1. Job Summary
The Head of Design Department is responsible for strategic leadership, technical governance, and delivery assurance of multidisciplinary design activities related to railway systems engineering and ICT systems.
The role ensures that all designs are:
- Technically & contractually compliant
- Designed to the respective project budget
- Safe, secure, robust and reliable
- Aligned with national regulations and international standards
- Fit for public-sector procurement, audit, and lifecycle operations
2. Education
- Bachelor’s Degree in one of the following must be from an Accredited University:
- Electrical Engineering
- Electronics Engineering
- Systems Engineering
- Computer Engineering
- Information Technology
- Transportation / Railway Engineering
Professional Qualifications
- Chartered or registered professional engineer:
- PE / CEng / Ir. / Eur Ing (or equivalent)
- Professional certifications (one or more preferred):
- PMP / PRINCE2
- ITIL
3. Professional Experience
- Minimum 10 years of relevant professional experience
Leadership Experience
- At least 5 years in:
- Engineering management
- Design authority role
- Head / Lead Engineer or Technical Director role
Sector Experience (Mandatory)
- Railway Systems Engineering:
- At least 5 years in rail projects involving:
- Signalling
- Communications
- Power supply
- Rolling stock interfaces
- Platform Screen Doors (PSD)
- Depot systems
- SCADA / OCC systems
4. Technical Competency Requirements
A. Railway Systems Engineering
Strong knowledge and practical experience in:
- Systems Engineering lifecycle (V-model)
- Interface management and requirements traceability
- Verification & Validation (V&V)
- RAMS engineering (EN 50126 / 50128 / 50129)
- EMC / EMI engineering for railways (EN 50121 series)
- Safety-critical system integration
- Design coordination across multi-disciplinary rail subsystems
Relevant standards familiarity:
- EN 50155
- EN 50126 / 50128 / 50129
- EN 50121 (EMC)
- IEC 62290, IEC 61508
- UIC, IEEE, CENELEC where applicable
- Local railway authority technical specifications
B. ICT Systems Engineering (Advantage)
Proven capability in:
- Large-scale ICT architectures
- Data centers, network infrastructure, and cloud/hybrid environments
- Secure systems design and cybersecurity-by-design
- Interoperability and integration between legacy and new systems
- ICT lifecycle management for public services
Relevant frameworks and standards:
- ISO/IEC 27001, 27002 (Information Security)
- ISO/IEC 20000 (IT Service Management)
- NIST Cybersecurity Framework (advantageous)
- National e-Government ICT policies and architecture standards
5. Design Governance & Assurance
Demonstrated ability to:
- Establish and enforce design authority frameworks
- Lead technical reviews:
- Concept Design Review (CDR)
- Preliminary Design Review (PDR)
- Final Design Review (FDR)
- Approve technical deliverables and engineering baselines
- Ensure compliance with:
- Contractual specifications
- Regulatory and statutory requirements
- Audit and public accountability expectations
6. Regulatory, Safety & Compliance Knowledge
- Strong familiarity with:
- Railway safety regulators
- National transport authorities
- Government procurement rules
- Experience working under:
- Independent Safety Assessors (ISA)
- Government auditors
- Cybersecurity authorities
- Ability to manage approvals, concessions, and deviations
7. Leadership & Management Skills
Mandatory Skills
- Strategic technical leadership
- Multi-disciplinary team management
- Mentoring senior engineers and design managers
- Budget, resource, and capability planning
- Conflict resolution across technical disciplines
Organizational Scope
- Typically responsible for:
- 10–50+ engineers across multiple domains
- Internal teams and external consultants
- Joint ventures and international partners
8. Communication & Stakeholder Management
- Excellent written and verbal communication in English
- Ability to present:
- Technical concepts to non-technical government stakeholders
- Risk and design issues to executive leadership
- Proven experience engaging with:
- Ministries and government agencies
- Railway operators and authorities
- Contractors, suppliers, and consultants
9. Security & Ethical Requirements
- Eligible for government security clearance (or equivalent)
- Strong integrity and understanding of:
- Public-sector ethics
- Confidentiality requirements
- Data protection regulations
10. Personal Attributes
- High integrity and accountability
- Strong systems-thinking mindset
- Decisive yet collaborative leadership style
- Ability to operate under political and public scrutiny
- Comfortable handling technically complex, high-risk programs
11. Desirable Additional Experience
- International railway projects
- Smart rail / digital railway initiatives
- National critical infrastructure programs
- Experience with PPP or EPC contracts
Pay: RM5,000.00 - RM9,000.00 per month
Benefits:
- Additional leave
- Health insurance
- Professional development
Work Location: In person