What are the responsibilities and job description for the Railroad Software Engineer position at Apex Rail Automation?
Job Title: RailMaster Software Engineer Location: Rochester NY Region
Job Type: Full-Time
Department: Engineering / Transportation Systems
Seniority Level: Mid-Level to Senior
About Us
Headquartered in Grass Valley, CA, Apex Rail Automation (Apex) delivers high-quality rail yard & track solutions. Our products include main line switches, yard switches, rods and layouts, wayside electronics, dark territory switch control, and Modular Yard Automation (MYA) systems. We supply products and systems primarily to freight railroads, particularly Class 1 railroads (CSX, BNSF, UP, etc.).
At Apex we’re transforming the backbone of freight logistics: the railyard. Our mission is to modernize rail operations through intelligent software systems that increase efficiency, safety, and throughput. Our platform supports yardmasters, switch crews, and logistics coordinators with powerful tools for decision-making, automation, and real-time visibility.
Position Summary
As a RailMaster Software Engineer, you’ll be part of a high-impact team building solutions that manage and optimize railyard operations. You'll design and implement features that support train movements, track assignments, inventory updates, and yard automation. Your work will directly support the efficiency of North America’s freight rail network.
Responsibilities
Job Type: Full-Time
Department: Engineering / Transportation Systems
Seniority Level: Mid-Level to Senior
About Us
Headquartered in Grass Valley, CA, Apex Rail Automation (Apex) delivers high-quality rail yard & track solutions. Our products include main line switches, yard switches, rods and layouts, wayside electronics, dark territory switch control, and Modular Yard Automation (MYA) systems. We supply products and systems primarily to freight railroads, particularly Class 1 railroads (CSX, BNSF, UP, etc.).
At Apex we’re transforming the backbone of freight logistics: the railyard. Our mission is to modernize rail operations through intelligent software systems that increase efficiency, safety, and throughput. Our platform supports yardmasters, switch crews, and logistics coordinators with powerful tools for decision-making, automation, and real-time visibility.
Position Summary
As a RailMaster Software Engineer, you’ll be part of a high-impact team building solutions that manage and optimize railyard operations. You'll design and implement features that support train movements, track assignments, inventory updates, and yard automation. Your work will directly support the efficiency of North America’s freight rail network.
Responsibilities
- Maintain and enhance existing codebase on existing and new projects (development)
- Architect and implement Next Generation control system (development)
- Implement Project Specific Control Systems (application)
- Customer support
- Assist in testing, training and cutover of systems (on-site)
- Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field
- Minimum 2 years’ experience
- Computer languages: C with STL and MFC, C# with WPF, Windows shell, Unix shell, and Python
- Operating systems: Windows (7, 8, 10, 11, and Server 2012), Unix, Cygwin (Unix under Windows)
- Source control: Git (self hosted)
- Database: SQL with MSAccess (ODBC)
- Programming techniques: Microsoft Visual Studio, Serial communications, UDP sockets, MSMQ, JMS, and ZMQ message queues, XAML, XML and JSON.
- Graphics programming: Vector and Bitmap
- Background in transportation, logistics, or rail systems
- Knowledge of yard operations such as car routing, switch lists, and track layout planning
- Experience working with mapping, geospatial, or SCADA systems
- Familiarity with rail industry standards and protocols (e.g. AEI tags, FRA compliance)
- Working on railroad applications:
- Familiarity with railroad operation rules (GCOR, NORAC, CROR)
- Familiar with FRA regulations (236 rules)
- Familiar with AAR, AREMA standards
- Familiar with railroad nomenclature, circuit plans and drawings
- Experience with communications protocols (Genisys, DataTrain, Modbus, etc)
- Experience with TCP, UDP, Fiber Optics, Networking, Domains
- Competitive base salary based on experience
- Healthcare benefits including medical, dental and vision
- Insurance benefits including life insurance, etc.
- 401k plan
Salary : $70,000 - $120,000