Principal Project Engineer

Req ID 407376

Location: London/Kings Cross/Project Site

Appointment Basis: Permanent 

Salary + Benefits inc: Pension, Contributed Healthcare, Life Assurance, plus many more flexible benefits.

At Alstom, we understand transport networks and what moves people. From high-speed trains, metros, monorails, and trams, to turnkey systems, services, infrastructure, signalling and digital mobility, we offer our diverse customers the broadest portfolio in the industry. Every day, 80,000 colleagues lead the way to greener and smarter mobility worldwide, connecting cities as we reduce carbon and replace cars. 

Alstom is the UK & Ireland’s leading supplier of new trains and train services, and a leading signalling and rail infrastructure provider. Alstom have built, or are building, just under 40% of the UK mainline train fleet. We provide the widest range of smart solutions in the rail market, from innovative high-speed rolling stock, metros and trams to maintenance, modernisation, infrastructure and signalling. 
 

The Principal Project Engineer is based on site at various locations around the UK, either leading the engineering delivery of a project or supporting the Project Engineering Manager for larger programmes of work, including support of the onsite construction activities and project integration activities. They are also required to support the integration of the project design activities at one of our centers of excellence around the UK. The role also has a client-facing dimension being the focal point of contact for the client to resolve technical issues and support the Project Management teams to achieve the on-time delivery of the project. 

These projects use the wide range of Alstom signalling technologies including the SMARTLOCK 400 system, SmartIO, Modular Control Systems and VHLC (Vaughn Harmon Logic Controller). These projects are multidiscipline, complex and are strategically important to our clients. Our engineering teams are supporting some of the most significant projects within the UK.

Position Overview

The Principal Project Engineer is the engineering lead on a project and is responsible for the Quality, Cost, Delivery and Performance of the Engineering elements. They are responsible for subcontract management, system definition, requirements capture, compliance management, integration of designs, construction integration, CDM (Construction, Design and Management Regulations), CSM (Common Safety Method), project programme, system validation, commissioning, hand back and project closeout.

The Principal Project Engineer will implement the organisation’s engineering management system within the project location and across multiple sites when required. Support the Programme Engineering Manager with local line management, technical guidance, leadership, team welfare, site safety and monitor the project’s performance to maximize efficiencies and project delivery. Ensure that clear lines of communication and reporting are in place within the local project organisation and between other and stakeholders (Client, Design, Commercial, Business Development and Human Resources). Coordinate the design activities between the Design Delivery Managers, ensuring project disputes and challenges are resolved in a consistent way. Ensure that suitable project plans are in place to support efficient resource management, staff development and succession planning to meet the requirements of the business and projects.

Develop project technical instructions to support the project methodology and the required installation activities. Perform technical inspections on regular basis and take corrective action to resolve problems identified. Assist with the development of engineering design details based upon the project technical requirements.

Mentor, coach and train other Project Engineers when required to support the businesses sustainability plan.

Responsibilities 

• Functionally manage the Engineering activities for a project, taking responsibility for the safety, professional / technical development, and welfare of the site engineering team. 
• Implement and maintain best practice signalling engineering processes as part of a continual improvement plan to increase efficiency and minimize cost of non-quality and technical / delivery risk. Carry out technical audits as a means of ensuring the project is following agreed applicable standards and practices. Support the production and identification of RAMS (Reliability, Availability, Maintainability, and Safety) analysis, system risk, risk mitigation, method statements and work package plans.
• Undertake design reviews to ensure that Design is delivered to programme and the output is compliant with defined scope and the applicable standards. Ensure integration of design, installation and testing activities and that the end product meets the client specification and has technical integrity. Act as Contractor’s Responsible Engineer or Contractor’s Engineering Manager on contracts as required. 
• Support Signalling Systems & Infrastructure business development with tendering activities ensuring the quality of estimates, system description, system architectures, implementation strategies and methodologies. Provide governance and assurance to all tendering activities ensuring assumptions and execution risks are captured during the tendering process. 
• Support the Competence Manager with the execution of the IRSE (Institute of Railway Signalling Engineers) licensing scheme and the internal competence management scheme. 
• Ensure engineering delivery and technical change is integrated with design, possession planning, installation, test, other disciplines and provide a mechanism for effective communications throughout the SS&I business.
• Undertake mentorship, coaching and give seminars to support the succession planning throughout the Engineering business. Support and coordinate Performance Management and staff development activities for the local teams when required. 
• Highlight and document project derogations or temporary non-compliances required by the project, liaising with the Professional Head of Signalling to enable them to be submitted to the client. 
• To take reasonable care for the health and safety of yourself and other persons who may be affected by your acts or omissions at work. To co-operate, as far as is necessary, with any statutory requirement placed on the company. Ensure that you do not intentionally or recklessly interfere with or misuse anything provided in the interest of safety or welfare. To bring to the attention of your manger any perceived shortcomings in Health and Safety arrangements, situations or processes that are considered to be serious or which may present dangers to yourself or others.
• To only undertake safety critical or safety related activities that complies with your relevant competence or authority to work.

