Associate - Rail System Safety (Risk & Assurance)

Arup; Leeds; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Arup is seeking an Associate, Safety Risk & System Assurance - Rail to lead projects ensuring safety risk is understood, mitigated and demonstrated across the rail lifecycle. You will shape safety assurance strategies, manage client relationships and mentor team members while delivering high‑quality safety outcomes.

You will engage across train control, signalling, infrastructure and operations, applying first‑principles engineering alongside standards where guidance evolves, and you will

Qualifications

• Chartered Engineer with membership of a relevant professional institution (IET, IMechE, SARS).
• Holds a degree in engineering, mathematics, science or a related discipline, or equivalent experience.
• Significant experience in leading system safety and risk programmes in rail; delivering safety cases and safety justifications; leading safety argumentation across lifecycle stages.

Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of rail safety assurance and risk work on projects or major work packages, setting direction and quality expectations.
• Own safety management activities including hazard identification, safety case development, and assurance planning across lifecycle stages.
• Apply safety analysis techniques (e.g., HAZID, HAZOP, FMECA, FTA) and risk modelling approaches as appropriate.
• Resolve complex technical issues with robust, proportionate, defensible solutions.
• Lead engagement with Independent Safety Assessors/AsBo and manage independent assurance interfaces.

Skills

Rail safety

Risk assessment

Leadership

Hazard analysis

Safety case

UK standards

ISA liaison

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Job description

Arup’s purpose, shared values and collaborative approach has set us apart for over 80 years, guiding how we shape a better world.

The Opportunity

Arup’s Safety Risk and Reliability team supports rail clients to understand, manage and reduce risk across complex socio‑technical systems. We provide system safety engineering, safety assurance, and quantitative and qualitative risk assessment across the full asset and project lifecycle.

As an Associate, Safety Risk & System Assurance - Rail, you will lead projects or significant self‑contained work packages, taking accountability for delivery, quality, and commercial performance, while providing tangible leadership to both the project team and the client. You will shape and deliver safety assurance across a diverse portfolio - from established, standards‑led rail programmes to new, novel and complex applications, applying a balanced blend of recognised standards compliance and first‑principles engineering judgement where guidance is evolving or incomplete.

You will operate as a trusted client partner, building senior relationships and aligning safety strategy with programme objectives, value, and outcomes. You will also play a key role in developing capability, coaching and mentoring others, and building Arup’s skills and capacity in rail safety risk and system assurance.

This role supports safety assurance across the full rail value chain, including:

• Train control and signalling systems, including conventional and digital railway applications such as ETCS / ERTMS, CBTC, interlockings, train protection and traffic management systems
• Rail infrastructure, including track, civil structures, stations, depots, power supply and associated fixed assets
• Railway communications systems, including safety‑related and operational communications (e.g. GSM‑R, FRMCS, data and control networks)
• Rolling stock, including vehicle integration, interfaces, modification and change
• Operations, maintenance and change, including operational concept development, degraded modes, asset management and system upgrades

While there will be a particular emphasis on system safety for train control and signalling systems, the successful candidate will be expected to lead and advise across interfaces, system‑of‑systems risk and lifecycle assurance.

Projects supported by this role vary in their maturity, complexity and level of precedent. Some will involve well‑established technologies, operating models and regulatory expectations, while others will require careful interpretation of standards and the application of first‑principles engineering judgement where guidance is evolving or incomplete.

You will set the tone for the team: maintaining rigor in standards compliance while enabling innovation through proportionate, evidence‑led assurance and clear decision‑making under uncertainty.

A growing part of this role involves supporting clients as they introduce new or evolving technologies and respond to emerging strategic challenges, alongside more traditional rail programmes. These may include:

• Decarbonisation and sustainability, including alternative traction, energy systems and new asset strategies
• Digitalisation and data driven railway systems, including automation, AI enabled tools and advanced decision support systems‑driven railway systems‑enabled tools and advanced decision‑support systems
• Climate resilience and adaptation, including managing safety risks arising from extreme weather and long term climate change‑term climate change
• Novel operational concepts and system architectures, where existing safety frameworks may need to be interpreted or adapted

You will be expected to take a curious, analytical and open-minded approach, applying first principles thinking where appropriate, while remaining grounded in established safety practice, regulatory expectations and practical delivery constraints‑minded approach‑principles thinking where appropriate, while remaining grounded in established safety practice, regulatory expectations and practical delivery constraints.

