Professional Head – Railway Rolling Stock Fleet Maintenance (Locomotives & Wagons)

Position Overview

The Professional Head for Railway Rolling Stock Fleet Maintenance holds a strategic leadership role overseeing the engineering assurance and technical governance for the freight rolling stock fleet, including both locomotives and wagons. This position is responsible for shaping and managing maintenance approaches, engineering standards, and operational readiness plans that ensure maximum safety, availability, and reliability. It leads lifecycle engineering efforts to maintain safe and efficient freight operations throughout the fleet’s service life. The role acts as the authoritative technical figure for rolling stock, managing depot mobilization, fleet acceptance, maintenance program development, OEM collaboration, and delivering rolling stock assurance aligned with Operations Safety Case and regulatory requirements. Prior to commercial launch, the role emphasizes operational readiness in fleet maintenance as outlined in the Operational Readiness Plan.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the Technical Authority for locomotive and wagon fleet, implementing engineering standards, maintenance policies, and assurance frameworks.
• Authorize maintenance plans, engineering modifications, and fleet-related technical documents.
• Deliver rolling stock assurance and technical approvals for Operations Safety Case submission and regulator compliance.
• Create and oversee comprehensive whole-life maintenance strategies, including inspection regimes and overhaul planning to optimise fleet availability, reliability, and lifecycle performance.
• Coordinate depot operations, maintenance scheduling, materials procurement, spares management, and OEM technical support partnerships.
• Lead fleet acceptance procedures, warranty oversight, and drive reliability enhancements during testing, commissioning, and initial operations.
• Implement maintenance management systems, condition monitoring tools, and data-driven approaches for fleet optimisation.
• Establish and develop the fleet maintenance organisation through recruitment, competency building, and contractor management.
• Define clear roles, responsibilities, and authorisation protocols within the maintenance teams.
• Prepare depots with necessary tooling, plant equipment, and specialized resources for locomotive and wagon upkeep.
• Manage operational readiness initiatives related to fleet maintenance, including depot preparedness, fleet acceptance, and testing support per the Operational Readiness Plan.
• Coordinate training, testing, commissioning, trial runs, and resource mobilization prior to service entry.
• Ensure all systems and processes are fully operational, validated, and meet safety and performance standards pre-Entry into Service.
• Act as liaison for internal and external stakeholders on rolling stock engineering and maintenance matters.
• Facilitate smooth communication between teams, contractors, suppliers, and partners, ensuring deliverables meet expectations, contracts, and regulations.
• Identify and manage potential risks affecting readiness and ongoing operations, maintaining risk registers and reporting regularly to senior management.
• Conduct quality assurance audits, review lessons learned, and promote continuous improvement throughout maintenance activities.
• Lead and develop the fleet maintenance leadership team, encouraging accountability, collaboration, and professional growth.
• Ensure rigorous compliance with regulatory, safety, and environmental standards across rolling stock maintenance functions.
• Champion a safety-focused culture, supporting audits, inspections, and corrective action closures.

Candidate Profile

• Extensive senior leadership experience in locomotive and freight wagon engineering and maintenance within heavy haul, freight, or mixed-traffic rail operations.
• Recognized technical authority with expertise in fleet engineering, reliability enhancement, maintenance planning, and inspection systems.
• Accountability for fleet operational performance, availability, and reliability in challenging environments.
• Experience managing fleet acceptance processes, warranty obligations, and operational readiness for new rolling stock introductions.
• Proficiency with maintenance management systems, reliability engineering methodologies, and data analytics.
• Strong technical understanding of mechanical, electrical, and control systems related to diesel locomotives and freight wagons.
• Demonstrated leadership capabilities managing cross-functional teams in high-pressure settings, alongside excellent planning and organizational skills.
• Effective problem-solving, decision-making, and risk assessment skills.
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills in English with a proven ability to engage stakeholders and produce quality technical documentation.
• Analytical competence in evaluating complex operational and engineering challenges to develop practical, risk-conscious solutions.
• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Railway Engineering, or a related discipline; Master's degree preferred.
• Professional chartered status or equivalent internationally recognized accreditation is highly valued.
• Minimum 15 years progressive experience within the railway sector, including significant senior roles in locomotive and wagon maintenance and engineering.
• Demonstrated ability in establishing and growing fleet maintenance organizations for new or expanding rail services.

Additional Requirements

• Expertise across locomotive and wagon engineering disciplines.
• Strong strategic planning, project management, team leadership, and risk mitigation skills.
• Proficiency in stakeholder and communication management.
• Willingness to travel across UAE and Oman project sites as needed.
• Adeptness in managing tight deadlines and adapting to evolving operational environments.

Differentiators

• Experience leading new fleet introduction activities including acceptance, reliability growth, and warranty administration.
• Background in greenfield railway startups encompassing operational readiness, commissioning, and service entry.
• Regional experience delivering large-scale railway projects or operations within GCC or comparable international contexts with multicultural team leadership.