Principal Engineering Leader - Railway Structures (Structural Assessment) (Band 4)

Job title: Principal Engineering Leader – Railway Structures (Structural Assessment)

Salary: Circa £80k plus excellent benefits     Grade: Payband 4

Contract type: TfL     Reference: 3827

Team: Railway Structures (Structural Assessment)     Directorate: TfL Engineering

Contract details: Permanent     Location*: Stratford / Remote working

Application closing date: Monday 16th March at 23:59

All offers of employment are subject to satisfactory right‑to‑work checks.  Candidates must be able to demonstrate their right to work in the UK.  At the present time TfL is unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.  

Hybrid working within this role enables a balance of 50 per cent of time split between the office and home over a 4-week period. Hybrid working arrangements can evolve subject to business requirements.

Transport for London (TfL) Engineers are always looking forward. Join us in one of our Infrastructure, Integration & Sustainability Engineering teams and, as well as maintaining legacy assets, you’ll deliver new systems and solutions. There’s more to it than tubes, roads, buildings and bridges. This is about connecting communities and creating opportunities, so we’re ready for the 21st century and beyond.

Key Accountabilities and Responsibilities

As the Principal Engineering Leader for Railway Structures, you will be leading a team of Civil / Structural Engineering professionals in Structural Assessment of Bridges and Structures across TfL. You will represent TfL Engineering as Technical Authority and Subject Matter Expert for Railway Structures in TfL and when engaging with suppliers, customers, industry bodies and external agencies. You will report into the Head of Technical Discipline for Railway Structures.

Your key accountabilities and responsibilities will include:

• Provide strategic, technical and people leadership for the Structural Assessment Team (~20 engineers), acting as the principal technical authority for structural assessment across all TfL modes and assets.
• Oversee assessment of a diverse and ageing asset portfolio, including bridges, subsurface tunnels, stations, buildings, and ancillary structures, ensuring compliance with relevant legislation, standards, guidance and TfL assurance requirements.
• Hold clear accountability for assessment decisions, priorities and risk management, ensuring the risk profile of Railway Structures assets is maintained in compliance with TfL policy.
• Set technical direction for assessment methodologies, modelling approaches, load rating, whole‑life considerations and risk‑based prioritisation.
• Ensure assessment outcomes effectively inform renewals, maintenance, risk registers, business cases and operational decision‑making.
• Lead technical assurance activities on multidisciplinary projects, structural modifications and third‑party works affecting railway structures.
• Manage workload, resources, budgets and team capability, ensuring effective utilisation, accreditation, development and succession planning.
• Provide expert technical advice to asset engineers, project teams, senior leaders and operational stakeholders on structural capacity, risks, mitigation measures and operational impacts, including during incidents requiring rapid structural assessment.
• Promote continuous improvement and innovation through advanced analysis, digital tools, monitoring technologies and industry best practice.
• Assure the quality of engineering reports, calculations and technical approvals, ensuring outputs are clear, robust and compliant.
• Ensure safe‑passage certification for rolling stock interacting with TfL infrastructure, and accurate definition and communication of structural restrictions across TfL.
• Support the development and implementation of policies, standards and capability strategy for Railway Structures, and deputise for the Head of Discipline as required.
• Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, ensuring structural assessment outputs are understood, trusted and embedded in decision‑making.

Role Requirements

You will be a chartered engineer with the UK Engineering Council or possess demonstrable recognised equivalent competencies, ideally a Fellow or a Member working towards Fellowship of the Institution of Civil Engineers or another relevant UK or internationally recognised engineering institution.

You will have expert knowledge, skills and experience in: 

• Leading and delivering complex structural assessments of bridges, buildings, covered ways and railway structures, including assessment of third‑party impacts on existing assets.
• Building and leading high‑performing technical teams working on complex projects within regulated environments, ideally including ROGS.
• Providing technical leadership on major structural projects across capital programmes and operations, with strong focus on whole‑life value and asset performance.
• Technical assurance of multidisciplinary engineering work and structural modifications.
• Legislation, technical standards, safety, environmental and sustainability considerations related to structural assessment, design, construction, maintenance and operation of railway bridges and structures.
• Applying design management and project management principles to ensure efficient, timely and high‑quality engineering delivery.
• Identifying, assessing and mitigating engineering risks with focus on safety, reliability, quality and performance of operational assets.
• Building strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including senior leaders, project sponsors and specialist consultants.

This position may require you to be able to work in a matrix framework. You need to demonstrate and build on your credibility, competence and technical excellence in the development, approval and implementation of robust solutions through collaborative working, trust and proactive management of your direct team and customers’ expectations.

The more teams you’ve led, the better. But it’s important you bring a passion for the TfL Vision and strategy too. That’s because, wherever you join us, you’ll explore work of unparalleled scale, scope and variety across a unique range of projects, as you build your career and expertise. So, come and bring on tomorrow, as an Engineer at TfL.

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. We want to represent the city we serve, which will help us become a more innovative and efficient organisation. Our goal is to make our recruitment as inclusive as possible. We are a disability confident employer who guarantee an interview to any disabled candidate who meets all of the essential criteria. We also use anonymising software that removes identifying information from CVs and cover letters to make the process fair.

Application Process 

Please apply using your most recent CV and Cover Letter (Word format only) explaining how you meet the criteria listed under the section ‘Role Requirements’, with reference to the skills, knowledge and experience you have gained at expert level.

You are encouraged to apply for the position that is most relevant to your existing skills, knowledge and experience as shortlisting is carried out on the basis of how well you meet the criteria for the role. 

The closing date for applications is Monday 16th March 2026 @ 23:59  

Benefits

In return for your commitment and expertise, you will enjoy excellent benefits and scope to grow. Rewards vary according to the level of role but mostly include the below:

• Final salary pension scheme 
• Free travel for you on the TfL network 
• Reimbursement of 75% of the cost of a standard class Ticket for National Rail travel from home
• 30 days annual leave plus public and bank holidays
• TfL is committed to work-life balance, operating a hybrid working approach where business and role requirements allow
• Private healthcare discounted scheme (optional)
• Tax-efficient cycle-to-work programme
• Retail, health, leisure and travel offers 
• Discounted Eurostar travel
  
  

Vetting Process

At Transport for London, safety, trust and fairness sit at the heart of how we recruit. Our Vetting Charter (https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/careers/our-vetting-process) explains the checks we carry out before you join us, helping ensure we create a safe, inclusive and reliable network for everyone who depends on our services. We simply ask that the information you provide is honest and accurate so we can progress your application smoothly. If something doesn’t match or can’t be verified, we may not be able to move forward with your application, but we’ll always treat you with transparency, respect, and clear communication throughout.