Job Description

It is not just a celebration, though - it's a commitment to continue delivering a simpler, better, greener railway. Investing in our people is key to enhancing the safety, reliability, and efficiency of our railway system.
Network Rail operates and maintains the railway infrastructure 24/7, 365 days a year. From the first passenger railway in 1825 to today's AI-driven predictive maintenance, the rail industry has continuously evolved. Now, as we enter Network Rail's Control Period 7 (CP7), the focus is on modernisation, sustainability, and operational efficiency. To find out more about the East Midlands route,
We're passionate about great service and commit to our service equation vision by "Putting Passengers First". Performance, safety and getting the fundamental basics right is something we strive for, as well as asking ourselves - what can we do to put our passengers and freight users at the centre of everything we do?
Are you ready to make a difference in people's lives? At Network Rail, we connect passengers and freight customers, ensuring safe and efficient transportation across the country. We're an organisation where people truly matter, and when you join us, you matter to us and millions of others. to watch our inspiring video to learn more about us!
We're committed to creating a diverse, inclusive workplace that reflects the communities we serve. To discover more about our ED&I commitments We value flexibility and understand the importance of a healthy work-life balance. As a Disability Confident Leader, we'll do everything we can to accommodate any needs throughout the recruitment process. You can visit for advice on accessibility support.
As a Network Rail employee, you will enjoy a wide range of benefits!
28 days annual leave - with the opportunity to buy and/or sell up to 5 days
Access to a range of contributory pension schemes and the potential to top up your competitive salary with a bonus
A subsidy of up to 75% on rail and underground season tickets if you travel to work on the train
Privileged staff travel - Leisure travel discount of 75%
We can offer you a season ticket loan; annual season tickets are discounted.
A 35-hour-per-week contract with flexible working options available to help support your work-life balance
Hybrid working and enhanced family-friendly support
Take advantage of childcare vouchers, healthcare offers (including discounted healthcare club membership), discounted cycle hire, and online shopping sites
5 days of paid volunteering leave
2 weeks paid reserve leave for the Armed Forces community
Discover more at
Brief Description
About the role
Water management plays a critical role in the management of flooding risk, and the impact to associated disciplines such as earthworks and track. Effective management of water is vital in our mission to provide a safe reliable railway without disruption to our customers. With extreme weather events becoming more frequent due to climate change this is an ongoing challenge.
We have a rare opening in our East Midlands team for a Senior Asset Engineer (Drainage), who will lead this for the East Midlands Route, getting up close and personal with our drainage assets and our key stakeholders including our maintenance teams. We're based in Derby, but you could be on-site from London to Chesterfield or Stoke to Skegness!
Who are we looking for?
You'll come with a strong civil engineering or drainage background, but we will provide support and training to enable you to grow and face the challenges of this exciting role.
If you care about water management, are passionate about good engineering, like the great outdoors, have a logical mindset, able to manage and interpret data to inform decision making, and are a great communicator this could be the job for you. Let's talk!
About the role (External)
What will you be doing?
Take charge of our drainage assets from start to finish, ensuring safety, performance, and risk management. You'll create asset management plans and strategies, evaluate assets, and produce essential documentation with the support of Asset Engineers.
Dive into drainage data to spot trends and guide investment priorities. Keep meticulous records and update asset data post-work to ensure accurate inspection and maintenance decisions.
You'll ensure compliance with our drainage asset management processes, including audits, inspections, renewals, and monitoring systems. Participate in incident investigations and create post-incident review materials.
Provide engineering support to the drainage community through briefings, standards input, and technical variations. Collaborate with the community relations team to resolve drainage issues diplomatically. Work with other asset management teams to optimize engineering activities and tackle critical technical problems.
In order to be successful in this role, we would like you:
To be an Incorporated Engineer or demonstrate equivalent experience & knowledge
Hold a degree in a relevant subject (Civil/Structural Engineering or Water Management) or be able to demonstrate comparable experience and competence.
To have or be willing to work towards membership of a relevant professional institution such as the ICE, PWI, IES, CIEEM.
To have substantial Drainage and/or Civil Engineering experience, particularly related to the asset management of drainage of other Civil Engineering assets.
To have knowledge of the policies and standards relating to drainage engineering.
To be able to work with, and interpret different sets of data to make balanced risk based engineering decisions
To hold a valid UK driving licence.
To be comfortable with physical activity, such as walking on uneven ground or steep slopes.
We would also like but it isn't crucial to;
Be a Chartered Engineer
Have an understanding of safety management systems and risk assessment techniques.
How to apply (External)
Salary: Band 3C 55,596 - 63,797 depending on experience.
Closing date: 26th June 2025. Please get your application in as soon as possible, we may close the advert before the listed closing date if we receive enough applications. Late applications may not be accepted.
We're dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that reflects the passengers we serve. To achieve this, we're committed to becoming an open, diverse, and inclusive workplace, leveraging the skills and expertise of our talented workforce. Together, we strive to create a safe and accessible railway for everyone. We pride ourselves on creating safe and welcoming workplaces with fair cultures that encourage innovative and fresh ways of thinking. Discover more about the importance of Diversity and Inclusion at Network Rail by .
What does our recruitment process look like?
Once you have applied, our Recruitment Specialist & the hiring manager will look at your CV.
If your experience matches what we're looking for, you'll be contacted by our Resourcing Team and invited to an interview.
We're a employer and we'll try our best to adapt the process and offer a reasonable alternative to help support people with disabilities access, apply and interview for roles.
You can visit for advice on accessibility support if you're unsure of the options available. Should you require any reasonable adjustments/modifications, please add a note to your application.
To apply for this role, click 'apply now.
Drugs and Alcohol Standard:
All prospective candidates offered a prospective role will be required to undergo and pass a drugs and alcohol test. Your application will be rescinded if you record a positive test. All positive drug and alcohol test results for prospective candidates will be securely held on the database, and a 5-year suspension from applying for a safety critical role, a role which requires PTS certification or a Key Safety role on Network Rail Managed Infrastructure, will be enforced.
All offers of employment are conditional upon satisfactory completion of pre-employment checks.

Network Rail