Senior Project Engineer

Senior Project Engineer | H2 | Old Oak Common Outside Infastructure Works

High Speed Two Ltd | Client Integrated Project Team

Salary:               £80,000 - £88,000 + 12% pension + health + 25 days holiday

Location:          Old Oak Common, West London | Hybrid working, typically 3 days on site and 2 days from home

Reporting to:   Head of Engineering and Environment

Project:             £1.67bn Old Oak Common Station

Career Progression:    Track to Engineering Manager, £95,000 to £100,000 + package

Deliver Complex Urban Infrastructure at the Heart of HS2

Are you a Senior Project Engineer with experience delivering complex highway alignments, infrastructure within a busy urban environment?

High Speed Two Ltd is looking for a Senior Project Engineer to join the client-side Integrated Project Team overseeing the highways, bridges and utilities package at Old Oak Common Station.

This is a high-profile engineering role on one of the UK's most significant infrastructure projects, involving complex road alignments, major structures, utility diversions and interfaces with the operational railway.

A major milestone is the planned 12-day Christmas 2029 railway possession, when Paddington will close to allow critical bridge works to be undertaken. The engineering, planning and coordination required to deliver these works safely and successfully will be substantial, with the wider highways, bridges and utilities package continuing through to completion in 2032.

You will work directly for HS2 Ltd, alongside the BBVS joint venture of Balfour Beatty, Vinci and Systra, providing engineering leadership, challenging design and construction proposals, resolving problems and ensuring the works are delivered safely, efficiently and to the required standards.

This is a genuine project engineering position where technical judgement, constructability, problem solving and the ability to influence contractors will be central to your success.

The Project

Old Oak Common will be one of the UK's largest and best-connected new railway stations, bringing together HS2, National Rail and the Elizabeth line, with connections to the wider London transport network.

The £1.67bn station development requires a complex package of surrounding infrastructure to integrate the station into London's existing transport network.

The highways, bridges and utilities scope includes:

• Replacement and widening of two major bridges - underpasses
• An underpass bridge beneath a live main line (WCML) railway and a cut and cover underpass.
• A new road alignment and layout around Old Oak Common Lane within a constrained urban environment.
• Extensive utility diversions and associated infrastructure.
• Urban landscaping and associated external works.

The works involve complex construction sequencing, third-party interfaces and significant constraints around live railway operations. The 2029 possession is a particularly critical milestone, requiring designs, consents, temporary works, logistics and contingency arrangements to be coordinated well in advance.

The Role

Reporting to the Head of Engineering and Environment, you will provide engineering leadership within the HS2 client-side team, working closely with BBVS and its design and construction supply chain.

This is not simply an assurance or document review position. You will get involved in the engineering, understanding how designs will be built, challenging proposals where necessary and helping the project team resolve difficult technical and construction problems.

A particular focus is the development and delivery of complex highway alignments and road layouts within a busy urban environment, where traffic management, utilities, structures, construction sequencing and existing infrastructure create significant engineering challenges.

You will coordinate engineering interfaces, support technical assurance and approvals, drive buildability and value engineering, and help ensure that the works meet HS2's requirements while protecting safety, quality, cost and programme.

The role also offers a clear development route into Engineering Manager, with genuine opportunity to progress quickly to Engineering Manager level.

What You Will Do

• Provide engineering leadership and technical assurance across the highways, bridges and utilities package.
• Review and challenge contractor designs, road alignments, construction methodologies and temporary works to ensure they are safe, buildable and compliant with HS2 requirements.
• Lead engineering input into complex highway layouts and road alignment within a constrained urban environment.
• Support planning and readiness for the critical 12-day Christmas 2029 possession, coordinating designs, consents, logistics, temporary works and contingency arrangements.
• Manage technical interfaces between highways, structures, utilities, the operational railway and neighbouring infrastructure contracts.
• Drive value engineering and identify opportunities to improve construction methods, efficiency, cost and programme performance.
• Lead the resolution of complex engineering problems, working with designers, contractors and technical specialists to develop practical solutions.
• Provide risk-based technical assurance, support design approvals and help ensure compliance with CDM requirements and HS2 standards.
• Support NEC3 Supervisor and Principal Designer Representative responsibilities under the CDM Regulations 2015.
• Manage technical risks, assumptions, issues and changes, working with commercial colleagues on Early Warnings and Compensation Events where required.
• Engage with Network Rail, TfL, local authorities, statutory undertakers and other stakeholders to secure approvals, coordinate delivery and support successful handover.

About You

We are looking for an experienced civil engineering professional with a strong technical and delivery background in major infrastructure.

Experience in complex road alignment and highway design or delivery within a busy urban environment is particularly attractive and takes priority over bridge-specific experience alone.

You could come from a client, consultant or main contractor environment, provided you have the engineering judgement and practical experience to review designs, understand construction constraints and influence delivery teams.

You will be comfortable challenging technical proposals, managing interfaces and making sound engineering decisions where safety, cost, programme and constructability must all be considered.

Essential Experience

• Relevant Civil Engineering qualification, ideally Chartered or working towards chartership.
• Significant experience delivering or assuring major civil engineering works within infrastructure or complex construction projects.
• Experience reviewing designs and construction proposals and assessing their buildability.
• Experience managing contractors, designers and multidisciplinary engineering interfaces.
• Strong understanding of construction risk, technical assurance and CDM requirements.
• Working knowledge of NEC contracts and engineering change management.
• Experience coordinating complex works around operational infrastructure, live railway environments or other significant access and possession constraints.
• Strong stakeholder management skills and the confidence to challenge proposals and resolve difficult engineering issues.
• Practical experience of value engineering, constructability improvements or solving complex project problems.

Desirable Experience

• Complex road alignment projects or highways delivery in a busy urban environment, ideally involving significant utility and infrastructure interfaces.
• Experience on HS2, Crossrail, Thames Tideway or another major UK infrastructure programme.
• Experience of bridge replacement, bridge slides or jacked box techniques, cut and cover construction or major utility diversions.
• Familiarity with TfL, Network Rail, London borough highway approvals and traffic management requirements.
• Experience of NEC3 Supervisor or Principal Designer duties.