Lead OCS Engineer | High Speed Two

High Speed Two Ltd | Chief Engineer's Group

Reporting to:   Head of OCS

Location:          London or Birmingham (hybrid)

Salary               100,000 – 110,000 + 12% pen + health

Next step          Head of OCS (£130 - £140)

Longterm          10 year + programme length

Lead OCS Engineering on HS2's High Speed Railway

Are you an experienced Overhead Catenary System (OCS) or Overhead Line Equipment (OLE) engineer with high-speed rail experience and a strong understanding of interoperability?

Can you provide senior technical leadership, challenge contractor designs and ensure that engineering solutions meet the requirements of a complex high-speed railway?

High Speed Two Ltd is looking for a Lead OCS Engineer to work directly for HS2, providing technical and professional leadership across the overhead catenary system.

Reporting to the Head of OCS, you will lead OCS engineering assurance across design and delivery, provide specialist advice across the programme and help resolve complex technical and integration issues. You will also deputise for the Head of OCS when required, providing continuity of technical leadership and supporting key engineering decisions.

The Opportunity

This is not simply a design production or discipline management role. You will apply your knowledge of high speed rail standards and interoperability to assess contractor solutions, challenge proposals where requirements are not met and ensure the OCS design and installation are technically compliant.

You will work closely with contractors, designers and other engineering disciplines, managing interfaces between OCS, track, civil engineering and wider railway systems. This includes understanding the interaction between the pantograph and contact wire and ensuring that interoperability requirements are properly addressed.

You will also contribute to technical governance, peer reviews, engineering risk management and the development of consistent engineering practices across the programme.

What You Will Do

• Provide technical leadership across OCS engineering, reporting to the Head of OCS and deputising when required.
• Review and assure contractor designs, technical submissions and installation proposals against HS2 requirements, applicable standards and specifications.
• Interpret and apply high speed rail OCS standards, including BS EN 50119 and relevant interoperability requirements.
• Challenge technical solutions where compliance or performance requirements are not met, ensuring issues are resolved through the appropriate governance processes.
• Manage technical interfaces between OCS, track, civil engineering and other railway systems.
• Provide specialist technical advice to HS2 colleagues, contractors, designers and external stakeholders.
• Support technical governance, peer reviews, assurance reviews and resolution of complex engineering issues.
• Contribute to technical risk management, value engineering and opportunities to improve consistency, efficiency and whole life performance.
• Work collaboratively across engineering disciplines to support successful systems integration throughout design, construction and delivery.

About You

We are looking for an experienced OCS or OLE engineer with the technical depth, judgement and professional credibility to operate at Lead Engineer level and deputise for the Head of OCS.

High speed rail experience is essential. You will understand how high speed railway requirements and interoperability standards differ from those typically applied to the conventional UK network.

Your experience could come from HS2, HS1 or an international high speed rail programme. Experience from France, Spain, Germany, Italy or other relevant international markets would be valuable.

You will understand not only how an OCS solution is designed, but why it has been designed that way, which requirements govern it and how compliance should be demonstrated.