Assistant Design Engineer

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About Network Rail

Network Rail operates and maintains the railway infrastructure. Our passengers and freight users are at the heart of everything we do. We help connect people to their friends and families and get goods to their destination safely and efficiently. We're an organisation where people matter. When you're part of our team, you matter to us and you matter to millions.

We're continuing to build a more diverse and inclusive organisation which is representative of the passengers we serve. To do this, it's essential we become a more open, diverse and inclusive organisation, harnessing the skills and expertise of all our people and attracting the best talent to help us have a safe, accessible railway for everyone. We're an inclusive employer of choice and we welcome applications from everyone.

About our Route

Central Route sits at the heart of Britain's railway network, covering critical commuter and freight lines in and out of Birmingham. It includes the Chiltern Main Line, the Snow Hill line, the Cross City line, and connections to cities such as Wolverhampton, Coventry, Walsall, and Oxford. Central Route is home to Birmingham New Street station, the busiest outside of London, with over 170,000 passengers daily. This route plays a vital role in supporting the UK's economy and connecting communities.

Brief Description

The Works Delivery Internal Design Team (IDT) provide in-house design services to the Work Delivery Civils Contractor. IDT are involved with projects from inception to completion.

We operate over the Northwest and Central Region which extends from London Euston up to Gretna Green on the Scottish border.

Our base is in Heaton Mersey in South Manchester. The team currently has 15 members of staff.

IDT have won a number of design awards including Winner of "Infrastructure Project of the Year" at the 2023 National Rail Awards.

We undertake a wide variety of Projects including:

1. Bridge Maintenance and Strengthening
2. Design of Retaining structures
3. Platform extensions
4. Scour Protection
5. Culvert lining and replacement
6. Tunnel maintenance and strengthening
7. Embankment and cutting stabilisation
8. Lineside structures

There is a healthy workbank extending over CP7 and we would like to take on more of the work offered to us.

As an Assistant Design Engineer, you will be involved in producing designs and specifications supporting the engineering development of allocated proposals, from clarification of remit (start of stage 2) to the completion of single option feasibility work and handover into detailed design (end of stage 5). Support in the role will be provided by the Senior Design Engineer.

About the role (External)

What will you be doing?

1. Analyse development remits, to help maintain a robust challenge to sponsoring engineers and managers, and take part as required in value management and risk identification/ analysis activities.
2. Undertake the development of suitable engineering options for a proposal giving full consideration to safety, reliability, operational capacity modelling, maintainability, ease of construction, and environmental/whole life issues. Engineering excellence is to be supported by:
   
   1. Secure all relevant base data.
   2. Review compliance with appropriate standards.
   3. Use risk ID and evaluation methods (e.g. HAZOP, QRA, LRM, and the GK/RT/14200 suite), as suitable, to evaluate and compare options.
   4. Use feedback from all relevant past projects across the UK rail network, lessons learned etc.
   5. Liaison with the Network Rail Internal Contractor and Project Management Teams.
3. Maintain strict change control on scope development; evaluate cost, time and performance impacts in conjunction with development management. Communicate impact of any changes to the client.
4. Participate in the selection of a single option for further development. Prepare or monitor preparation of reports, drawings, or sketches etc as necessary.
5. Manage single option design as in (2) above.
6. Prepare the full engineering data package required for commencement of the detailed design, and participate in answering clarifications/queries as needed.
7. Support GRIP stages 2 to 5 in all associated duties and carry out cross-discipline engineering checks of all relevant aspects of the proposal, in association with engineers of other disciplines.
8. Manage site visits including the production of task briefing sheets and assembling the correct materials, resources, and equipment.
9. Identify where additional data gathering is required to develop a design scheme.
10. Assist with training and mentorship of junior engineers and trainees.

In order to be successful in this role, we would like you to have/to be:

• A demonstrable aptitude for option development.
• Strong evaluation and decision-making skills.
• A working knowledge of rail engineering; relevant successful experience working in the principal discipline and an adequate understanding of all other related disciplines.
• An ability to work and communicate effectively in a team context.
• An appreciation of all the life cycle stages of rail infrastructure.
• Knowledge of Construction design management and risk assessment.

It's not mandatory to have the below, but it would be desirable to have:

• A HNC or Engineering degree or equivalent industry-recognised training qualification, or equivalent experience.
• Experience in design.
• Experience of the Railway preferred but not essential.
• An excellent command of written and spoken English.
• CAD and Good Sketching Skills.
• Good attitude and a desire to improve.

The successful applicant will be expected to spend a minimum of 3 days a week in the office.

How to apply (External)
Salary: starting at £29,000 per annum dependent on experience.

Network Rail adheres to a structured pay framework; any salary offered will be within the pay range advertised.

• 28 days holiday entitlement (plus bank holidays)
• My benefits - our discounted online shopping site
• A range of discounted offers including childcare vouchers, healthcare offers - cycle to work, healthcare club discounted membership, and other benefits
• Subsidies of up to 75% on rail and underground season tickets
• 75% discount on leisure travel
• A choice of contributory pension schemes
• 2 weeks paid reserve leave for our Armed Forces community
• 5 days volunteer leave

Want to look into the benefits further? Find out here.

All offers of employment are conditional upon satisfactory completion of a range of pre-employment checks. Click here for more information.

Closing date: 6th May 2025. Late applications will not be accepted.

We're also a Disability Confident Leader employer and we'll try our best to adapt the process and offer a reasonable alternative to help support people with disabilities access, apply and interview for roles.

Safe behaviour is a requirement of working for Network Rail. Applicants should be able to demonstrate their awareness of our safety vision http://www.networkrail.co.uk/safety.

We're continuing to build a more diverse and inclusive organisation representative of the passengers we serve. Applicants should be able to demonstrate their understanding of our Equity, Diversity & Inclusion vision Equity, diversity and inclusion - Network Rail.