Manager of Project Design
American Public Transit Association, Charlotte, NC, United States
The Manager of Project Design leads and coordinates the planning, engineering, and design phases of a large, complex capital project – the Red Line Commuter Rail project, which includes track and guideway infrastructure, stations, facilities and systems elements. Working under general direction, this role ensures design deliverables meet safety, operational, regulatory, constructability, accessibility, sustainability, and life-cycle requirements.
The role oversees consultant design teams, facilitates design reviews, integrates stakeholder needs, and ensures project documentation is complete, traceable, and compliant with funding and permitting requirements. This role supports transition to procurement and construction phases by ensuring design intent, risks, and assumptions are well-documented and communicated, and manages the approval process for design changes during construction.
Duties and Responsibilities The following duties are standard for this position. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the classification if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment for this classification.
Design Oversight & Coordination Lead and manage the design process across planning, preliminary engineering, final design, and pre‑construction phases.
Coordinate the work of multiple design disciplines (civil, structural, systems, architecture, signal/communications, environmental, ADA, fire/life safety, and utilities).
Standards, Requirements & Technical Governance Ensure designs comply with applicable codes, engineering standards, design criteria, accessibility requirements, fire/life safety guidelines, operational needs, and federal funding conditions.
Maintain configuration control and design decision records.
Stakeholder & Agency Integration Facilitate design coordination with Operations, Maintenance, Safety, Real Estate, Environmental compliance, external utilities, jurisdictions, and third‑party stakeholders.
Constructability, Cost & Schedule Alignment Lead constructability reviews, value engineering workshops, and cost‑risk analyses in collaboration with Project Controls and construction partners.
Coordinate design timelines to align with procurement strategy and construction phasing.
Procurement & Contract Support Develop or review scopes of work, technical specifications, bid documentation, and design‑related contractual submittals.
Support procurement evaluations and design clarification meetings.
Transition to Construction Ensure design documents support construction execution, testing, commissioning, and system start‑up needs, with clearly documented assumptions and change history.
Manage design changes during construction and ensure project goals and design intent continue to be met.
As part of your responsibility to support the CATS Safety Culture, report safety concerns and issues through the various methods established by Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) as outlined in the ASP.
Core Competencies Technical Leadership & Design Governance – Applies engineering and architectural judgment to guide consultant design efforts and ensure compliance with standards, codes, and agency requirements.
Multi‑Disciplinary Coordination – Integrates civil, structural, systems, architectural, utilities, and life‑safety considerations into cohesive design solutions.
Constructability & Lifecycle Thinking – Evaluates design decisions for constructability, maintainability, operational impacts, and long‑term asset performance.
Risk Identification & Resolution – Anticipates technical, regulatory, and integration risks and leads resolution strategies prior to construction.
Stakeholder Collaboration – Effectively coordinates with operations, maintenance, safety, real estate, environmental teams, and external partners.
Documentation & Traceability – Maintains clear records of design decisions, assumptions, approvals, and changes to support audit readiness and transition to construction.
Professional Communication – Communicates complex technical issues clearly to both technical specialists and executive decision‑makers.
Supervision Given to Engineer I, Engineer II, and/or Lead Engineers
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Knowledge of Engineering and architectural standards, design processes, multi‑discipline coordination, and public infrastructure permitting.
Skill in Directing consultant teams, resolving technical conflicts, facilitating design workshops, and synthesizing technical and operational requirements.
Ability to organize heavy and complex workloads, establish and adjust priorities, and accomplish objectives within established scopes, budgets, and schedules.
Ability to Lead complex design efforts from concept through readiness for construction and communicate design decisions clearly to technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
Qualifications Minimum Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a closely related technical field.
5 years of progressive experience managing or overseeing design for complex capital infrastructure or facility projects.
Demonstrated experience coordinating multi‑disciplinary consultant design teams.
Working knowledge of public‑sector project delivery, permitting, and procurement environments.
Preferred Qualifications Professional registration (PE) desired.
Experience with large transit, transportation, or public infrastructure programs.
Experience supporting alternative delivery models (e.g., Design‑Build, CM/GC, Progressive Design‑Build).
