SYSTRA is one of the world's leading engineering and consultancy groups specialising in public transport and sustainable mobility. With over 10,300 employees, SYSTRA's mission is to design safe and sustainable transport solutions to bring people together, develop social inclusion and facilitate access to employment, education and leisure throughout the world.

For 65 years, the Group has been working alongside cities and regions to contribute to their development by creating, improving and modernising their infrastructure and transport systems, throughout the life cycle of their projects. SYSTRA is involved from the earliest stages of design through to the testing, deployment and maintenance phases. The company provides all its services in over 80 countries worldwide and generates 74% of its turnover internationally. With its new services, SYSTRA supports its clients and partners in their digital, ecological and energy transition, in order to invent the mobility of tomorrow.

The HSR Operational Expert will provides specialized operational expertise to guide the successful planning, development, and launch of High-Speed Rail (HSR) services. As part of the project team, the expert advises on best practices, operational requirements, safety, and service integration to ensure that new or upgraded HSR networks meet world-class performance, efficiency, and safety standards.

• Advise on HSR operational concepts, service patterns, capacity planning, scheduling, and integration with other modes of transport.
• Define and validate operational requirements for infrastructure, stations, rolling stock, systems, and interface points across the HSR network.
• Ensure all operational plans and processes comply with international and local safety regulations, service standards, and HSR best practices.
• Develop and support operational readiness, mobilization, and commissioning activities, including support for trial operations and system integration testing.
• Analyze and propose improvements for timetable planning, network performance, passenger flow, incident management, and operational resilience.
• Collaborate with internal teams (engineering, rolling stock, systems), operators, maintenance providers, and external stakeholders—including clients, contractors, and regulatory agencies.
• Prepare and review operational manuals, standard operating procedures (SOPs), contingency plans, and training material for operations staff.
• Support the training of operators and station personnel, sharing best practices in HSR operations, safety, and customer experience.
• Evaluate operational impacts of engineering decisions, risk assessments, and change requests. Provide operational input to reviews, audits, and progress reports.
• Recommend and support implementation of performance monitoring and continuous improvement processes for high-speed rail operations.

• Bachelor’s degree in Transportation, Engineering, Rail Operations, or a related discipline. Advanced degree or relevant professional certification preferred.
• Minimum 15 years of experience in passenger railway operations, with significant focus on high-speed rail, intercity, or metro systems.
• Strong knowledge of HSR operational concepts, regulations, asset interfaces, safety management, and industry best practices.
• Familiarity with operational scheduling, service planning, rolling stock interfaces, traffic control systems (ETCS, CBTC, etc.), and passenger services.
• Experience with the operational readiness process for large or complex rail projects, including trial running and commissioning.
• Excellent analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Collaborative team player, able to work in complex, multidisciplinary, multicultural environments.
• Participation in the launch or operational upgrade of a new HSR system.
• Experience with digital tools for operations monitoring, simulation, and reporting.
• Involvement in training program development for rail operation personnel.
• Work experience in consultancy, or secondment roles.
• Preferably with UAE or GCC experience.

Systra is an equal opportunities company; this position is open to all applicants.