Design Manager (Senior P.E) Rail Systems

Senior Project Engineer / Design Manager (Rail Systems) – High Speed Two (HS2)

📍 Birmingham | Hybrid Working (3 Days Office)
🚄 Washwood Heath Depot – £859m Major Rail Depot Programme
💰 £70,000 – £77,500 + 12% Pension + Excellent Benefits
📈 Progression: Lead Project Engineer (£85k–£92k+ Package)
⏳ Long-Term Programme | 8-Year Delivery Programme

Help Deliver One of Britain’s Most Advanced Rail Depots

This is a rare opportunity to join High Speed Two Ltd in a senior technical delivery role supporting the design, integration, and delivery of the £859m Washwood Heath Depot, one of the UK’s most important operational rail infrastructure facilities.

Working client-side within the depot delivery team, you will play a key role in coordinating the Rail Systems delivery across a highly complex integrated railway environment, with the rail systems scope alone valued at approximately £200m.

You will sit at the centre of technical delivery, managing interfaces between contractors, supporting assurance activities, and ensuring rail systems are safely integrated, commissioned, and handed over into operation.

The role combines technical engineering, systems integration, stakeholder management, and practical project delivery across one of Europe’s largest infrastructure programmes.

Why This Role Stands Out

• Client-side role on one of the UK’s largest infrastructure programmes
• Key technical delivery position on the £859m Washwood Heath Depot
• Major exposure across track, OLE, signalling, power, communications & depot systems
• Gain Experience across whole project lifecycle -  design, construction, testing & commissioning phases
• High visibility across contractors, delivery teams & senior engineering stakeholders
• Complex multidisciplinary environment with major systems interfaces
• Long-term programme security with 8+ years of delivery ahead
• Strong progression into Lead Project Engineering roles
• Hybrid working and strong work-life balance culture

The Role

Reporting into the Lead Project Engineer, you will support the technical coordination and assurance of Rail Systems throughout delivery.

You’ll work closely with contractors, technical specialists, and project teams to ensure systems are integrated safely, comply with technical and operational requirements, and are delivered in line with programme objectives.

A major focus of the role is managing interfaces - ensuring track, OLE, signalling, communications, power, civils, and wider depot systems function together effectively within a highly integrated operational railway environment.

The role will involve supporting NEC Supervisor and Principal Designer Representative responsibilities, reviewing contractor submissions, coordinating technical assurance activities, and helping manage engineering risk across the programme lifecycle.

Key Responsibilities

• Coordinate technical assurance across Rail Systems design, construction & commissioning
• Support delivery of track, OLE, signalling, communications & associated systems
• Manage interfaces between Rail Systems, civils, depot infrastructure & operational assets
• Review contractor designs and technical submissions for compliance
• Support NEC Supervisor and CDM Principal Designer Representative duties
• Identify and manage technical risks, assumptions, and engineering issues
• Support systems integration and operational readiness activities
• Coordinate technical change and engineering information management
• Work with specialists to resolve complex engineering and delivery challenges
• Support reporting on technical progress, risk, and assurance activities

What We’re Looking For

You’ll likely come from a rail systems, infrastructure, or multidisciplinary rail engineering background with strong technical coordination and project delivery experience.

Essential Experience

• Experience delivering multidisciplinary rail systems on major projects
• Background in Track, OLE, Signalling, Communications, Power, Civils, or related rail disciplines
• Strong understanding of rail systems integration and interface management
• Experience coordinating technical delivery across multiple engineering disciplines
• Understanding of construction delivery, testing, commissioning & systems integration
• Experience working within NEC contract environments
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills

Desirable Backgrounds

Rail depots or operational railway infrastructure

Major transportation or infrastructure programmes

Client-side, consultancy, or Tier 1 contractor environments

Understanding of CDM 2015 and technical assurance processes

Experience working within complex integrated railway systems environments

The Opportunity

This is a career-defining opportunity for an engineer or Design Manager wanting to move beyond pure design delivery into a highly visible client-side role on one of Europe’s largest infrastructure programmes.

You’ll gain exposure across major rail systems integration, operational readiness, testing & commissioning, and asset handover helping deliver infrastructure that will support Britain’s high-speed railway for decades to come.