Junior Architecture Engineer - Rail

Hitachi Automotive Systems Americas, Inc.; Newton Aycliffe; Hybrid; GBP 28,000 - 38,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Bonus potential

25 days holiday

Pension scheme

Private medical insurance

Personal accident insurance

Income protection

Group life insurance

Employee assistance programme

Job summary

Hitachi Rail UK Limited is seeking a Junior Architecture Engineer to support the engineering team in the weight management of railway vehicles. You will analyse data across subsystems, contribute to weight distribution improvements and assist with documentation and design reviews.

The role offers exposure to architecture, CAD data, and requirements management within a multi-company environment. Ideal candidates hold a technical degree in Mechanical or Aerospace engineering, possess strong

Qualifications

• Technical degree in Mechanical or Aerospace engineering.
• Analytical and methodical problem solver.
• Basic knowledge of 2D/3D CAD tools (AutoCAD).
• Proficient with Excel and Word.
• Good communication and teamwork.
• English ability at least B2; willingness to travel.

Responsibilities

• Support weight management across multi-company projects.
• Identify requirements relating to weight management and vehicle layout.
• Research and allocate weight data across subsystems.
• Perform preliminary weight analysis and suggest distribution improvements.
• Maintain project documentation and inputs for design reviews.
• Support development of weight benchmarks using engineering data.
• Carry out requirements management with tools like DOORS.

Skills

Analytical mindset

CAD basics

MS Office

Teamwork

English proficiency

Education

Mechanical/Aerospace degree

Tools

AutoCAD

DOORS

Job description

Location: Newton Aycliffe, Durham, United Kingdom. Job ID: R0130079. Date Posted: 2026-10-22. Company Name: Hitachi Rail UK Limited. Profession (Job Category): Other. Job Schedule: Full time. Work Arrangement: Hybrid.

About Us

A career at Hitachi Rail will help create a legacy. With operations in every corner of the world, our work goes to the cutting edge of digital transformation and technology. From the multi-cultural strength of our global organisation to the sustainable and innovative ways we work to bring people together, there's something for everyone to get stuck into. And that's where you come in.

Job Description

Your new role: We have an exciting opportunity for a Junior Architecture Engineer to join our Engineering team, supporting the technical development and integration of our railway vehicles. This is a great opportunity for an early-career engineer looking to develop their experience within a complex engineering environment. With an initial focus on vehicle weight management, you'll work with engineering teams to analyse and manage technical data across vehicle subsystems, helping to optimise weight distribution and support overall vehicle design. You'll gain exposure to vehicle architecture, engineering documentation, CAD information and requirements management while working collaboratively across multi-company engineering projects.

Some key responsibilities:

• Support weight management activities across complex, multi-company engineering projects.
• Identify contractual and regulatory requirements relating to weight management and the architectural layout of vehicles.
• Research, manage and allocate weight data across different vehicle subsystems.
• Carry out preliminary weight analysis and help identify measures to mitigate potential excess weight and optimise its distribution.
• Maintain and update project documentation, including inputs for Design Reviews.
• Support the development of weight benchmarks using available engineering data.
• Undertake requirements management activities using tools such as DOORS.

About you

You don't necessarily need previous rail experience. We're looking for someone with a strong technical foundation, an analytical mindset and the enthusiasm to develop their engineering career within a complex environment.

Ideally, you'll have:

• A technical degree, preferably Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering or a related discipline.
• An analytical and methodical approach to problem solving.
• Basic knowledge of 2D and 3D CAD tools, such as AutoCAD.
• Confidence working with Microsoft Office tools including Excel and Word.
• Good communication and teamwork skills.
• Flexibility and a results-focused approach.
• Good written and spoken English, at a minimum B2 level.
• Flexibility to travel occasionally.
• Experience or knowledge of railway vehicles and greater familiarity with 2D/3D CAD would be beneficial.

What we offer

We value the importance of all of our employees.

• Competitive salary
• Potential opportunity for annual performance-related bonus
• 25 days holiday
• Pension scheme with contributions up to 9%
• Private medical insurance
• Personal Accident Insurance
• Group Income Protection
• Group Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Programme

At Hitachi Rail, there is a place for everyone.

We welcome and value differences in background, age, gender, sexuality, family status, disability, race, nationality, ethnicity, religion, and world view. It is our commitment to create an inclusive environment - we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.