Mainline Fleet Engineer

Are you looking for a career where you can make a real difference in people's day? We are seeking a Mainline Fleet Engineer to join our team based from Ramsgate Maintenance Depot. In this role, you'll lead and drive reliability growth and engineering improvements across Southeastern rolling stock, including business-led improvements and customer-driven modifications. Using structured, systematic processes, you'll deliver cost-effective solutions that improve reliability, safety, and maintainability and overall improve fleet performance.

This role provides expert technical support, leads component and system upgrades, and collaborates effectively with internal teams and external partners. Strong communication and problem-solving are key to sustaining reliability growth and continuous improvement.

What you'll do:

• Lead technical expertise across all rolling stock, staying ahead of performance issues, reliability challenges, safety risks, and emerging trends while supporting engineers and stakeholders.
• Communicate reliability issues within depots and actively engage in reliability meetings to keep all stakeholders informed.
• Drive reliability growth initiatives using techniques such as RCM, FMECA, RAMS, or MSG3, ensuring alignment with business and customer needs.
• Plan and deliver projects by defining resource requirements, collaborating with Planning and Materials teams, and meeting agreed timescales.
• Investigate technical issues and produce reports with root cause analysis and recommendations, liaising with RoSCos, OEMs, and suppliers when needed.
• Develop engineering specifications and change documentation, supporting modification processes and ensuring compliance with standards.
• Maintain compliance and quality across fleets, including Engineering Acceptance Certification, configuration control, and adherence to the Engineering QMS.
• Provide incident response and leadership, including on-call FTO duties, formal investigations, and deputising for Fleet Managers when required.

The experience you'll need:

• Engineering background - 4+ years in T&RS engineering and a degree or HNC/HND in Engineering.
• Reliability analysis skills - Skilled in FMEA, RCM, RAMS or FRACAS to drive reliability growth.
• Rolling stock knowledge - Deep knowledge of systems, diagnostics, and maintenance structures.
• Project leader - Strong planning, prioritisation, and leadership skills.
• Tech confident - Proficient in MS Office and project tools.
• Standards focused - Knowledge of Railway Group Standards, ROGS, and safety compliance.
• Safety ready - Able to attain Personal Track Safety Certification.
• Organised & proactive - Logical thinker who takes ownership and delivers results.
• Collaborative - Works brilliantly with teams and stakeholders.

As proud members of the Armed Forces Covenant and Disability Confident Scheme, we will offer you an interview if you apply under these schemes and meet the minimum criteria for the role.

Other things to know:

• This vacancy may close early if we receive a large number of applications. So, make sure you get yours in early.
• All offers of employment are subject to satisfactory references, a right to work verification, a basic criminal record check, and a pre-employment medical assessment. Work visa sponsorship isn't available for this role.
• If you applied but weren't successful in getting a similar role at Southeastern, please wait six months before applying again.

What you'll get in return:

• A final salary pension
• 25 days annual leave allowance (plus bank holidays)
• Free rail travel across our networks.

Meaning you can feel secure in your career as well as fulfilled by your work.

A bit about Southeastern:

We're one of Britain's busiest train operators, serving London, Kent and parts of East Sussex. We run over 1,700 trains a day, carrying more than 500,000 passengers and serving 180 stations.

However, working on our railway is more than getting passengers from A to B. It's about all the little moments that make a difference to their journey. It's also about making our railway a great place to work. With a team that represents the communities we serve. This is a journey we're fully committed to and we're proud to have been named a Great Place to Work at the 2023 National Rail Awards and endorsed as a WORK180 Employer for Women.

Our ways of working are what we expect of everyone at Southeastern. They are powerful. Tiny moments, every day, from every one of us, add up to massive, positive change. Improving how it feels to work here and how it feels to travel with us.

At the heart of everything we do, our Safeguarding Team works to keep our customers, colleagues, and the public safe by improving safeguarding measures and knowledge making sure everyone gets home safe, every day.