Railway RAM Lead

Mission

The Railway RAM (Reliability, Availability, Maintainability) Lead Engineer is responsible for leading and managing all RAM activities on a railway design & build project. This role ensures that the railway system meets performance, safety, and lifecycle requirements while complying with contractual, client, and regulatory obligations. The position covers RAM analysis, system integration, and assurance across multidisciplinary design, construction, testing, and commissioning.
The RAM Lead will join the Safety Assurance Team and collaborate with the Safety Assurance Manager in the frame of the assigned railway system design and build project. 

Key Accountabilities

RAM Management & Planning
•    Develop and implement the project RAMS strategy, plans, and methodologies in line with EN 50126/8/9 and IEC 61508 standards.
•    Define RAM requirements in coordination with the client, design teams, and contractors.
•    Manage RAM activities throughout the project lifecycle, ensuring alignment with Safety and Quality management systems.
Reliability & Availability Engineering
•    Define and monitor reliability and availability targets for subsystems (signaling, telecoms, rolling stock, power, track, civil works, depots).
•    Perform Failure Mode, Effects, and Criticality Analysis (FMECA), Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), and Reliability Block Diagrams (RBD).
•    Conduct reliability predictions, failure rate analysis, and availability simulations to verify compliance with targets.
Maintainability Engineering
•    Conduct maintainability analysis and maintenance task evaluations to ensure safe, cost-effective operations.
•    Review system designs for ease of inspection, repair, and replacement.
•    Define preventive and corrective maintenance requirements, tools, and spare parts strategies.
Safety & System Integration
•    Work with the Safety Lead Engineer to ensure integration of RAMS into system design and assurance.
•    Support hazard identification (HAZID) and hazard analysis activities.
•    Contribute to Safety Cases and ensure ALARP (As Low As Reasonably Practicable) risk levels are achieved.
Testing, Commissioning & Validation
•    Define RAM demonstration and validation requirements during testing and commissioning.
•    Ensure system performance (RAM targets) is verified through test data, reliability growth programs, and field trials.
•    Support integration of subsystems into the complete railway system, ensuring compliance with RAM objectives.
Documentation & Reporting
•    Develop and maintain RAMS deliverables, including:
   o    RAM Plan
   o    Reliability and Availability Predictions
   o    Maintainability Analysis Reports
   o    Failure Reporting, Analysis, and Corrective Action System (FRACAS) records
   o    RAM Demonstration Reports
•    Prepare RAMS performance reports and present findings to project leadership, clients, and regulatory bodies.
Leadership & Coordination
•    Lead the RAM engineering team and coordinate RAM activities with design, construction, and operations teams.
•    Mentor junior engineers and promote a culture of system reliability and continuous improvement.

Education

Qualifications

•    At least 8 years’ experience in RAMS engineering within rail, transportation, or other safety-critical industries.
•    Strong knowledge of railway systems engineering, integration, and assurance processes.
•    Demonstrated expertise in EN 50126/8/9, IEC 61508, ISO 31000, and other RAMS standards.
•    Proven track record of delivering RAMS programs on major rail infrastructure or rolling stock projects.
•    Experience working in design & build contracts with multi-disciplinary project teams.
•    Strong technical expertise in RAM analysis and tools.
•    Skilled in reliability modelling, simulation, and statistical analysis.
•    Excellent problem-solving and analytical thinking skills.
•    Strong leadership and ability to coordinate multi-disciplinary teams.
•    Effective communicator, with confidence in reporting to clients, contractors, and regulators.
•    Ability to balance engineering detail with project-level risk and assurance priorities.

Competencies