What is a Principle Engineer?
A Principal Engineer is a senior strategic role and provides industry wide leadership related to their chosen specialism. They are responsible, and where appropriate accountable for, defining the scope of the railway related (conventional or high speed)– work to be done within their specialism. They liaise with industry partners beyond their immediate organisation and this can include other train operators and government departments. They lead integrated safe design, construction, installation, maintenance, renewal or decommissioning, to provide a safe and reliable railway. They have a deep understanding of how their organisation fits into the national railway network and their responsibilities regarding legislation and government policy.
They are a key decision maker, influencer and leader who will be proactive in finding different potential solutions to problems and identifying areas for improvement at a project, organisation or rail industry level. They are likely to be a subject matter expert and the technical lead for their organisation or professional engineering discipline with the associated accountability for the interactions between rail technical areas and inter-disciplinary and inter-organisational teams.
Job titles include: Principal Railway Systems Integration Engineer, Head of Track (Lineside), Principal Electrification Engineer, Head of Rail Building Services, Principal Telecoms Engineer, Principal Modelling Engineer, Principal Mechanical Engineer, Principal Signalling & Control Systems Engineer, and Principal Traction and Rolling Stock Engineer.
Your responsibilities
- Providing professional engineering leadership to engineers to improve decision making, design and execution
- Directing the development of technical standards, specifications, work instructions and good practice guides in direct contact with regulatory bodies.
- Taking accountability for the development of continuous improvement programmes and initiatives to improve efficiency and service delivery
- Leading and directing the development and implementation of the asset management policies and engineering competencies needed to maintain, renew and enhance the service to deliver the level of business performance required
- Leading the delivery of engineering works, including contract management, monitoring of KPIs, implementation of corrective actions and reporting
- Leading the management and application of appropriate engineering maintenance regimes in accordance with company policies, standards and specifications
- Managing engineering audits, inspections and assessments to comply with relevant standards and engineering policies
- Monitoring the effectiveness of work and manage any deficiencies raised, arranging that processes are in place for maintaining accurate records of the assets
- Taking accountabilities for all incidents that adversely affect the safety and performance of engineering assets are fully investigated and recommendations are implemented
- Leading technical innovation, mobilisation and introduction of new systems to deliver operational availability and maintenance standards for new railway systems
What You'll need
Core skills
- Chartered Engineer or demonstrate equivalent experience
- Sound knowledge of applicable policies, standards and national legislation
- Experience of developing technology and product strategies
- Knowledge of the safety management and risk assessment process
- Capability to lead, motivate teams and drive success
What You'll Gain
Transferable skills
- Communicate high level strategies to team members and senior staff
- Commercial awareness and financial knowledge
- Overseeing complex projects from conception to completion
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Understanding the sustainable practices
What You'll Use
Key skills
English
- Creating clear, concise reports, proposals and documentation
- Strong skills in presenting ideas and information
- Proficiency in understanding and interpreting technical manuals
- Knowledge and understanding of regulations and specifications
Maths
- Understanding of derivatives and integrals
- Ability to analyse data and conduct risk assessments
- Knowledge of matrices and vector spaces
- Application of geometric principles
- Proficiency in algorithms
IT
- Familiarity with computer-aided design and simulation software
- Competence in using data analysis tools
- Knowledge of using project management software
- Basic programming knowledge
Role opportunities
These are some possible roles you may consider in your career journey. Discuss with your Inspiro Coach for further guidance.
Senior Rail Technician
Rail Engineer / Maintenance Engineer
Senior Engineer
Principle Engineer
What is a Rail Operative?
What is a Rail Technician?
What is a Senior Rail Technician?
What is a Rail Engineer / Maintenance Engineer?
What is a Senior Engineer?
What is a Principle Engineer?
Explore more
National Careers Website
The National Careers website is a government database that provides information for a job you are looking to explore.
Rail Engineering Sector Roles
Use our Sector Roles map to see if there is a role within your chosen sector that you are interested in.
Resources
Career Development Handbook
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career development handbook
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