Santa Barbara/Santa Maria, California
San Francisco, California
Indianapolis, Indiana
Posted: 21-Jan-26
Location: Orange, California
Type: Full Time
Salary: Base Salary $140,000-$200,000
Years of Experience:
Salary Details:
Required Education:
About Zephyr Rail
Zephyr Rail is a nationally recognized rail and infrastructure consulting firm, delivering innovative engineering and design solutions for freight, commuter, and high-speed rail. We are committed to technical excellence, client success, and the professional growth of our staff.
The Opportunity
We are seeking a Director of Design Services to lead the daily operations of our design group. This role is pivotal to ensuring our engineering teams are well-managed, properly resourced, and consistently delivering high-quality plans and designs for rail and infrastructure projects. This position is on-site, located in Orange, CA - presence at our headquarters is essential to manage staff effectively, oversee plan production, and maintain collaboration across teams.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead and Manager Staff - Supervise and mentor engineers, designers, and support staff. Oversee assignments, workloads, and performance reviews.
- Project Delivery - Manage plan production, schedules, and deliverables. Ensure design projects meet quality, budget, and client requirements.
- Business Management - Monitor group financials, utilization, and manpower. Provide staffing and level-of-effort estimates for proposals and ongoing projects.
- Collaboration - Partner with the VP of Design Services for technical guidance and client engagement while focusing on daily operations, staffing, and business oversight.
- Quality and Innovation - Enforce QA/QC standards across design deliverables. Stay current with tools, technology, and best practices to drive efficiency.
- Client and Proposal Support - Provide input for proposals, staffing plans, and resource needs. Support interviews and client pursuits as needed.
- Strategic Contribution - Contribute to strategic planning for design group growth, resource development, and market competitiveness.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering or related field.
- 12+ years of experience in engineering design, including at least 4 years in management/supervisory roles.
- Direct experience in engineering plan production.
- Strong understanding of workload forecasting, resource planning, and project budgets.
- Excellent leadership, organizational, and communication skills.
- Must be able to work on-site, daily at our Headquarters located in Orange, CA.
Preferred Qualifications
- PE License in California (or ability to obtain).
- Rail, transit, or infrastructure design project experience.
- Experience managing medium to large design teams (20+ staff)
Compensation and Benefits
- Base Salary - $140, 000 - $200,000 DOE.
- Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance - 100% employer-paid for employees; 50% for dependents.
- Retirement - 401K with employer match
- Paid Vacation
- Paid Holidays
- Paid Sick Time
*No outside Agencies or Recruiters, please!