Senior Director, Intelligent Solutions

Location: Chicago, IL, us

Company Description

Wabtec is a leading global provider of equipment, systems, digital solutions, and value-added services to rail industry and other various industries. Our expertise, technologies, and people - together - are accelerating the future of transportation. Learn more at http://www.WabtecCorp.com.

Job Description

Wabtec’s Advanced Technologies team is seeking a technically versatile Senior Director, Intelligent Solutions to lead early-stage development of rail automation, energy performance, and system optimized solutions. This role oversees Systems Architecture, Automation Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, and Cloud Engineering/Development. Furthermore, this role is also the global point of contact for sustainability efforts within the Chief Technology Office.

How will you make a difference?

This role will drive cross-functional collaboration to define and develop innovative projects and product platforms that support both current offerings and long-term growth, leveraging existing and emerging technologies. Bold technical leadership and boundary-pushing innovation are essential.

This team develops new concepts, manages system-level requirements, and guides technical progress across hardware and software. The team also coordinates third-party technical partners to ensure their contributions integrate seamlessly into Wabtec’s projects.

What will your typical day look like?

Responsibilities:

• Lead the Systems Engineering function and integrate emerging automation technologies by driving teams through early concept development, system definition, and technical maturation, then transitioning initiatives for commercialization.
• Guide teams in developing system concepts, defining solution architectures, and managing system‑level requirements across hardware and software to deliver cohesive, scalable, and robust designs.
• Collaborate with Business Development to identify innovative solutions to product pain points and maintain strong business cases for owned projects, ensuring alignment of technical scope, cost, value, and strategic priorities.
• Facilitate and lead technical design reviews, risk assessments, validation planning, and trade studies to ensure disciplined engineering decisions and measurable technical progress.
• Define talent development plans and staffing strategies that reflect business needs, technical complexity, and resource capacity.
• Own technical, schedule, and budget tracking, ensuring alignment with product milestones, program goals, and readiness for transition to commercialization.
• Engage and manage third‑party vendors and technical partners, ensuring external deliverables fully integrate with Wabtec’s internal systems, architecture, and engineering standards.
• Apply systems engineering best practices—including DFMEA/SFMEA, safety assessments, and human‑factors considerations—throughout the entire product lifecycle.
• Influence, align, and motivate cross‑functional teams around a unified technical vision, ensuring consistent progress across hardware, software, and systems‑integration workstreams.
• Contribute to global sustainability efforts by leading technical and market research and advising on company strategy.
• Maintaining sustainability claims database and approving technical claims for all external communications.

You may also be asked to perform other duties outside of your function or trade, for which adequate training will be provided if necessary.

Qualifications

What do we want to know about you?

Experience & Qualifications:

• 15+ years of engineering experience, including 10+ years of progressive experience in engineering leadership capacity.
• Demonstrated success delivering complex automation solutions that integrate hardware, software, and advanced controls from concept through deployment.
• Strong grounding in systems integration, architecture development, system‑level requirements, and risk analysis methodologies (DFMEA, SFMEA).
• Experience with safety-critical system development, including safety assessments, validation strategies, and fail-safe design principles.
• Technologically curious, innovative, and skilled at challenging assumptions to identify new solutions and business opportunities.
• Expertise in one or more key automation and robotics domains, such as:
  • Perception, planning, and control for autonomous or semi-autonomous systems
  • Industrial automation (PLC, PAC, DCS) and real-time control of electromechanical systems
  • Robotic manipulation, mobile robotics, or automated material handling
  • Machine vision, sensor fusion, and advanced sensing technologies
  • Embedded and real-time software platforms
  • Functional safety and safety-critical automation
  • HMI, supervisory control, and operator-in-the-loop systems
  • Integration with enterprise, cloud, or edge computing platforms
• Domain expertise in one or more railway technologies, including Train Control and Management Systems, Positive Train Control (PTC), Energy Management Systems, locomotive control, communication systems, or remote-control systems.
• Experience in rail yard or mainline operations is highly desirable.

Relocation assistance may be provided if eligibility requirements are met.

Wabtec will only employ those who are legally authorized to work in the U.S. for this opening. Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of a drug screen (as applicable) and fitness for duty test (as applicable).

Additional Information

Our job titles may span more than one career level. The salary rate for this role is currently $164900-235000 The actual salary offered to a candidate may be influenced by a variety of factors, such as: training, transferable skills, work experience, education, business needs, market demands and work location. The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future. More information on offered benefits, which include health, welfare, and retirement, are available at mywabtecbenefits.com. Other benefit offerings for this role may include annual bonus, if eligible.

What could you accomplish in a place that puts People First?

At Wabtec, it’s not just about a job - it’s about the impact you make. When our people come together, we’re Expanding the Possible by continuously improving what we do and how we do it - for our clients and each other.

If you’re ready to revolutionize how the world moves for future generations, Wabtec is the place for you.
 

Who are we?

Wabtec is a leading global provider of equipment, systems, digital solutions, and value-added services for the freight and transit rail sectors. Drawing on more than 150 years of experience, we are leading the way in safety, efficiency, reliability, innovation, and productivity. Whether it’s freight, transit, ports, logistics, mining, industrial, or marine, our expertise, technologies, and people together – are accelerating the future of transportation. With roots that date back to George Westinghouse, Thomas Edison, and Louis Faiveley, Wabtec has always built technologies and implemented solutions for a variety of sectors that are critical to meeting the needs of customers and governments alike.

Our global team of about 30,000 employees worldwide delivers performance that moves the world forward. We’re lifelong learners, obsessed with better. Learn more at www.WabtecCorp.com.

Culture powers us and the possibilities.

We believe the best ideas come from a mix of experiences and backgrounds. At Wabtec, we strive every day to create a place where everyone belongs. We’re building a culture where leadership, inclusion and your unique perspective fuel progress.

We’re proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We welcome talent of all backgrounds, experiences, and identities, including race, gender, age, disability, veteran status and more.

Need accommodation? Just let us know - we’ve got you.