Senior Manager: Rail Systems

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The Senior Manager: Rail Systems is a senior, client‑facing role embedded within an integrated client–PMC office on a major transportation program with a strong focus on rail (metro, heavy rail, light rail, high‑speed). Sitting within the PUA function, the role provides leadership, governance, and integration of all rail systems activities across multiple projects and contracts.

This is a non‑operational position: the focus is on managing and assuring the design and build process on behalf of the client—not running day‑to‑day railway operations or maintenance. The role oversees signalling and train control, telecoms, SCADASCADA, platform systems, automatic fare collection, security and other line‑wide systems, ensuring that all solutions are safe, compliant, interoperable, and aligned with program objectives.

Key Responsibilities

1. Rail Systems Governance & Strategy (PUA)

• Act as the program‑level lead for rail systems within PUA, setting direction and priorities for rail systems across all relevant projects.
• Develop and maintain rail systems strategies, standards, and technical principles aligned with the client’s vision, regulatory requirements, and interoperability objectives.
• Ensure employer’s requirements for rail systems are clear, consistent, and properly reflected in contracts, scopes of work, and design briefs.
• Provide independent, strategic advice to senior client leadership on rail systems issues, risks, opportunities, and long‑term implications.

2. Multi‑Project Rail Systems Management

• Oversee rail systems scope across multiple projects and packages (signalling, telecoms, SCADASCADA, platform systems, AFC, security, control centres, line‑wide systems).
• Coordinate and align project‑level rail systems managers and engineers to ensure consistent technical approaches, assumptions, and interfaces.
• Review and challenge project plans for rail systems design, procurement, installation, testing, and commissioning to ensure realism and alignment with program milestones.
• Drive resolution of cross‑project rail systems issues and conflicts, escalating to PUA and program leadership as required.

3. Technical Assurance & Design Management

• Oversee the rail systems technical assurance framework at program level, ensuring adherence to:
  • Employer’s requirements and performance specifications
  • Local regulatory and authority requirements
  • International and industry
• Provide senior review and approval (on behalf of the client) of key rail systems design concepts, architectures, and key technical decisions.
• Ensure that requirements management, verification, and validation processes for rail systems are properly applied and evidenced.
• Support and, where necessary, chair high‑level technical and design review boards for critical rail systems decisions.

4. Systems Integration & Interfaces

• Provide program‑level oversight of systems integration across:
  • Signalling/train control and rolling stock
  • Rail systems and civil/MEP/architectural works (rooms, routes, environmental conditions)
  • Central control centres and operational systems
  • External systems (utilities, communications providers, legacy or adjacent rail networks)
• Ensure that interface management processes and tools (interface registers, interface agreements) are consistently applied across all contracts.
• Drive resolution of major interface issues that cross project boundaries, ensuring integrated, end‑to‑end solutions that support operational concepts.

5. Safety, RAMSRAMS & Regulatory App