Head of System Safety and Interoperability

Purpose of the Job

1. Develop and lead on strategies, plans and/or procedures for the delivery of Engineering Safety Management (ESM) across the Project such that safety risks associated with the design are demonstrated to be tolerable and as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP)
2. Manage the production of the associated System Engineering Safety Justifications for acceptance by future Duty Holders and Regulatory bodies as appropriate
3. Lead the implementation of plans and procedures to enable the Project to comply with the Railway Interoperability Regulations (RIR)
4. Lead the Engineering Safety Management team, including management of the Notified Body contract with Ricardo Rail

Principal Accountabilities

Engineering Safety Management and compliance with Railway Interoperability Regulations:

• Produce and implement an Engineering Safety Management System Safety Plan across the Project to
  • Ensure that all personnel, contractors and Delivery teams are clear as to what is required
  • Establish processes to ensure that evidence from across the Project is generated progressively to support Engineering Safety Justifications and that the Justifications are integrated with each other
• Ensure that the ESM team produce the required assurance evidence and Safety Justifications at an Element level, and for the overall end-to-end railway (including integration of Network Rail safety justifications for the surface sections)
• Direct arrangements and monitor their effectiveness to ensure engineering safety risks are tolerable and ALARP, and that designs will enable delivery of the relevant Operating Concepts that describe how the railway is required to be operated
• Establish processes across the Project to ensure that the Central Operating Section works will be compliant to the RIR and that the associated Technical Files can be authorised by the Office of Rail Regulation to enable the railway to be opened on time
• Manage the Notified Body, Designated Body and Assessment Body (Ricardo Rail) and to ensure their activities generate the production and authorisation of Technical Files to meet project timescales and budget
• Establish close working relationships with the DfT and ORR with respect to the application of RIR to ensure that potential changes to legislation, TSIs, Notified National Technical Rules etc. are known in advance and the effect may be mitigated
• Take reasonable care of your own and others’ health and safety and of those who may be affected in the day-to-day delivery of this role by taking personal responsibility for working to the Target Zero principles
• Co-operate in all matters relating to health and safety, including following safe working procedures at all times
• Act as a role model for vision and values, behaving in ways that are in alignment with Ways of Working. Encourage and support others to do so too
• Promote equality in the workplace and adopt appropriate behaviour when interacting with colleagues
• Take necessary care to properly protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of corporate information from unauthorised disclosure, modification or destruction. Never knowingly put information or information systems at risk

Main challenges of the job

• The development and implementation of the System Safety Plan(SSP) has a number of key challenges;

• Acceptance of the proposed (SSP) by the future Duty Holders via CAG
• The review of the current ESM status of the Project and subsequent assurance of arrangements for continued compliance
• Implementation of the Systems Integration Review Panel to ensure that the systems and infrastructure provide the operational functionality to operate the railway such that safety risks are tolerable and ALARP
• With an accepted SSP the ongoing challenge will be the surveillance of the delivery partners and contractors to ensure that adequate ESM evidence is produced and collated in a suitable form to demonstrate the Safety Justification for the railway
  • Develop a “hearts and minds” programme to explain the decision to implement the RIR and what it means for Depts., staff, contractors and the Delivery Teams
  • Oversee the establishment of evidence to support the TSI derogation application(s), liaising with DfT, PDP and contractors and designers as necessary so that the application is submitted
  • With the adoption of the RIR a key challenge for this role is ensuring the efficient management of the Notified Body resources in order to mitigate cost, scope and programme creep
  • Ensuring integration of safety evidence with the Rolling Stock and Depot team and their interfaces with the Central Operating Section infrastructure and system

Person Specification

• Relevant Engineering degree, or equivalent experience
• Substantial extensive knowledge and experience of implementing Engineering Safety Principles within a Railway Environment
• Substantial knowledge and experience in railway operations principles, rules and regulations and rule books
• In depth appreciation and knowledge of railway systems and their integration to provide a safe operational railway
• Extensive experience in managing multi- disciplinary teams
• Extensive knowledge and experience of regulatory regime of the acceptance of new and modified infrastructure, E&M Systems and Rolling Stock
• Appreciation and experience in the implementation of the RIR and relevant TSI’s
• Appreciation and experience in the implementation of the CSM-RA regulations
• Extensive knowledge and experience in rolling stock and depot design to facilitate the development a technical documentation to procure a fully integrated product meeting the sponsor’s requirements