As an Associate, you will be involved throughout the asset and system lifecycle, from strategic planning and feasibility through concept and detailed design, authorisation, operation, modification and maintenance.

Project & Technical Leadership

• Lead the delivery of rail safety assurance and risk work on projects or major work packages, setting clear direction, outcomes, priorities and quality expectations.
• Own safety management activities including hazard identification and analysis, safety case / safety justification development, and assurance planning across lifecycle stages.
• Apply and guide the team in the use of safety analysis techniques (e.g., HAZID, HAZOP, FMECA, FTA) and risk modelling approaches as appropriate.
• Resolve complex technical issues where precedent may be limited, ensuring solutions are robust, proportionate and defensible.
• Lead engagement with Independent Safety Assessors / Assessment Bodies (ISA / AsBo), including evidence planning, responses to findings, and management of independent assurance interfaces.

Client Leadership & Market Impact

• Establish and maintain senior client relationships, creating joint understanding of goals, and setting an effective communication approach for delivery.
• Shape scope and delivery approach, monitor scope, and set a change agenda where necessary to protect outcomes and commercial performance.
• Represent Arup’s safety risk capability credibly with clients and partners, positioning our specialist contribution as a differentiator.

Commercial & Business Development

• Plan work and resource needs over a year horizon for your project/team area, aligning with Arup strategy and business plans.
• Identify business development opportunities and contribute to (or lead) proposals, including making key inputs to bid strategy and no‑bid/bid decisions where appropriate.
• Take accountability for commercial results within your area of responsibility, ensuring delivery meets agreed financial and performance expectations.

People Leadership & Capability Building

• Lead and develop a team or function, setting performance expectations, creating clarity on goals and maintaining a culture of trust, openness and recognition.
• Provide mentoring and coaching, creating development opportunities through stretching assignments and building specialist skills through recruitment and development.
• Support/teach creativity and innovation in teams, embedding learning and continuous improvement across delivery.

The role may also include supporting Global rail projects, working with international clients, infrastructure managers, operators and suppliers, and contributing to safety assurance aligned with EU Common Safety Methods (CSM‑RA), TSIs and national safety authority expectations.

At Arup, you belong to an extraordinary collective – in which we encourage individuality to thrive. Our strength comes from how we respect, share and connect our diverse experiences, perspectives and ideas.

You will have the opportunity do socially useful work that has meaning – to Arup, to your career, to our members and to the clients and communities we serve.

Is this role right for you?

We’re looking for a candidate who:

• Is a Chartered Engineer (or equivalent) with membership of a relevant professional institution (IET, IMechE, SARS)
• Holds a degree in engineering, mathematics, science or a related discipline, or equivalent experience.
• Has significant experience in: a) leading system safety and risk programmes in rail; b) delivering safety cases/safety justifications; c) leading structured safety argumentation across lifecycle stages; d) planning delivery and resourcing, and taking accountability for scope, schedule, quality and commercial outcomes; e) working as, or closely with, ISA/AsBo, and confident handling independent challenge and evidence‑based assurance.
• Has a strong grasp of UK and European rail safety assurance frameworks and standards, including ROGS, CSM‑RA, TSIs/NTSNs, and EN 50126/50716/50129.
• Presents strong workshop facilitation capability and senior stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to communicate complex issues clearly to technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Is experienced in one or more technical domains such as train control/signalling, digital railway, rolling stock integration, telecoms/communications, infrastructure or operational safety.

Ability to work professionally in Danish, Dutch and/or German (spoken and/or written) to support European project delivery would be an advantage.

What we offer you

At Arup, we care about each member’s success, so we can grow together.

Guided by our values, we provide an attractive total reward package that recognises the contribution of each of our members to our shared success. As well as competitive, fair and equitable pay, we offer a career in which all of our members can belong, grow and thrive – through benefits that support health and wellbeing, a wide range of learning opportunities and many possibilities to have an impact through the work they do.

We are owned in trust on behalf of our members, giving us the freedom, with personal responsibility, to set our own direction and choose work that aligns with our purpose and adds to Arup’s legacy. Our members collaborate on ambitious projects to deliver remarkable outcomes for our clients and communities. Profit Share is a key part of our reward, enabling members to share in the results of our collective efforts.

We also provide Private medical insurance, Life assurance, Accident insurance and Income protection cover. In addition, you’ll have access to flexible benefits to help you look after all aspects of your wellbeing and give you the freedom and flexibility to find the best solutions for you, your family, and your individual needs.