Familiarity with FTA‑funded projects, accessibility requirements, and life‑safety standards.
Salary Information The salary for this position is $124,789 – $155,986 – $187,183, commensurate with experience. This reflects the actual compensation that will be offered for the role.
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The role oversees consultant design teams, facilitates design reviews, integrates stakeholder needs, and ensures project documentation is complete, traceable, and compliant with funding and permitting requirements. This role supports transition to procurement and construction phases by ensuring design intent, risks, and assumptions are well-documented and communicated, and manages the approval process for design changes during construction.
Duties and Responsibilities The following duties are standard for this position. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the classification if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment for this classification.
Design Oversight & Coordination Lead and manage the design process across planning, preliminary engineering, final design, and pre‑construction phases.
Coordinate the work of multiple design disciplines (civil, structural, systems, architecture, signal/communications, environmental, ADA, fire/life safety, and utilities).
Standards, Requirements & Technical Governance Ensure designs comply with applicable codes, engineering standards, design criteria, accessibility requirements, fire/life safety guidelines, operational needs, and federal funding conditions.
Maintain configuration control and design decision records.
Stakeholder & Agency Integration Facilitate design coordination with Operations, Maintenance, Safety, Real Estate, Environmental compliance, external utilities, jurisdictions, and third‑party stakeholders.
Constructability, Cost & Schedule Alignment Lead constructability reviews, value engineering workshops, and cost‑risk analyses in collaboration with Project Controls and construction partners.
Coordinate design timelines to align with procurement strategy and construction phasing.
Procurement & Contract Support Develop or review scopes of work, technical specifications, bid documentation, and design‑related contractual submittals.
Support procurement evaluations and design clarification meetings.
Transition to Construction Ensure design documents support construction execution, testing, commissioning, and system start‑up needs, with clearly documented assumptions and change history.
Manage design changes during construction and ensure project goals and design intent continue to be met.
As part of your responsibility to support the CATS Safety Culture, report safety concerns and issues through the various methods established by Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) as outlined in the ASP.
Core Competencies Technical Leadership & Design Governance – Applies engineering and architectural judgment to guide consultant design efforts and ensure compliance with standards, codes, and agency requirements.
Multi‑Disciplinary Coordination – Integrates civil, structural, systems, architectural, utilities, and life‑safety considerations into cohesive design solutions.
Constructability & Lifecycle Thinking – Evaluates design decisions for constructability, maintainability, operational impacts, and long‑term asset performance.
Risk Identification & Resolution – Anticipates technical, regulatory, and integration risks and leads resolution strategies prior to construction.
Stakeholder Collaboration – Effectively coordinates with operations, maintenance, safety, real estate, environmental teams, and external partners.
Documentation & Traceability – Maintains clear records of design decisions, assumptions, approvals, and changes to support audit readiness and transition to construction.
Professional Communication – Communicates complex technical issues clearly to both technical specialists and executive decision‑makers.
Supervision Given to Engineer I, Engineer II, and/or Lead Engineers
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Knowledge of Engineering and architectural standards, design processes, multi‑discipline coordination, and public infrastructure permitting.
Skill in Directing consultant teams, resolving technical conflicts, facilitating design workshops, and synthesizing technical and operational requirements.
Ability to organize heavy and complex workloads, establish and adjust priorities, and accomplish objectives within established scopes, budgets, and schedules.
Ability to Lead complex design efforts from concept through readiness for construction and communicate design decisions clearly to technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
Qualifications Minimum Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a closely related technical field.
5 years of progressive experience managing or overseeing design for complex capital infrastructure or facility projects.
Demonstrated experience coordinating multi‑disciplinary consultant design teams.
Working knowledge of public‑sector project delivery, permitting, and procurement environments.
Preferred Qualifications Professional registration (PE) desired.
Experience with large transit, transportation, or public infrastructure programs.
Experience supporting alternative delivery models (e.g., Design‑Build, CM/GC, Progressive Design‑Build).
Familiarity with FTA‑funded projects, accessibility requirements, and life‑safety standards.
Salary Information The salary for this position is $124,789 – $155,986 – $187,183, commensurate with experience. This reflects the actual compensation that will be offered for the role.
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