ATCS System Engineer I-II-III-IV (Advanced Train Control Systems) (Alaska Railroad)

Job Description

PURPOSE OF POSITION:

The primary responsibility is to support the Alaska Railroad's Advanced Train Control Systems department and its safety systems to ensure safe, stable and efficient operations. This position is fundamentally a systems integrations position requiring a deep understanding of computing and networking technology, data and database systems, systems design, systems engineering, and systems validation and systems testing methodologies.

The successful candidate will have a comprehensive background that allows for multidisciplinary systems design, implementation and validation. This background will be focused on supporting the Alaska Railroad’s implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC) and its auxiliary subsystems. Additionally, this position participates in a rotating on-call after-hours support rotation and will be subject to the Alaska Railroad’s Hours of Service program.

This tiered position allows for career advancement through personal, technical, and professional skills acquisition and development. Each tier represents a milestone in technical competency, accountability, and responsibility in not only modern information systems technologies but also in Positive Train Control systems and its auxiliary subsystems.

Tier

High-level Work Scope Definition

Education

Work Exp.

PTC Exp.

I

(NR08)

The successful candidate will have a background that demonstrates a fundamental understanding of modern computing technologies (i.e. Workstations, Servers, switched networking, TCP/IP troubleshooting, messaging systems, database systems, etc.), or a sufficient background to develop the necessary skills in these technologies and the ability to apply that knowledge to solve technical issues.

The scope of responsibilities for this tier will primarily be focused on the automated testing environments to support the positive train control acceptance testing. This position will work under more senior technical team members to support the needs of the department.

Personal progression in acquiring fundamental skills in PTC is expected.

AS

BS

2

0

0

0

II

(NR08)

In addition to Tier I scope, the skill competency for this level will be higher to reduce the active work-task oversight by other members of the team. Work will be expected to be completed independently within the candidate’s established scope of duties with an eye on accuracy. Additionally, the candidate will be encouraged to continue to develop skills in preparation for the next tier of responsibilities.

The scope of responsibilities will be expanded to cover the larger end-to-end test labs as well as the smaller test environments. More emphasis will be placed on technical competency, inter-team communication and system validation.

Personal skills development is expected to continue and should demonstrate measurable progress in PTC Core competencies for qualification to the next tier.

AS

BS

MS

5

3

1

0

0

0

III

(NR09)

In addition to Tier II scope, the skill competency for this level is higher and the employee in this position will be expected to mentor others in their areas of expertise. Additionally, candidates in this tier will be expected to apply system knowledge to gather requirements, design systems and manage the implementation and validation of those systems.

The scope of responsibilities will be expanded to include working with oversight in the production PTC systems. The advancement of working within this space will necessitate enrollment in Hours of Service rules and adhering to stricter procedures to ensure smooth, stable and safe system deployments while maintaining railroad operational continuity.

Personal skills development is expected to continue and should demonstrate measurable progress in PTC Core competencies for qualification to the next tier.

AS

BS

MS

8

6

3

2

2

2

IV

(NR10)

In addition to Tier III scope, the skill competency for this level will be the highest and the employee in this position will lead production system deployments in alignment with change management procedures and will help validate work of the lower tiers.

Additionally, this tier will fill a technical lead role for the SE team,  providing supervision and direction of Tier I-III Systems Engineers as directed by  Manager, Systems Engineering - ATCS, and will assist in task assignment duties.

This role will be responsible for system design, system validation, and requirements compliance. Basic project management in assisting with task assignment to balance resource utilization across the team.

AS

BS

MS

12

9

7

5+

5+

5+

Duties and Responsibilities:

% of Time

I

II

III

IV

¨

Maintains and administers Automated Test Environments (ATE) including server configuration, network setup, virtualization platforms, and database systems to support PTC acceptance testing.

35%

20%

10%

5%

¨

Performs system validation and acceptance testing of PTC software releases from the vendors, executing test procedures and documenting results in accordance with department quality assurance methodologies.

25%

20%

15%

10%

¨

Administers and troubleshoots PTC subsystems including BackOffice Server, MDM Server, Communication Server, Control Server, and Train Management Computer (TMC) software across test and production environments as qualified.

10%

15%

15%

20%

¨

Manages messaging infrastructure (RabbitMQ, ITCM, WSRS) and database systems (SQL Server/TMDS) supporting PTC operations, including configuration, monitoring, and troubleshooting.

10%

15%

15%

10%

¨

Supports production PTC system deployments under change management procedures and Hours of Service rules, ensuring smooth, stable, and safe system changes while maintaining railroad operational continuity.

0%

5%

15%

20%

¨

Creates and maintains technical documentation including system configurations, test procedures, validation reports, installation guides, and operational runbooks.

10%

10%

10%

10%

¨

Manages PTC data including track survey data collection and validation, On-Board Track File creation and distribution, code line control assignments, and wayside addressing conventions.

5%

10%

10%

5%

¨

Mentors and provides technical guidance to lower-tier engineers, reviews their work output, and assists with knowledge transfer across PTC competency areas.

0%

0%

5%

10%

¨

Coordinates with the Manager, Systems Engineering - ATCS on supervision, task assignment, resource utilization, and technical direction for the ATCS Systems Engineering team.

0%

0%

0%

5%

¨

Participates in vendor coordination for software updates, issue resolution, and system enhancement planning. May be required to travel for vendor meetings or field installations.

5%

5%

5%

5%

FACTOR 1:

Technical and Operational Knowledge

Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of modern computing technologies including server and workstation administration, switched networking, TCP/IP protocols, messaging systems (RabbitMQ, ITCM, WSRS), database systems (SQL Server), and virtualization platforms (vSphere). Requires understanding of both Windows and Linux operating systems administration, configuration, and troubleshooting. Shows proficiency in systems integration principles, data validation methodologies, and safety-critical system design. At higher tiers, demonstrates deep expertise in Positive Train Control (PTC) systems architecture, including BackOffice Server, MDM Server, Train Management Computer (TMC), Code Server, and Communication and Control Server subsystems. Knowledgeable in railroad operational rules, Hours of Service regulations, and change management procedures as applicable to safety overlay systems.

FACTOR 2:

Analytical Skills & Impact

Applies systematic troubleshooting methodologies across computing, networking, and PTC subsystems to identify root causes and implement solutions. Analyzes system performance data, test results, and operational metrics to ensure stable and safe PTC operations. At lower tiers, performs analysis within established test environments under guidance; at higher tiers, independently designs v