Technical Services Manager

Arriva Group; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

CrossCountry is seeking a Chartered Engineer to lead the Technical Services team, ensuring safety, reliability, and performance of the fleet. You will provide expert engineering advice, manage safety case obligations, and work with train service providers and industry partners to deliver safe operations.

The role requires strong leadership, communication, and the ability to influence decisions in a safety-critical environment, with hybrid working options and close collaboration across

Qualifications

• CEng status and professional engineering qualification.
• Experience in railway engineering roles.
• Proven leadership and stakeholder collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide professional engineering leadership and technical advice in support of the Safety Case.
• Lead assurance and compliance activities to meet engineering standards.
• Manage performance and reliability analysis to identify improvement opportunities.
• Lead and develop the Technical Services team with line management responsibilities.
• Monitor and investigate safety-related engineering incidents involving trains or infrastructure.
• Support Head of Fleet – Engineering to improve operational safety around interfaces.
• Build proactive relationships with infrastructure providers for smooth train/track interfaces.
• Collaborate with leasing companies and maintainers to improve train safety and performance.
• Support projects that enhance fleet reliability and operational performance.
• Participate in Fleet On Call rota.

Skills

Chartered Engineer (CEng) status

Railway engineering experience

Leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Analytical problem-solving

Education

Engineering degree or equivalent

Job description

Location: Birmingham / Hybrid

Closing date: 29th September 2026

Shape the future of fleet engineering at CrossCountry

Are you an experienced railway engineer ready to take on a role where your expertise can make a real difference to safety, reliability and passenger experience?

We’re looking for a Technical Services Manager to join CrossCountry and play a key role in the engineering management of our fleet. This is an opportunity to provide technical leadership, influence engineering solutions and work collaboratively across the rail industry to keep our trains safe, reliable and performing at their best.

As Technical Services Manager, you’ll support the Head of Fleet and Engineering in delivering the obligations of the CrossCountry Safety Case, acting as the Professional Head of Engineering. You’ll provide expert technical advice, detailed reporting and effective project management, helping us maintain and continually improve the safety and performance of our services.

What You’ll Be Doing

You’ll lead our Technical Services team, working closely with our Train Service Provider and industry partners to deliver effective engineering solutions, with operational safety and performance at the heart of everything you do.

Your Responsibilities Will Include

• Providing professional engineering leadership and technical advice in support of the Safety Case.
• Leading assurance and compliance activities to ensure engineering standards and obligations are met.
• Managing performance and reliability analysis, using insight to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Leading and developing the Technical Services team, including line management responsibilities.
• Monitoring, investigating and concluding the engineering aspects of safety-related incidents involving trains or infrastructure.
• Supporting the Head of Fleet – Engineering in improving operational safety, particularly around infrastructure engineering integrity and train/infrastructure interfaces.
• Building proactive relationships with infrastructure providers to manage and optimise engineering interfaces between the train and infrastructure, including the use of track- and train-based monitoring.
• Managing engineering relationships with train leasing companies and maintainers, working collaboratively to develop and implement solutions that improve train safety and performance.
• Supporting projects and initiatives that contribute to improved fleet reliability, safety and operational performance.
• Participating in the Fleet On Call rota.

This is a highly collaborative role where you’ll need to build strong relationships across CrossCountry and with external stakeholders, while being confident enough to provide clear technical challenge and expert advice when it matters.

What You’ll Bring

We’re looking for a technically accomplished railway professional who can combine strong engineering expertise with leadership, communication and sound judgement.

You’ll Need

• Professional qualifications in a relevant engineering discipline, including Chartered Engineer (CEng) status.
• Previous experience working in an engineering role within the railway industry.
• Strong technical, analytical and problem-solving skills.
• The ability to interpret complex engineering information and turn it into clear, practical recommendations.
• Experience of working collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders.
• The confidence to lead, influence and make informed engineering decisions in a safety-critical environment.

Why CrossCountry?

At CrossCountry, you’ll be part of a team that plays an important role in connecting communities across the country. Your expertise will contribute directly to the safe, reliable and effective operation of our fleet - helping us deliver a better experience for our passengers.

We’re committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels they belong - a team that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve and the passengers we support every day.

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, identities and experiences, including women, people from ethnic minority / global majority backgrounds, people with disabilities, neurodivergent people, LGBTQ+ colleagues and those with caring responsibilities.

We believe inclusion drives innovation, and we’re proud to be building a culture where everyone can thrive, contribute and reach their full potential.

Ready to make a difference?

If you’re a Chartered Engineer with railway experience and you’re looking for your next opportunity to lead, influence and make a genuine impact on fleet safety and performance, we’d love to hear from you.