ABOUT THE POSITION
Transit & Rail Practice Leader – New York
Lead the Future of Transit & Rail in the New York Market
VHB is seeking a visionary Transit & Rail Leader to spearhead the growth of our Transit & Rail practice in one of the nation’s most dynamic transportation markets. This is an opportunity to shape the future of mobility across New York by strengthening partnerships with agencies such as MTA, Amtrak, PATH, and NJ Transit, while driving pursuit of high-profile, complex infrastructure projects.
As a senior leader at VHB in NYC, you’ll combine market growth strategy with delivery excellence, leveraging your technical credibility and deep industry relationships to win transformative work. You’ll also play a critical role in mentoring and building the next generation of Transit & Rail professionals—positioning VHB as a trusted partner and thought leader in the region for years to come.
Responsibilities
Market Growth & Strategy
- Lead client engagement with MTA, Amtrak, PATH, NJ Transit, and major contractors while leading and participating in VHB client focus teams.
- Identify, qualify, and secure strategic pursuits in program management, construction management, rail systems design, planning, and alternative delivery.
- Represent VHB at regional conferences, seminars, and industry events to raise visibility and expand the firm’s New York Area Transit & Rail presence.
- Coordinate teaming decisions with the Northeast Regional and Managing Directors to strengthen pursuit positioning.
Delivery Excellence
- Serve as Project Director/Principal for complex transit and rail assignments, overseeing planning and conceptual, preliminary, and final design.
- Provide subject matter expertise in rail systems, including track, traction power, signals, communications, and systems integration.
- Ensure quality, compliance, budget management, and client satisfaction across all projects.
- Promote continuous improvement, innovation, and best practices in delivery.
Team Leadership & Mentorship
- Direct and mentor multidisciplinary teams of engineers, planners, and designers, fostering technical excellence and professional growth.
- Recruit, retain, and develop top Transit & Rail talent in the New York office and throughout the Northeast Region.
- Build a culture of accountability, collaboration, and knowledge-sharing.
- Support skills development plans and succession strategies across the Transit & Rail practice.
Financial & Business Management
- Contribute to annual business planning and regional growth strategy in alignment with VHB’s Strategic Plan.
- Develop scopes, budgets, staffing plans, and profitability strategies for large-scale projects.
- Monitor workload, project deployment, and resource allocation across pursuits.
- Drive backlog growth with a goal of securing $25M in annual new revenue within 3 years.
Skills and Attributes
- Recognized thought leader in Transit & Rail with deep New York market relationships.
- Strong technical and business development credibility with a track record of winning major pursuits.
- Excellent leadership and supervisory skills; proven ability to mentor, inspire, and build high-performing teams.
- Advanced knowledge of federal, state, and local transit/rail regulations, programs, and funding mechanisms.
- Strong project and client management skills with the ability to influence and collaborate at all levels.
- Self-motivated, entrepreneurial mindset with excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering or related field required.
- Professional Engineer (PE) license in NY required; NJ, CT, and PA preferred or ability to obtain within six (6) months.
- Minimum of 15 years of progressive experience in transit and rail design, management, planning and implementation of rail transit projects, including leading a team of engineers, planners, and designers, program/construction management, or systems engineering. 20+ years of experience preferred
- At least 10 years of project management experience.
- Demonstrated relationships with MTA Construction and Development (MTA C&D), New York City Transit, Metro-North Railroad, Long Island Rail Road, Amtrak, NJ Transit, PATH, and New York contractor community.
- The candidate must possess a focus and understanding on transit and rail operations and how to deliver projects that maintain operations during construction.
- Proven success in managing large, multidisciplinary teams and multi-million-dollar transportation projects.
The base salary range for this position is $190,000 – 285,000. This offer is determined based on a number of job-related factors including internal comparators, skills, education, training, credentials, experience, scope and complexity of role responsibilities, and geographic location.
We are VHB! We’re an inspired and innovative team of engineers, scientists, planners, and designers who partner with clients in the transportation, real estate, institutional, and energy industries, as well as federal, state, and local governments. Our work helps improve mobility, enhance communities, and contribute to economic vitality. We do this while balancing development and infrastructure needs with stewardship of our environment.
Our people make us great! VHB provides a differentiating employee experience, which includes:
- Diverse and inclusive culture of collaboration and innovation
- Opportunity to work on complex, transformational projects
- Community and social responsibility as sustainable stewards
- Focus on learning, development, and career growth
- Best-in-class benefits, including flexible, hybrid workplace
We are consistently rated one of the top AEC firms to work for across our 30+ offices on the East Coast. We’re growing, and we hope you’ll join us!
VHB is a proud Equal Opportunity Employer. Since our founding, we have intentionally fostered a culture of inclusion and belonging, supported by deep-rooted core values, one of which is diversity. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law.
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