Associate Director - Forensic Collision Investigation

Rimkus; Chorley; Hybrid; GBP 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Rimkus is expanding its UK collision investigation practice and seeks an Associate Director to lead one of the sectors (criminal or civil). You will influence method development, contribute to high-value cases, and work with a multidisciplinary team to deliver objective, court-ready evidence.

You will join a broader Rimkus team, mentoring consultants, shaping technical leads, and driving growth while maintaining the highest reporting standards.

Qualifications

• Degree in mechanical/automotive engineering or related field, or police forensic qualification.
• Minimum 10 years in forensic collision investigation with expert witness experience.
• Full UK driving licence and willingness to travel within the UK and internationally.

Responsibilities

• Lead the practice’s criminal or civil investigations, sharing ownership of client relationships, case allocation and growth.
• Lead complex and high-value instructions, including fatal and catastrophic collisions and multi-source data cases.
• Attend collision scenes and vehicle examinations, including out-of-hours.
• Prepare expert reports in line with CPR Part 35 and Criminal Procedure Rules Part 19; give oral evidence in court.
• Peer review reports before issue and uphold high technical standards.
• Own a technical lead portfolio when aligned with expertise and validate methods.
• Mentor and train consultants to become independent expert witnesses.
• Keep ahead on ADAS, automated vehicles, EDR regulation and e-mobility.
• Grow work through client relationships, CPD seminars, conferences, and publications.

Skills

Leadership

Expert witness

Oral testimony

Report writing

Court processes knowledge

Education

Degree in mechanical or automotive engineering or related discipline / police forensic qualification

Tools

PC-Crash

Virtual CRASH

HVE

MADYMO

Job description

Rimkus has an established and growing collision investigation practice in the UK and across the EMEA region, and we aim to set the standard for the sector. We are looking for people who are, or have the potential to become, industry leaders. We are looking to appoint at least one Associate Director to report to our Director – Forensic Collision Investigation and work together to lead our growth across the civil and criminal sectors.

This is a senior, fee-earning expert role with genuine influence. You will have experience of carrying a caseload of complex and high-value matters, be able to lead the growth and quality of your sector, and help shape the methods, tools and training that our consultants learn from.

Opportunity:

Rimkus is a global forensic engineering and expert consulting firm, and our UK collision investigation practice is growing fast. We have built a strong book of business and are now growing our collision investigation team to be ready for the future, one where our skills with vehicle and road user data together within-vehicle video and CCTV, align with more traditional engineering and human factors approaches to provide comprehensive support to our clients.

You will join a wider multidisciplinary team with extensive expert witness and research experience. Our experts give evidence in the civil and criminal courts, publish in their fields, and are determined to push the discipline forward rather than simply keep pace with it.

Growth on this scale creates career progression that established firms struggle to match. As the practice expands, so do the opportunities to lead specialisms and people. We recruit from two talent pipelines: experienced police forensic collision investigators and engineers with a background in vehicle dynamics and crash reconstruction. We want both, because the strongest collision reconstruction teams draw on both.

Leading Criminal or Civil Investigations

In civil matters, insurers, solicitors, fleet operators, and corporate legal teams instruct us on disputed liability, fatal and catastrophic injury claims, suspected fraud, and cross-border cases. In criminal proceedings, we support prosecution and defence teams in cases where the reconstruction evidence is key. Both need evidence that is independent, objective, transparent and robust under cross-examination.

As Associate Director, you will take the lead on one of these sectors, working collaboratively with the Director and the wider team. We own its client relationships, quality and growth together, and you will help make sure every report it produces meets that standard.

Our technical lead portfolios

• Technical Lead, Vehicle Data, ADAS and Telematics
• Technical Lead, e-Mobility ,and Connected & Autonomous Vehicles
• Technical Lead, Forensic Video Analysis
• Technical Lead, Commercial Vehicle Investigation

Each technical lead will own the methods, validation and training in their area. Associate Directors with the right depth of expertise may also hold one of these portfolios, so tell us where your specialism lies.

