Associate Director System Safety & Interoperability

Aecom2; Croydon; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work options

Disability Confident Employer

Job summary

AECOM seeks an experienced Associate Director - System Safety & Interoperability to join the UK & Ireland Systems Engineering and Safety Assurance team. You will provide senior technical leadership for System Safety and Interoperability across major rail projects and programmes.

Reporting to the UK & Ireland SESA leadership, you will develop capability, oversee safety assurance, interoperability strategies, and ensure compliance with GB/Irish/European rail regulatory frameworks, while guiding

Qualifications

• Significant railway System Safety/Safety Assurance experience.
• Chartered Engineer or equivalent professional standing.
• Strong CSM experience.
• Hazard management and safety justification.
• Interoperability/authorisation experience.
• GB and/or Irish/European railway regulatory knowledge.
• Independent assessment engagement.
• Multidisciplinary rail programme experience.
• Commercial and bid experience.

Responsibilities

• Act as a Subject Matter Expert for railway System Safety and Safety Assurance.
• Lead, guide and assure application of System Safety across major projects and programmes.
• Provide senior technical leadership for interoperability and railway authorisation across GB and Ireland.
• Lead project Interoperability, Compliance and Authorisation Strategies.
• Provide leadership on RIR, NTSNs, NTRs and ORR authorisation in GB.
• Develop the System Safety & Interoperability capability plan in alignment with the wider SESA strategy.
• Work closely with Systems Engineering and RAMS leads to ensure safety requirements, technical verification and RAM evidence form a coherent assurance approach.
• Lead complex System Safety and Interoperability commissions.
• Take accountability for scope, quality, programme, resources and commercial performance of assigned work.

Skills

System safety

Interoperability

Railway safety assurance

Chartered Engineer

CSM experience

Hazard management

Regulatory knowledge (GB/IE/EU)

Independent assessment

Multidisciplinary rail programme

Commercial and bid experience

Education

Chartered Engineer or equivalent

Job description

AECOM is seeking an experienced Associate Director - System Safety & Interoperability to join our UK & Ireland Systems Engineering and Safety Assurance team. The role will form part of the UK & Ireland SESA leadership team, providing senior technical and capability leadership for System Safety and Interoperability. A key focus will be developing a resilient, high-quality System Safety and Interoperability capability across the UK and Ireland, while providing senior technical leadership and assurance across major projects and programmes.

Here’s what you’ll do:

System Safety & Assurance

• Act as a Subject Matter Expert for railway System Safety and Safety Assurance.
• Lead, guide and assure application of System Safety across major projects and programmes.

Interoperability & Authorisation

• Provide senior technical leadership for interoperability and railway authorisation across Great Britain and Ireland.
• Lead project Interoperability, Compliance and Authorisation Strategies.
• Provide leadership on RIR, NTSNs, NTRs and ORR authorisation in Great Britain.

Capability & Resilience

• Develop the System Safety & Interoperability capability plan in alignment with the wider SESA strategy.

Integrated SESA Delivery

• Work closely with Systems Engineering and RAMS leads to ensure safety requirements, technical verification and RAM evidence form a coherent assurance approach.

Project & Commercial Leadership

• Lead complex System Safety and Interoperability commissions.
• Take accountability for scope, quality, programme, resources and commercial performance of assigned work.

Ready to push the limits of what’s possible?

Here’s what we’re looking for:

• significant railway System Safety/Safety Assurance experience;
• Chartered Engineer or equivalent professional standing;
• strong CSM experience;
• hazard management and safety justification;
• interoperability/authorisation experience;
• GB and/or Irish/European railway regulatory knowledge;
• independent assessment engagement;
• multidisciplinary rail programme experience;
• commercial and bid experience.

At AECOM, we are committed to maintaining a secure and trustworthy recruitment process and take any fraudulent hiring activity seriously. To support this commitment, all newly hired employees are required to attend an in‑person Day 1 onboarding at an AECOM office location as a condition of employment.

About AECOM

AECOM is the world’s trusted infrastructure consulting firm, delivering professional services throughout the project lifecycle - from advisory, planning, design and engineering to program and construction management. On projects spanning transportation, buildings, water, new energy and the environment, our public- and private-sector clients trust us to solve their most complex challenges. Our teams are driven by a common purpose to deliver a better world through our unrivaled technical and digital expertise, a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion, and a commitment to environmental, social and governance priorities. AECOM is a Fortune 500 firm and its Professional Services business had revenue of $16.1 billion in fiscal year 2025. See how we are delivering sustainable legacies for generations to come at aecom.com and @AECOM.

Freedom to Grow in a World of Opportunity

You will have the flexibility you need to do your best work with hybrid work options. Whether you’re working from an AECOM office, remote location or at a client site, you will be working in a dynamic environment where your integrity, entrepreneurial spirit and pioneering mindset are championed. You will help us foster a safe and respectful workplace, where we invite everyone to bring their whole selves to work using their unique talents, backgrounds and expertise to create transformational outcomes for our clients. AECOM provides a wide array of compensation, benefits and well-being programs to meet the diverse needs of our employees and their families. We’re the world’s trusted global infrastructure firm, and we’re in this together – your growth and success are ours too. Join us, and you’ll get all the benefits of being a part of a global, publicly traded firm – access to industry‑leading technology and thinking and transformational work with big impact and work flexibility. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in each person’s potential, and we’ll help you reach yours. We are a Disability Confident Employer and will offer an interview to applicants who have a disability or long‑term condition, who meet the minimum/essential criteria for the role. Please let us know using this email address [e-mail] if you would like to apply through the Disability Confident Interview Scheme. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.