Associate - Rail System Safety; Risk & Assurance

The Opportunity

Arup’s Safety Risk and Reliability team supports rail clients to understand, manage and reduce risk across complex socio‑technical systems. We provide system safety engineering, safety assurance, and quantitative and qualitative risk assessment across the full asset and project lifecycle.

As an Associate, Safety Risk & System Assurance – Rail, you will lead projects or significant self‑contained work packages, taking accountability for delivery, quality, and commercial performance, while providing tangible leadership to both the project team and the client.

You'll shape and deliver safety assurance across a diverse portfolio – from established, standards‑led rail programmes to new, novel and complex applications – applying a balanced blend of recognised standards compliance and first‑principles engineering judgement where guidance is evolving or incomplete.

You will operate as a trusted client partner, building senior relationships and aligning safety strategy with programme objectives, value, and outcomes, while also playing a key role in developing capability, coaching and mentoring others.

This role supports safety assurance across the full rail value chain, including:

• Train control and signalling systems, including conventional and digital railway applications such as ETCS / ERTMS, CBTC, interlockings, train protection and traffic management systems
• Rail infrastructure, including track, civil structures, stations, depots, power supply and associated fixed assets
• Railway communications systems, including safety‑related and operational communications (e.g., GSM‑R, FRMCS, data and control networks)
• Rolling stock, including vehicle integration, interfaces, modification and change
• Operations, maintenance and change, including operational concept development, degraded modes, asset management and system upgrades

While there will be a particular emphasis on system safety for train control and signalling systems, the successful candidate will be expected to lead and advise across interfaces, system‑of‑systems risk and lifecycle assurance.

Projects supported by this role vary in maturity, complexity and level of precedent. Some will involve well‑established technologies, operating models and regulatory expectations, while others will require careful interpretation of standards and the application of first‑principles engineering judgement where guidance is evolving or incomplete.

You will set the tone for the team: maintaining rigor in standards compliance while enabling innovation through proportionate, evidence‑led assurance and clear decision‑making under uncertainty.

A growing part of this role involves supporting clients as they introduce new or evolving technologies and respond to emerging strategic challenges, alongside more traditional rail programmes. These may include:

• Decarbonisation and sustainability, including alternative traction, energy systems and new asset strategies
• Digitalisation and data‑driven railway systems, including automation, AI‑enabled tools and advanced decision‑support systems‑driven railway systems‑enabled tools and advanced decision‑support systems
• Climate resilience and adaptation, including managing safety risks arising from extreme weather and long‑term climate change
• Novel operational concepts and system architectures, where existing safety frameworks may need to be interpreted or adapted

You will be expected to take a curious, analytical and open‑minded approach, applying first principles thinking where appropriate, while remaining grounded in established safety practice, regulatory expectations and practical delivery constraints.

As an Associate, you will be involved throughout the asset and system lifecycle, from strategic planning and feasibility through concept and detailed design, authorisation, operation, modification and maintenance.

• Lead the delivery of rail safety assurance and risk work on projects or major work packages, setting clear direction, outcomes, priorities and quality expectations.
• Own safety management activities including hazard identification and analysis, safety case / safety justification development, and…