Chief Engineering Officer

The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD), operator of the South Shore Line Railroad, is seeking an experienced railroad engineering leader to serve as Chief Engineering Officer. This is a senior railroad operating and maintenance leadership position with direct responsibility 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.

The Chief Engineering Officer leads NICTD’s Engineering Department and is expected to be a visible, hands‑on field leader. The successful candidate will establish clear standards, enforce railroad operating and safety rules consistently, develop supervisors and employees, identify infrastructure risks before they become failures, and ensure that work is properly planned, documented, and executed.

With safety at the front of mind, the Chief Engineering Officer is accountable for the safe condition and regulatory compliance of infrastructure under the Engineering Department’s control and for building a department in which employees understand that production, schedule, and cost never take priority over safe work practices, regulatory compliance, accurate inspection and testing, and safe railroad operations.

The Chief Engineering Officer works closely with the Senior Director of Capital Projects and Structures. The Chief Engineering Officer remains accountable for the safe condition, inspection, maintenance, repair, and operational availability of Engineering Department assets, while the Senior Director provides senior structural technical expertise and leads assigned major capital rehabilitation, replacement, and construction projects.

• Provide visible, hands‑on safety leadership for the Engineering Department, including regular field observations, work‑site visits, job briefing observations, and infrastructure inspections.
• Establish and maintain a culture in which safe work practices, operating discipline, regulatory compliance, accurate reporting, and prompt correction of hazards are expected every day.
• Ensure employees and contractors comply with NICTD safety rules, applicable FRA regulations, Roadway Worker Protection requirements, Track Safety Standards, bridge worker safety requirements, and other applicable requirements.
• Ensure employees have the training, qualifications, tools, equipment, personal protective equipment, and supervision necessary to perform work safely.
• Review employee injuries, near misses, infrastructure failures, derailments, rule violations, and significant operating events involving Engineering; identify root causes and ensure corrective actions are implemented and closed.
• Ensure reported hazards and safety concerns are evaluated promptly, and corrective actions are tracked to completion.
• Exercise authority to stop or restrict work, impose appropriate operating restrictions, increase inspection or monitoring, or remove infrastructure from service when conditions warrant.
• Report significant safety, regulatory, infrastructure, and service risks promptly and accurately to executive leadership.
• Work closely with NICTD Safety and Transportation leadership to improve employee safety, infrastructure safety, and railroad operating safety.

• Direct the inspection, maintenance, repair, rehabilitation, and renewal of NICTD track and related right‑of‑way infrastructure.
• Ensure compliance with 49 CFR Part 213 - Track Safety Standards, applicable NICTD standards, and accepted railroad engineering practices.
• Ensure required inspections are properly performed, accurately documented, appropriately reviewed, and followed by timely corrective action.
• Establish maintenance priorities based on safety risk, asset condition, operating requirements, inspection findings, failure history, and available resources.
• Monitor track geometry, rail condition, switches, turnouts, roadbed, drainage, crossings, and related infrastructure for conditions affecting safety, reliability, ride quality, or train performance.
• Develop preventive and…