Overhaul Engineer (CAF UK Overhaul Facility, Manchester)

Cafmobility; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 69,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Real Living Wage employer

Armed Forces Covenant signatory

Mental Health Charter participation

Women in Rail EDI Charter

25 days annual leave

Pension up to 10% contribution

Health care cash plan

Bike2Work scheme

Professional Sponsorship

Job summary

CAF Rail UK in Manchester seeks an Overhaul Engineer to establish and continuously improve production processes at the CAF UK Overhaul Facility. You will support facility layout, equipment specs, procedures, BOMs, and initial training.

Post-launch, you will manage maintenance, review documentation, and drive continuous improvements while benchmarking with CAF sites and leading root-cause analysis.

Qualifications

• Level 6 Engineering Degree or higher; HNC/D considered.
• Railway industry experience with heavy equipment (e.g., horizontal lathe, wheelset press, welding, sandblasting) appreciated.
• Proven experience in planning and organising tasks.
• Experience analysing and writing technical procedures.
• Proven experience using problem-solving tools (5W2H, 5 Whys).
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing and Six-Sigma desirable.

Responsibilities

• Establish and improve production processes at the CAF UK Overhaul Facility during setup.
• Manage and optimise maintenance activities, review documentation, improve system reliability.
• Benchmark best practices with other CAF sites and support technician training.
• Lead maintenance planning, root-cause analysis, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Collaborate daily with Production and Materials teams to deliver high-quality overhauls.

Skills

Planning and organising

Technical analysis

Technical writing

Adaptability to new technologies

Railway industry experience

Education

Level 6 Engineering Degree or higher

HNC/HND in Engineering

Tools

5W2H

5 Whys

Lean Manufacturing

Six-Sigma

Job description

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Date: 16 Oct 2026

Company: CAF Rail UK

Location: MANCHESTER, GB, M40 2BA

ABOUT CAF

Innovation is in our DNA - we thrive on pushing boundaries and adapting to new challenges with a flexible approach. Proud to be a global leader, our fast-paced growth provides exciting opportunities for our team and the community.

Committed to maintaining trains and trams, our mission is to enhance vehicle safety and reliability. Our ultimate goal is to deliver a comfortable, dependable, and sustainable commuting experience for all passengers.

Based out of multiple locations across the UK, our 24/7 operation means we’re always on hand to deliver reliable technical support. Utilising the latest digital technology, we strive to enhance dependability, helping people to get to where they need to be!

What can you expect from CAF?

• Positive Work Environment:You will work in a positive environment, based on mutual respect and team spirit.
• Professional Development:Our projects are often measured in years, sometimes decades, giving you and the organisation a future.
• Learning and Autonomy:We will encourage you to work autonomously, being able to propose and decide 'what' and 'how'.
• Security and Reliability:CAF has been working for over 100 years on a path that stretches into the future, giving you the security you need.
• Cutting-edge technology:You will work with the latest technologies, facing the challenge of devising innovative approaches and solutions every day.

What will be your role in the company?

The Overhaul Engineer will play a key role in establishing and continuously improving production processes within the new CAF UK Overhaul Facility. During the setup phase, the role involves supporting facility layout, equipment specification, writing procedures and BOMs, and coordinating initial training. Post-launch, the focus shifts to managing and optimising maintenance activities, reviewing documentation, improving system reliability, and supporting production. The candidate will benchmark best practices with other CAF sites and support technician training.

Once operations commence, the focus will shift to achieving production, quality, and efficiency targets. This includes reviewing and optimising processes, conducting audits, analysing data, supporting root cause investigations, and driving continuous improvement initiatives.

The candidate will work alongside the technical team, collaborating daily with Production and Materials teams, and will be expected to lead maintenance planning, carry out root cause analysis, manage the technical library, and contribute to continuous improvement initiatives. Together, they will support the Production department to deliver high-quality overhauls of bogies, wheelsets, gearboxes, powerpacks, couplers, HVACs, and other components. Daily activities will be a balance of hands‑on process oversight, problem-solving, and technical documentation.

The role reports to the Engineering Manager and works alongside the other members of the technical team.

What salary will you be paid for this role?

As a Real Living Wage Employer, we are proud to pay competitively at CAF. For this role you will be offered a salary in the region of £67,000 per annum.

What will make you successful in this position?

To succeed in this role you will need:

• Level 6 Engineering Degree or higher. Exceptionally HNC/D (level 4/5) in Engineering with strong and relevant experience may also be taken into consideration.
• Experience in a engineering role is required and experience in the railway industry environment working with heavy equipment’s such as horizontal lathe, wheelset press, welding, sandblasting, among others will be highly appreciated.
• Proven experience in planning and organising tasks.
• Experience analysing and writing technical procedures.
• Proven experience using tools such as 5W2H, 5 Whys, etc.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing and Six-Sigma is highly desirable.
• PC literate with the ability to learn new technologies and software programmes quickly.

ABOUT WHAT WE OFFER

A Real Living Wage employer and proud signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant, RSSB Mental Health Charter and Women in Rail EDI Charter, we’ve a lot to shout about at CAF.

Creating a culture of inclusivity and belonging is really important to us and we’re proud to offer our people a range of benefits to support wellbeing including 25 days annual leave, an excellent workplace pension scheme (with up to 10% contribution from us), not forgetting to mention our generous health care cash plan and Bike2Work scheme just to name a few!

Looking for career development? Our Professional Sponsorship scheme will help you to achieve your goals while our Flexible Working policy and Family Friendly culture mean everyone is supported to thrive at CAF.

As a socially responsible business, we offer paid volunteering days and promote a variety of social value initiatives, including tree-planting, company-wide donation drives, and providing support to the homeless community and refugees. We’re creating waves of positive change through delivering meaningful social value impact on and off the tracks!