Operations Advisor - Railway Station Systems

Role overview

This position calls for an Operations Advisor to contribute specialist operational expertise to the development of Qiddiya Grand Central Station, a major underground multi-modal railway hub that will connect High-Speed Rail, Metro, and Light Rail Transit services.

The station will function as a host facility for several rail modes, each operated by a separate provider with its own operating licence and safety management system. The focus of the role is to make sure the station is planned and designed for safe, efficient, maintainable, and operationally effective railway use across the full asset lifecycle, including both normal operation and degraded scenarios.

As the operational representative, you will advise during early design development so that passenger movement, emergency response, maintenance access, staff functionality, and regulatory obligations are properly incorporated into the design prepared by the Lead Design Consultant.

This role does not include direct responsibility for core train systems operation or engineering such as track, signalling, or rolling stock. However, it does require solid railway operational knowledge to understand how those systems interface with station operations and affect dependencies.

The position will also support future regulatory submissions, safety assurance work, and the requirements tied to obtaining and retaining a railway operating licence.

Key responsibilities

• Contribute operational expertise to the station design process across all project stages.
• Assess architectural, civil, MEPH, and station systems designs from the viewpoint of railway operations.
• Make sure station layouts enable safe, smooth passenger movement and effective crowd control in both normal and degraded operating conditions.
• Assist in shaping operational concepts, readiness plans, and station operating philosophies.
• Evaluate how vertical transport, public circulation zones, back-of-house areas, and maintenance access arrangements affect operations.
• Ensure operational needs are reflected in station functionality, staff processes, and incident response planning.
• Support the creation of operating procedures, maintenance philosophies, and operational interface strategies.
• Spot operational risks and take part in hazard identification and safety assurance activities.
• Work closely with the Lead Design Consultant, project contributors, and client stakeholders.
• Ensure resilience, degraded mode capability, and service recovery needs are considered in the design.
• Support regulatory and assurance processes linked to operational approvals and licensing.
• Help maintain alignment with applicable railway operational standards, safety regulations, and industry best practice.
• Participate in workshops covering operational readiness, emergency planning, safety assurance, and systems integration.

Essential experience

You should bring substantial operational experience from metro, mainline, high-speed, or light rail environments, along with a background in large and complex railway stations or transport infrastructure projects. A strong grasp of railway operating environments and safety-critical operations is important, as is experience supporting operational readiness, station operations, or integrated transport operations.

The role also requires familiarity with railway operational safety, emergency planning, and incident management principles, together with proven capability in stakeholder engagement and technical coordination. You should be comfortable reviewing multi-disciplinary documentation from an operational standpoint and have experience working on major projects during concept, design, or pre-operational stages.

Desirable experience

Additional value will be given to candidates with experience on GCC railway projects, involvement in railway safety approvals or regulator engagement, and familiarity with systems engineering and systems assurance processes. Knowledge of NFPA requirements, fire and life safety, evacuation principles for transport infrastructure, and ISO 55000 asset management principles would also be beneficial.

Work context

The role is based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and is a full-time, on-site position.