Summary
Parsons is seeking a Director of Stations for a driverless rail transit project in Qiddiya, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The role leads station design from concept through construction readiness, overseeing passenger flow, MEP and transit systems integration, technical assurance, and coordination with real estate developers and design consultants. Applicants need at least 15 years of major rail station infrastructure experience, including five years leading client-side design teams, and a relevant bachelor’s degree. Professional chartership is advantageous, while Saudi or GCC regulatory experience is preferred.
The posting
As published on parsons.com. Pulled from the employer's site and shown as they wrote it.
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At Parsons, you can imagine a career where you thrive, work with exceptional people, and be yourself. Guided by our leadership vision of valuing people, embracing agility, and fostering growth, we cultivate an innovative culture that empowers you to achieve your full potential. Unleash your talent and redefine what’s possible.
Job Description:
Parsons are looking for a top tier Director of Stations to join their dynamic team!
As the Director of Stations, you will provide the architectural, engineering, and technical leadership required to design and deliver a network of stations for a fully automated, Grade of Automation 4 (GoA4) driverless rail transit system. Operating client-side within a fast-paced, developer-led environment, you will hold ultimate accountability for station technical integrity, passenger experience, and complex physical integration.
You will lead stations from initial concept and functional architecture through detailed design, systems coordination, and construction readiness. This high-profile mandate requires managing international design consultants, enforcing rigorous internal technical governance, and negotiating structural, spatial, and MEP interfaces directly with adjacent real estate developers to safeguard the transit network's long-term performance.
What You'll Be Doing;
- Passenger Flow & Layouts: Own the functional design of all stations. Ensure optimal platform screen door (PSD) integration, vertical transportation capacity, emergency egress compliance, and fluid passenger circulation tailored for high-capacity driverless environments.
- MEP & Systems Integration: Lead the complex coordination between station architecture, structural engineering, and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems—including specialized tunnel ventilation, smoke extraction, and environmental control systems.
- Transit Design: Ensure station facilities seamlessly embed critical transit sub-systems (communications, SCADA, security, signaling rooms) while maintaining design aesthetics and operational flexibility.
- Design Oversight: Direct, evaluate, and hold accountable Tier 1 international architectural firms, engineering consultants, and Project Management Officers (PMOs). Drive design reviews to maintain quality, schedule, and budgetary boundaries.
- Internal Governance: Establish and execute technical assurance gateways, safety-by-design protocols, and configuration control management. Ensure station designs pass strict internal stage gates and fully comply with global safety, RAMS, and local civil defense standards.
- Value Engineering: Champion rigorous value engineering workshops to optimize spatial footprints, constructability, and lifecycle maintenance costs without compromising safety or passenger experience.
- Real Estate Alignment: Serve as the primary technical interface for internal and external development teams. Coordinate station physical footprints, structural loads, and utility connections where stations integrate with or sit adjacent to mixed-use developments.
- Commercial Boundary Management: Navigate a developer-led environment by protecting the rail asset's operational and structural rights-of-way, managing complex boundary matrices, and aligning station delivery schedules with surrounding master-planned phases.
- Conflict Resolution: Proactively resolve high-stakes design conflicts between developer real estate ambitions and strict rail transit requirements, ensuring a win-win integration that enhances urban connectivity.
What Required Skills You'll Bring;
- Experience: Minimum of 15 years of experience delivering major rail transit station infrastructure, with at least 5 years leading complex, client-side engineering or architectural design teams.
- Technical Expertise: Deep technical understanding of modern transit station design, including functional space planning, MEP systems coordination, platform screen screen integration, and specialized life-safety systems. Experience with automated/driverless (GoA4) lines is highly valued.
- Developer Environment: Proven track record of successfully delivering stations embedded within complex, multi-stakeholder real estate master plans, giga-projects, or air-rights developments.
- Consultant Management: Exceptional capability in directing, evaluating, and challenging Tier 1 international engineering and architectural consultants.
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering, or a related discipline. Professional chartership (e.g., RIBA, AIA, CEng, or equivalent) is highly advantageous.
- Regional Knowledge: Experience managing construction, materials selection, and regulatory approvals (such as Civil Defense) within the unique environmental and regulatory context of Saudi Arabia or the wider GCC region is preferred.
Parsons equally employs representation at all job levels no matter the race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability or genetic information.
We truly invest and care about our employee’s wellbeing and provide endless growth opportunities as the sky is the limit, so aim for the stars! Imagine next and join the Parsons quest—APPLY TODAY!
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