Railway Plant Consultant/Engineer – Engineering Vehicle Certification

Engineer / Senior / Principal Engineer – Road Rail Vehicles / On-Track Plant

Opportunity

This is an excellent opportunity for an enthusiastic and motivated individual with railway and/or off-highway vehicle experience to undertake a wide variety of approvals work. Whilst On-Track Plant are the main focus, opportunities in the wider group include approvals of conventional passenger and freight train vehicles and of larger items of railway yellow plant equipment.

To undertake this work, the candidate should be a chartered engineer in mechanical, electrical or related discipline or working towards chartership. The successful candidate shall enjoy the challenge of delivery of certification within a commercial business environment.

Role Description
The Engineer / Senior / Principal OTP Engineer will be responsible for the delivery of Certification of OTPs for use on UK and Southern Irish Rail Infrastructure.

Typical areas of certification would require understanding of:
• Braking
• Electrical Systems, Performance Levels / Safety Integrity Levels (SIL).
• Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC)
• Hydraulics
• Access/Egress
• Noise/Vibration
• EN280 Compliance for mobile work platforms
• Structural Analysis
• Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
• Compiling Technical Files to demonstrate compliance of the above factors

In addition to this the candidate will maintain excellent communications with the client, and ensuring that the client is satisfied with the service.

Key Accountabilities
To assess and approve a wide variety of rail vehicles including:
• On-Track-Plant;
• On-Track-Machines.

The main focus of the role is on-highway vehicles, off-highway vehicles, plant and equipment (Road-Rail Vehicles/OTP) that have been adapted for working on the railway. There will be opportunities for the successful candidate to work with larger railway plant (On-Track-Machines) and in the approval of passenger and freight vehicles.

Working with many UK and European suppliers, the successful candidate will review their products’ design and operation against industry standards. Responsibilities include all stages of the approval work – from customer liaison, tendering, design review and vehicle testing to certification.

The candidate will need commercial acumen and the ability to react to changing business needs in addition to technical competence. Engineers need to manage multiple projects and deliver projects on budget to the customers’ requirements.

The Candidate
Essential qualifications:
• Degree in relevant Engineering subject.
• Charted Engineer or working towards corporate membership (CEng) of an Engineering Institution
• Experienced in the application and interpretation of standards
• Working with electronic technical documentation (e.g. MS Word, Excel etc)

Desirable:
• Knowledge of off-highway machinery and standards
• Knowledge of rail vehicle system design
• Direct experience of working face to face with clients/customers

Company Background
SNC-Lavalin is the UK’s leading railway engineering consultancy with 650 employees based in Europe, North America, the Far East and Australasia. Following its recent acquisition by Canada’s major construction group SNC Lavalin, SNC-Lavalin is strengthening its 350-strong UK team and is expanding into new market segments.

Team Background
Established for over fifteen years, the Engineering Vehicle Team has developed to become the provider of choice to 80% of the British market along with 100% of OTP approvals in Ireland. The team forms part of the Assurance Team which provides Notified Body and Vehicle Acceptance Body services for railway customers worldwide.

Training
SNC-Lavalin offers excellent training opportunities for its staff.

Office and Travel
The vacancy is based in SNC-Lavalin’s Derby Office, but other offices can be considered for the right candidate. The role requires travel within the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe.

Interviews
There will be first and second stage interviews with the occasional need to go to third interview.
During the interview the candidate will be likely to be asked to present examples of work they have conducted at their previous/current employers.