital-project expertise.
  • Provide maintenance history, inspection findings, operational requirements, and field knowledge to support bridge and structural capital projects.
  • Participate in design, constructability, maintainability, testing, commissioning, and acceptance reviews for capital projects affecting Engineering Department assets.
  • Coordinate Engineering Department participation in capital projects without transferring supervision of employees to the Senior Director.
  • Ensure appropriate inspection, testing, as-built documentation, training, spare materials, and warranties are satisfied before completed assets enter routine maintenance.

Benefits

• Annual salary of $159,650.
• Credit for prior railroad employment (including military leaves) applied to vacation day entitlements.
• Paid vacation and holidays.
• Health club stipend.
• Compensatory time.
• Medical, dental, and vision benefits.
• Health savings account.
• Railroad Retirement benefits.
• Professional development and executive leadership opportunities.
• Supplemental pension.
• Other competitive employee benefits.