Lead Project Engineer - CCS

Charlton Recruitment; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

12% employer pension

25 days annual leave

Job summary

High Speed Two (HS2 Ltd) is seeking a Lead Project Engineer – CCS to lead engineering leadership on the route-wide CCS and Traffic Management system for the UK's premier high‑speed railway. This client-side role with Siemens spans design, construction, testing and commissioning across interfaces with other systems.

Based in London or Birmingham with hybrid working, typical 3 days in the office. Salary £90,000–£100,000 plus 12% employer pension and 25 days annual leave.

Qualifications

• Strong experience delivering major signalling/CCS projects.
• Experience across the design, installation, testing and commissioning lifecycle.
• Experience leading or coordinating engineering teams and developing engineers.
• Strong technical assurance and design assurance experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead risk-based technical assurance through design, construction, testing and commissioning.
• Review and assure contractor designs and deliverables against HS2 requirements and applicable standards.
• Lead Technical Assurance Reviews and conduct targeted reviews of contractor deliverables.
• Manage engineering issues, technical risks and changes affecting CCS.
• Provide technical input into change management and formal technical approvals.
• Respond to technical queries and provide contractual engineering input where required.
• Manage engineering risks, interfaces and integration with other railway systems.
• Provide engineering guidance on design solutions, innovation and cost-effective options.
• Support the integration of CCS systems into the wider HS2 railway.

Job description

Lead Project Engineer – CCS

Salary £90,000–£100,000 + 12% Pension + 25 Days Holiday

Location London (Euston) or L | Hybrid – typically 3 days in the office

Progression: Head of roles – circa £110 - £120k + package

High Speed Two Long-term Programme until (Apply online only)

The Opportunity

What if you could help develop and deliver the signalling system for the UK's first high-speed railway designed to operate with Automatic Train Operation (ATO) over ETCS?

High Speed Two (HS2 Ltd) is looking for an experienced Lead Project Engineer – Control, Command & Signalling (CCS) to join its Rail Systems team.

This is a client-side engineering leadership role working on HS2's route-wide CCS & Traffic Management contract with Siemens – a major railway systems programme that will interface with virtually every other part of the HS2 railway.

The project is moving through Scheme Design into detailed design, construction, installation, testing and commissioning. You'll be involved across the lifecycle, providing technical assurance and engineering leadership as the system moves from design into delivery.

This is an opportunity to work on a genuinely transformational railway project and build a legacy around one of the most advanced signalling systems being developed for a high-speed railway.

The CCS & Traffic Management Contract

The Siemens contract covers the design, supply, installation, testing, commissioning and handover of the route-wide CCS and Traffic Management systems.

The scope includes:

• ETCS and associated lineside equipment.
• Interlocking and train detection systems.
• Automatic Train Operation (ATO) Grade of Automation 2 over ETCS.
• Traffic Management System (TMS).
• Enterprise Service Bus (ESB).
• Possession Management System (PMS).
• Adhesion Management System (AMS).
• Weather Monitoring System (WMS).

The contract is expected to run for around 8-10 years, with approximately 18–24 months of design development followed by installation, testing and commissioning.

Your Role

As Lead Project Engineer, you'll provide engineering leadership and technical assurance across the CCS programme, working closely with Siemens and HS2's wider Rail Systems, Engineering, Commercial and Project teams.

You will:

• Lead risk-based technical assurance through design, construction, testing and commissioning.
• Review and assure contractor designs and deliverables against HS2 requirements and applicable standards.
• Lead Technical Assurance Reviews and undertake targeted reviews and spot-checks of contractor deliverables.
• Manage engineering issues, technical risks and changes affecting CCS.
• Provide technical input into change management and formal technical approvals.
• Respond to technical queries and provide contractual engineering input where required.
• Manage engineering risks, assumptions, issues, departures and interfaces.
• Lead technical coordination between CCS and other railway systems.
• Manage interfaces with Main Works Civils, stations and other Rail Systems contracts.
• Provide engineering guidance on design solutions, innovation, best practice and opportunities for efficiency.
• Support the integration of CCS systems into the wider HS2 railway.
• Work closely with Commercial and Project teams to understand the cost, programme and quality implications of engineering decisions.
• Work with technical specialists to develop practical and cost-effective engineering solutions.
• Support the Head of Signalling and wider Project Engineering leadership on technical matters.
• Undertake delegated technical authority responsibilities within your area of competence.
• Support the discharge of relevant CDM Principal Designer Representative duties.

What We're Looking For

We're looking for an experienced Signalling Project Engineer / Senior Project Engineer / Lead Project Engineer / DPE / Engineering Manager who has worked through the delivery phases of major signalling projects.

You could come from a principal contractor, client or consultancy background. Experience on major projects such as HS2, Crossrail, Network Rail, London Underground or major international rail programmes would be highly relevant.

You should have:

• Strong experience delivering major signalling/CCS projects.
• Experience across the design, installation, testing and commissioning lifecycle.
• Experience leading or coordinating engineering teams and developing engineers.
• Strong technical assurance and design assurance experience.
• A good understanding of signalling standards, engineering requirements and railway systems.
• Experience managing complex technical interfaces across multidisciplinary projects.
• Knowledge of CDM and experience supporting Principal Designer duties.
• Experience working within NEC contracts, ideally NEC3/NEC4.
• Strong risk, change and issue management experience.
• The ability to understand the impact of engineering decisions on cost, programme, quality and delivery.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to influence contractors, suppliers and senior internal stakeholders.

ETCS and ATO experience would be advantageous, but direct experience of both is not essential. Strong major-project signalling delivery experience is the priority.

Why HS2?

This isn't simply another signalling project.

You'll be working directly for HS2 Ltd, providing client-side engineering leadership on the route-wide CCS and Traffic Management system that will ultimately integrate with the wider high-speed railway.

The scale and complexity of the interfaces make this a particularly interesting engineering environment. CCS will need to integrate with stations, Main Works Civils and multiple other Rail Systems contracts, requiring strong technical coordination and whole-system thinking.

You'll also be joining HS2 at a key point in the project – moving from scheme design into detailed design and ultimately construction, installation, testing and commissioning.

There is a genuine long‑term career opportunity within HS2, with progression to Head of CCS – circa £110k + package, alongside opportunities across the wider HS2 Rail Systems programme.

HS2 is a programme that will run for many years, providing the opportunity to build significant high-speed rail experience and be part of a project that will leave a lasting legacy on the UK's transport infrastructure.

Package

£90,000–£100,000 salary

12% employer pension contribution

25 days annual leave

Hybrid working – Birmingham or London

Typically 3 days per week in the office

Employer: High Speed Two (HS2 Ltd)

Programme: High Speed Rail / Rail Systems

Contract: CCS & Traffic Management – Siemens