Postholder requirements

Essential:

Must have experience of leading the Engineering Delivery on large multidisciplinary projects.  Able to:

• Establish an Engineering Management strategy a project.
• Review documentation and challenge technical choices across all disciplines
• Act as technical manager for Tenders including establishing customer requirements and developing the cost and schedule for all Engineering activities.
• Organise, lead, manage and motivate the engineering team on a project

Must be able to develop System Specification and Requirements, including.

• Identifying all stakeholders and their sphere of influence in the preparation of the specifications
• Ensuring adequate elicitation of requirements from stakeholders
• Ensuring traceability between requirements.
• Establishing system specifications and managing these up to their implementation and acceptance.

Ability to characterise and manage requirements throughout the system lifecycle, including:

• Identifying all the stakeholders and their sphere of influence.
• Supporting the elicitation of requirements from stakeholders.
• Acknowledge the characteristics of good quality requirements.
• Understanding methods used in requirements gathering.
• Recognise the need for traceability between the design and the requirements.
• Understanding the relationship between requirements and acceptance and modelling

Must be able to define system elements and interfaces in sufficient detail to provide a basis for system implementation. It includes the ability to conduct operational, functional, and constructional analyses with focuses on compatibility with technologies and other design elements, feasibility of construction and integration, including:

• Conducting system design by system thinking according to the different views and their context
• Identifying system boundaries by describing external interfaces and their management
• Contributing to activities to treat technical risks, and validate assumptions
• Working with stakeholders to design a system that can be deployed
• Ensuring the system is designed in accordance with RAMS requirements and in interaction with RAM and Safety team.
• Proposing and analyse concepts, and alternative design solutions 
• Contributing to assessments of the feasibility of concepts.
• Using appropriate tools and techniques to conduct functional analysis.

Must be able to develop engineering strategy and identify and manage technical risks, including:

• Defining the project/program Engineering strategy to deliver the Engineering activities
• Interacting with internal and external stakeholders to integrate contributions and overall strategy
• Identifying technical risks and managing these up to their resolution
• Negotiating and agreeing on activities and deliveries contents with stakeholders such as Project/Program Manager, Safety, V&V, RAM, Sub-systems and Product in establishing the engineering strategy and resolution of technical risks.
• Verifying adequacy of V&V strategy vs safety a needs and regulation.
• Ensuring appropriate independent assessment strategy (internal or external)

Must be able to make a customer confident on the way the design activities are managed and handled, to build a trust/trust relationship, representing Alstom’s strategy and position, including-

Representing technical details in front of customer without needing metier experts present

• Understanding contracts in order to be able to deliver contracted works
• Identifying customer needs and constraints - even when not clearly formalised as requirements.
• Must be able to manage a team to reach the best technical decision, accounting for all constraints, and to challenge when necessary, including:
• Making sure that data used for analysis come from the relevant expert (even out of project or site) and that they have all information required before deciding.
• Define priorities, including for multidimensional and ambiguous problems/issues.
• Liaise with empowered decision makers to enable decisions to be made.
• Empower team members to make decisions at their level.
• Understand and be accountable for the impact of Engineering decisions / actions on the project, not only Engineering QCD.

Ability to manage an Engineering Work Package and the associated risks.  Knowledge of project management Indicators and understanding of how to use them to follow-up the project situation, identify potential problems with anticipation and address them timely manner.

Able to:

• Use standard WP Management techniques
• Follow expenses charged on WP on a monthly basis.
• Check only authorised people / tasks were charged to its WP
• Update WP forecast and WP costs at completion analysing data from engineering planning.
• Use scheduling analysis methodology (Critical path, Optimization methods, etc.).
• Provide detailed analysis of WP variation root causes (bridge).
• Quote variation orders / risks / savings and challenges estimation providers.
• Alert management when project is not staffed enough
• Challenge bottom-up estimations/forecasts done by team, especially when there is a gap with initial commitment.
• Provide WP data as required per the RAMP, evaluate Engineering risk & saving with their impacts on cost, schedule, quality;  identify and manage relevant mitigation actions and their associated cost.
• Compile some KPIs and show a performance culture. 
• Must have a good understanding of modern signalling technologies, ideally with experience of delivering/developing new products or processes.

Qualifications: 

• Senior Engineering Manager (Projects) (7.8.230F) or Engineering Manager (Projects) (7.8.110F) IRSE licence.
• Corporate membership of the IRSE with IEng or higher
• Desirable: 
• Qualifications:
• MEng or BEng degree level education in an engineering discipline
• Valid PTS (Personal Track Safety) Certificate

What we offer

Alstom is the leading company in the mobility sector, solving the most interesting challenges for tomorrow’s mobility. That’s why we value inquisitive and innovative people who are passionate about working together to reinvent mobility, making it smarter and more sustainable. Day after day, we are building an agile, inclusive, and responsible culture, where a diverse group of people are offered opportunities to learn, grow and advance in their careers, with options across functions and geographic locations. Are you ready to join a truly international community of great people on a challenging journey with a tangible impact and purpose?

Equal opportunity statement:

Alstom is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an inclusive working environment where all our employees are encouraged to reach their full potential, and individual differences are valued and respected.  All qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by local law. 

As a 'Disability Confident' employer, we will interview all disabled job applicants who match the essential criteria of the job description or specification. We will consider flexible working requests for all roles unless operational requirements prevent otherwise.