This is a chance to build something rather than inherit it. You will help decide the best methods to use, how we validate them, and how we use them to support our clients. You will also work alongside colleagues across Rimkus’s wider engineering and scientific disciplines, including human factors, biomechanics and injury causation, toxicology, and others, which brings complex, multidisciplinary cases to our door.

Key responsibilities

• Work collaboratively with the Director – Forensic Collision Investigation to lead the practice’s Criminal or Civil Investigations work, sharing ownership of client relationships, case allocation, quality and the growth of that sector.
• Lead complex and high-value instructions, including fatal and catastrophic injury collisions, HGV, bus and fleet matters, and cases that rely on multiple digital data sources.
• Attend collision scenes and vehicle examinations when evidence is time-critical, including outside normal working hours.
• Prepare expert reports compliant with CPR Part 35 and Criminal Procedure Rules Part 19, attend joint expert discussions, and give oral evidence in civil and criminal courts and at inquests.
• Peer review reports before issue, and uphold the high technical standards set with the practice’s technical leads.
• Where it matches your expertise, take ownership of a technical lead portfolio, developing and validating the team’s methods in that area.
• Mentor and train consultants, and support their development into independent expert witnesses.
• Keep the practice ahead of change, including ADAS, automated vehicles, EDR regulation and e-mobility.
• Win and grow work in your sector through client relationships, proposals, client CPD seminars, conference presentations, industry-leading research, and published articles.

What success looks like

In your first year, you will have established your sector as a recognised strength of the practice: a growing client base, a reliable flow of instructions, and consultants who are measurably more capable because of your leadership. Solicitors, counsel and claims teams will know you as a leader in the field.

Essential

• A degree in mechanical or automotive engineering, physics or a related discipline, or a forensic collision investigation qualification gained through police service (e.g. UCPD / CertHE).
• At least 10 years’ experience in forensic collision investigation or reconstruction, with substantial expert witness experience, including giving oral evidence.
• Extensive experience of criminal or civil collision investigation work in an expert witness capacity, with an established network of clients or stakeholders in that sector.
• Demonstrable leadership, such as leading a team or unit, peer review, method validation, quality management or training others.
• Detailed knowledge of criminal and civil court processes, and a working knowledge of road traffic legislation.
• Strong working knowledge of the key software, equipment, and technology in your specific area of expertise. This may include EDR data recovery and interpretation, forensic video analysis, and crash reconstruction software such as PC-Crash, Virtual CRASH, HVE, or MADYMO.
• Clear, concise report writing and the ability to explain complex cases to judges, juries and claims handlers.
• Full UK driving licence and willingness to travel across the UK and, occasionally, internationally.

Desirable

• Membership &/or leadership roles within relevant professional bodies, such as ITAI, IMechE or the Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences.
• Qualifications or proven competence in the examination of motor vehicles.
• Specialist expertise suited to one of our technical lead portfolios: vehicle data and telematics; vehicle dynamics, ADAS and connected and autonomous vehicles; forensic video analysis; or commercial vehicle investigation.
• Chartered Engineer or Chartered Scientist status, or clear progress/ability to work towards it.
• Experience of working within an ISO accredited environment.
• Expertise in motorcycle, pedestrian or cyclist collisions, or in visibility and human factors.
• Knowledge of electric and hybrid vehicle inspection, including high-voltage safety protocols.
• Published research, conference presentations or teaching experience.
• Driving licence categories beyond B (for example A, C, D or C+E), and a teaching or training qualification.

Where a strong candidate has gaps in experience or qualifications, we will discuss a tailored development plan, or whether a different level of role is the better fit. We have the opportunity to design a collision investigation service for the future so are not reliant on adopting the same old ways, simply for the sake of it.

Why Join Us?

Join a genuinely forward-thinking, growing business with real career opportunities

• Be mentored by and work with industry-leading experts
• Work on high profile projects
• Access to continuous professional development and advanced legal/technical training.
• Enjoy flexible working with opportunities for global travel.
• Join a culture that values integrity, accountability, commitment, and teamwork.
• This position offers hybrid home/office working.