Demo

Director of Design Services

Zephyr Rail
Orange, CA Full Time
POSTED ON 3/29/2026
AVAILABLE BEFORE 10/7/2026
About Zephyr Rail

Zephyr Rail is a nationally recognized rail and infrastructure consulting firm, delivering innovative engineering and design solutions for freight, commuter, and high-speed rail. We are committed to technical excellence, client success, and the professional growth of our staff. 

The Opportunity

We are seeking a Director of Design Services to lead the daily operations of our design group. This role is pivotal to ensuring our engineering teams are well-managed, properly resourced, and consistently delivering high-quality plans and designs for rail and infrastructure projects. This position is on-site, located in Orange, CA - presence at our headquarters is essential to manage staff effectively, oversee plan production, and maintain collaboration across teams. 

Key Responsibilities
  • Lead and Manager Staff - Supervise and mentor engineers, designers, and support staff. Oversee assignments, workloads, and performance reviews.
  • Project Delivery - Manage plan production, schedules, and deliverables. Ensure design projects meet quality, budget, and client requirements.
  • Business Management - Monitor group financials, utilization, and manpower. Provide staffing and level-of-effort estimates for proposals and ongoing projects.
  • Collaboration - Partner with the VP of Design Services for technical guidance and client engagement while focusing on daily operations, staffing, and business oversight.
  • Quality and Innovation - Enforce QA/QC standards across design deliverables. Stay current with tools, technology, and best practices to drive efficiency. 
  • Client and Proposal Support - Provide input for proposals, staffing plans, and resource needs. Support interviews and client pursuits as needed.
  • Strategic Contribution - Contribute to strategic planning for design group growth, resource development, and market competitiveness.
 Required Qualifications
  • Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering or related field.
  • 12 years of experience in engineering design, including at least 4 years in management/supervisory roles.
  • Direct experience in engineering plan production.
  • Strong understanding of workload forecasting, resource planning, and project budgets.
  • Excellent leadership, organizational, and communication skills.
  • Must be able to work on-site, daily at our Headquarters located in Orange, CA.
 
Preferred  Qualifications
  • PE License in California (or ability to obtain).
  • Rail, transit, or infrastructure design project experience.
  • Experience managing medium to large design teams (20 staff)
 
 Compensation and Benefits
  • Base Salary - $140, 000 - $200,000 DOE.
  • Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance - 100% employer-paid for employees; 50% for dependents.
  • Retirement - 401K with employer match
  • Paid Vacation
  • Paid Holidays
  • Paid Sick Time
*No outside Agencies or Recruiters, please!

Explore more about us at www.zuirail.com or our careers page at www.zuirail.com/careers. If you do not see what you're looking for, please email your resume to us at careers@zuirail.com to potentially become a part of a top-ranked team dedicated to redefining standards in the rail engineering industry. We look forward to hearing from you!
 

 


 

Salary : $200,000

If your compensation planning software is too rigid to deploy winning incentive strategies, it’s time to find an adaptable solution. Compensation Planning
Enhance your organization's compensation strategy with salary data sets that HR and team managers can use to pay your staff right. Surveys & Data Sets
Employees: Get a Salary Increase
View Core, Job Family, and Industry Job Skills and Competency Data for more than 15,000 Job Titles Skills Library

Not the job you're looking for? Here are some other Director of Design Services jobs in the Orange, CA area that may be a better fit.

  • Zephyr U A S Inc Orange, CA
  • About Zephyr Rail Zephyr Rail is a nationally recognized rail and infrastructure consulting firm, delivering innovative engineering and design solutions fo... more
  • 6 Days Ago

  • H. Hendy Associates- Newport, CA
  • An award-winning design firm and voted OC’s best place to work for consecutive years, we are a creative powerhouse of architects and designers, collaborato... more
  • 2 Months Ago

AI Assistant is available now!

Feel free to start your new journey!