Job Description

Job Category: Technical
:
As Heavy Rail Engineering Manager, you'll lead the team responsible for maintaining Heathrow's regulated rail assets, ensuring a safe, reliable service for our passengers. You'll oversee maintenance contracts and infrastructure projects, manage compliance with industry standards, and develop asset strategies for critical systems including track, signalling, structures, control systems, and HV equipment. This role combines technical leadership with strategic planning, budget ownership, and stakeholder collaboration, championing service excellence and reliability across Heathrow's rail network.
Please note that this role requires a Personal Track Safety medical and full UK driving licence.
Responsibilities:

• Lead direct and indirect teams, coordinate Network Rail planning, and act as delegate to the Head of Rail when required.
• Own and maintain asset plans and standards aligned with system strategies and Network Rail requirements.
• Develop maintenance, renewal, and refurbishment strategies based on real-world asset performance, cost, and risk.
• Deliver realistic, stakeholder-supported improvement plans to enhance asset performance and value.
• Implement assurance regimes to ensure compliance, manage risk, and maintain robust change control.
• Provide engineering support for development and maintenance, manage lifecycle costs, and drive contract efficiencies.

Qualifications:

• Degree or HNC/HND qualification in a relevant discipline or demonstrable equivalent experience and expertise.
• Detailed knowledge of rail assets and systems.
• Excellent knowledge and experience of maintenance practices, methodologies and strategies.
• Strong analytical skills with proven ability to use data and judgement effectively to drive continuous improvement and develop robust solutions to business problems.
• Proven experience developing contingency plans and resilience analysis within large operational and infrastructure organisations.
• Experience of developing business cases with the ability to translate data and technical knowledge in a meaningful way to demonstrate strong business benefits.

Ideally, you will also have:

• Incorporated Engineer in relevant discipline or expected to achieve Incorporated status within 12 months of appointment.
• A relevant asset management qualification.

About Us:
There's something so special about working at the world's most iconic airport. Its sights. Its sounds. Its constant air of excitement. Heathrow is an amazing backdrop to a career filled with unique opportunities.
Every day, you'll discover a world full of fresh possibilities and end the day buzzing with stories to tell, as you encounter people from all cultures, nationalities and experiences. A world full of pride for what we do and no end of exciting career prospects to explore.
It brings out the best in all of us. And inspires everyone to deliver on our ambitious plans. Together, we're working to welcome millions more passengers while ensuring aviation can continue to be a force for good by leading global efforts in sustainability.
Join us on that journey and we'll help you achieve your ambitions too. Supporting you to learn, encouraging you to be yourself, backing you to achieve more than you might ever have imagined. Because there's no place like Heathrow.
Our rewards
We offer competitive salaries and excellent benefits that will support you now and in the future. As well as performance-based annual bonuses and our longer-term Share in Success Bonus plans, we also offer generous annual leave allowances and market-leading pensions. With family friendly policies, access to private health insurance and a wide range of wellbeing tools, we'll support you to be at your best inside and outside work. And of course, we'll provide varied learning and development opportunities too. Here you'll find everything you need for a fulfilling career journey that can take you in exciting directions.
Working Location
Our Hybrid working approach offers the opportunity for colleagues in some roles to work from home for an average of two days a week, providing the flexibility to work in an agile way whilst ensuring we deliver for the operational needs of Heathrow. Working arrangements vary from team to team and will be confirmed during the recruitment process. You'll need to be based in the UK and within a commutable distance to Heathrow.
Sustainable Travel to work
Heathrow's sets out easy and sustainable travel options that everyone can access.
Equal Opportunities
As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage applications from all. We believe that diverse talent makes us stronger - not least because we welcome passengers from all corners of the globe, every single day. Heathrow is an accessible place to work. With five diversity networks, we champion inclusivity and celebrate individuality.
About the Team:
Be part of this city within a city. Every year, millions of people travel through Heathrow. Joining our Engineering team means being at the heart of a complex operation whose size, scale and reputation for innovation are unique. We make sure the airport is always running smoothly and keep passengers and planes moving.
Our team touches all aspects of airport life - from water to energy, rail to roads, baggage systems to runways. The scope and variety of what we do is vast, spanning mechanical, electrical, water, civil, rail and environmental disciplines. Together we are responsible for the performance of 500,000 assets worth 14bn. It means there are always a wide range of interesting development, construction and maintenance projects to get involved with. And a lot of ways to develop your skills, career and reputation.
You'll be part of a close-knit, driven team, taking on work that you can take real pride in and feel passionate about. It's an exciting place to be, where every day, you'll discover a world of fresh possibilities and you'll be mentored by world-class experts every step of the way.

Skills Required