Overview

Role: Senior or Principal Safety Consultant (Safety Assurance & Certification - Civils) - Rail & Transit

Location: London, Bristol, Derby - Hybrid

Role ID: 2025-2932

Ricardo plc is a global strategic, environmental, and engineering consulting company. With over 100 years of engineering excellence and employing close to 3,000 employees in more than 20 countries, we provide expertise in delivering cross-sector sustainable products and solutions to solve complex challenges and contribute to a safe and sustainable world.

The Role

We are looking for a Senior or Principal Safety Consultant to lead safety engineering and assurance services for rail engineering projects. The role involves mentoring junior consultants, leading safety assurance activities, and contributing to project quality and safety protocols. Applicants with varying levels of experience in the listed capabilities are encouraged to apply.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead complex rail safety engineering and assurance services to engineering projects, applying methods and tools aligned with EN50126, EN50129, IEC 61508, CSM-RA and/or the Railways Interoperability Regulations (RIR).
• Lead certification and authorisation projects, such as new railway stations, through assessment of NTSNs, Infrastructure and PRM, and National Technical Rules (NTRs) such as GIRT7020 and GIRT7073.
• Lead the bidding, winning, and delivery of complex projects, collaborating with clients to understand objectives and outcomes.
• Contribute to safety assurance management, safety approvals, and CSM work for major infrastructure projects (e.g., National Train Control Centre in Dublin, Crewe Hub remodelling, East Coast Mainline).
• Provide support to contractors in completing CSM and approvals for station and civils works.
• Work on global projects (Australia, US, Canada, Asia, Middle East) and contribute from the UK without mandatory travel.
• Demonstrate flexibility by managing multiple activities and balancing workload across projects and customers.
• Lead interactive client and stakeholder workshops.

Key Competencies And Experience

• Experience delivering safety engineering and assurance services to rail projects, using standards such as CSM-RA and RIR.
• Background in risk management, systems engineering, safety engineering and/or interoperability.
• Ideally a civil engineering background.
• Prior experience in major rail infrastructure projects, especially in the UK or consultancy sector.
• Experience with railway stations projects, track and civils works, gauging and structures assessments.
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple activities and prioritise workload.
• Support business development through proposals, client relationships, and stakeholder engagement.
• Strong communication skills and teamwork.
• If you have cyber security experience, this is of interest but not required.

Working Here

You will be welcomed into a diverse, inclusive culture that values every voice. We support you to find your place and encourage you to apply your passion and expertise to make a positive impact across projects globally.

Work life balance

Flexible approaches to work are available, including home, office, or hybrid arrangements. Wellbeing is central to our culture.

Benefits

Core benefits include 25 days annual leave, 8 flexible bank holidays, a competitive pension, life assurance, and professional subscriptions reimbursement, plus a range of flexible benefits.

Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer with a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion. We are recognised as a disability-confident employer. Further details are available in our EDI policy.

Next steps

Once you have submitted your application, a member of our Recruitment Team will be in touch. Timing may vary based on application volume. If you require adjustments during the recruitment process, please contact the recruitment team at recruit@ricardo.com.