Principal Engineer Fleet

Nexus; Newcastle upon Tyne; On-site; GBP 56,000 - 68,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

36-hour week

LGPS pension

28 days annual leave

Travel discounts

Health cash plan

Job summary

Nexus is seeking a Principal Engineer - Fleet to lead technical decisions and stewardship of a diverse fleet portfolio, including new Metro and fleet assets in the North East. You will guide asset performance, safety and lifecycle strategies, working with maintainers, manufacturers and partners to ensure reliability and future readiness.

As the technical authority, you will shape fleet strategy, manage a team of engineers, and influence major investments across the organisation while delivering

Qualifications

• Engineering degree or equivalent industry experience.
• Fleet engineering experience in both project and operations environments.
• Strong knowledge of fleet engineering principles: maintenance, performance, reliability.
• Knowledge of rolling stock systems and asset management principles.
• Experience analysing engineering data to improve asset performance.
• Experience producing technical specifications, standards, reports and engineering documentation.
• Experience assessing asset condition and developing lifecycle management strategies.
• Knowledge of relevant engineering standards, regulations and Health & Safety legislation.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence diverse audiences.
• Experience leading engineering activities, teams, consultants or contractors.

Responsibilities

• Act as the technical authority and SME for fleet engineering across Nexus.
• Lead fleet input into capital projects: asset specification, design reviews, manufacturing, testing and acceptance.
• Provide technical leadership across maintenance, operations, performance and reliability.
• Develop and maintain fleet engineering standards, strategies and technical guidance.
• Lead lifecycle management activities and support long-term fleet investment planning.
• Provide specialist advice and assurance to senior leaders, project teams, maintainers and contractors.
• Lead audits, inspections, investigations and post-incident reviews where required.
• Drive innovation and continuous improvement across fleet systems and processes.
• Manage Fleet Engineers and provide leadership to external specialists when needed.

Skills

Fleet engineering

Rolling stock

Data analysis

Technical specs

Lifecycle management

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Safety standards

Regulations knowledge

Engineering leadership

Education

Engineering degree

Job description

Job Summary

Contract Type: Permanent

Working Pattern: Full time

Advert Start Date: 19/10/2026

Advert End Date: 16/11/2026 09:00

Salary: Circa £62,000

Job Category: Public Transport

Vacancy ID: 303702

Employment Location: Infrastructure Gosforth, Gosforth Industrial Estate, Christon Road, Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne NE3 1XD

Number of posts: 1

Closing date: 16 Nov

Further Information

Lead the future of fleet engineering across one of the UK's most ambitious transport networks

This is a rare opportunity to take ownership of a diverse and strategically important fleet portfolio at a time of significant investment and transformation.

We're looking for an exceptional engineering leader to join Nexus as our Principal Engineer - Fleet. As the technical authority for fleet engineering matters, you'll provide leadership and assurance across our fleet assets, including our new Class 555 Metro fleet, Class 599 vehicles, on-track plant, road-rail vehicles, engineering machines and the iconic Shields Ferry.

This is a highly influential role, combining technical leadership, asset stewardship and people management. You'll shape fleet engineering strategy, guide major investment decisions, lead a team of engineering professionals and work closely with maintainers, manufacturers and specialist partners to ensure our assets remain safe, reliable and fit for the future.

If you're looking for a role where you can influence the performance and lifecycle of critical transport assets that serve communities across the North East every day, this could be your next career-defining opportunity.

Typical Day

• Act as the technical authority and subject matter expert for fleet engineering matters across Nexus.
• Lead fleet engineering input into capital projects, including asset specification, design reviews, manufacturing, testing and acceptance activities.
• Provide technical leadership across maintenance, operations, performance and reliability activities.
• Develop and maintain fleet engineering standards, strategies, specifications and technical guidance.
• Lead lifecycle management activities and support long-term investment planning for fleet assets.
• Provide specialist advice and assurance to senior leaders, project teams, maintainers, consultants and contractors.
• Lead audits, inspections, investigations and post-incident reviews where fleet engineering expertise is required.
• Drive innovation and continuous improvement across fleet systems, processes and engineering practices.
• Manage Fleet Engineers within the Engineering team and provide leadership to external specialists and consultants where required.

About You

You will be an experienced fleet or rolling stock engineer with the credibility and expertise to lead technical decision-making across a complex operational environment.

You will have:

• A relevant engineering degree, or equivalent industry experience within a relevant engineering discipline.
• Demonstrable fleet engineering experience across both project and operational environments.
• Strong knowledge of fleet engineering principles, including maintenance, performance and reliability.
• Knowledge of rolling stock systems and fleet asset management principles.
• Experience analysing engineering data and using evidence-based decision-making to improve asset performance.
• Experience producing technical specifications, standards, reports, procedures and engineering documentation.
• Experience assessing asset condition and developing lifecycle management strategies.
• Knowledge of relevant engineering standards, regulations and Health & Safety legislation.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience leading engineering activities, teams, consultants or contractors.

It would be advantageous if you have:

• Chartered Engineer status, or are working towards professional registration.
• Membership of a relevant professional institution.
• Familiarity with BS EN 50126 and its practical application.
• Experience of reliability-centred or risk-based maintenance approaches.
• Experience using fleet engineering maintenance software or computerised maintenance management systems.

Why Join Nexus?

Few engineering roles offer this breadth of responsibility.

You'll have the opportunity to:

• Lead fleet engineering across a diverse portfolio of transport assets including Metro rolling stock, engineering vehicles and the Shields Ferry.
• Play a key role in the successful delivery and long-term stewardship of the new Class 555 Metro fleet.
• Influence major investment decisions and engineering strategy across the organisation.
• Lead and develop engineering talent within a growing and ambitious team.
• Work with industry-leading partners, maintainers and manufacturers.
• Leave a lasting legacy on infrastructure and assets that serve the region for decades to come.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary circa £62k
• 36-hour working week
• You’ll be part of a generous pension scheme (Local Government Pension Scheme)?
• 28 days annual leave per year plus bank holidays and time off for volunteering too
• Enjoy travelling for free in Tyne and Wear with our enhanced travel benefits for you and your family
• Free or discounted travel with Grand Central, LNER, Lumo, Northern Rail and TransPennine Express
• You will have the opportunity to contribute to a health cash plan that will contribute (and dependants if you have them) towards dental costs, optical, and lots more
• Access to our reward app with over 1000 plus high street discounts on groceries, holidays and days out
• We like to grow our own colleagues (not literally of course!), so when you’re ready for the next step in your career, we can help develop you
• The opportunity to work on some of the most visible and strategically important transport assets in the North East.

About Us

At Nexus, we're delivering one of the most significant periods of investment in Metro's history. From introducing a new generation of trains to renewing and modernising our infrastructure, we're shaping the future of public transport across Tyne and Wear.

Our Engineering team sits at the heart of this transformation, providing the technical expertise and leadership needed to deliver safe, reliable and sustainable transport services for our customers and communities.