Head of Design and Structural Engineering

Head of Design and Structural Engineering: Opportunity Brief

Ford & Stanley Executive Search (Part of the Ford & Stanley Group) are specialists in Executive Interim and Permanent appointments to the UK & North American Rail, General Manufacturing, Envirotech & Digital Industries.

We have been exclusively entrusted and appointed by Gemini Rail Services on a retained search for a Head of Design & Structural Engineering.

Below you will find an opportunity brief developed from notes taken during the scoping meeting (Situational Discovery) held between the F&S Search Director, Research Manager and The Gemini Rail Services Leadership Team. This brief is designed to give candidates deeper insight into the opportunity inherent within the role, the challenges the role presents and provide access to the detail that sits behind the job specification.

Client Opportunity Statement:

We are underway with a major project that has all the potential to be a game changer This appointment will play a pivotal role in its success. Spearheading our ambition to secure ISO 15805 accreditation, building a project delivery team and cutting our re–work down by half are just some of the challenges this role presents

About Gemini Rail Services

Wolverton Works

• Site covering more than 650,(Apply online only)ft2
• 84 internal vehicle positions with added external stabling capacity
• Site comprises of assembly areas, lifting shop, incident repair, paint prep and paint booths
• Highly skilled and experienced team to complete all manner of works, including vehicle building, welding, mechanical engineering and testing
• Easy access for all rolling stock via West Coast Mainline

Capabilities:

• Decarbonisation of Fleets / Alternative Propulsion
• Rolling Stock Maintenance & Overhaul
• Rolling Stock Incident Repair
• Rolling Stock Managed Installations
• Rolling Stock Modernisation
• Components & Spares
• Design & Engineering

Our Vision

Delivering innovative solutions to enable better journeys.

Our Mission

Building on our experience to become the preferred provider of innovative rolling stock upgrades for the UK rail market.

Our People

We are proud to bring together a unique team that has a wealth of experience in rail and other diverse industries. This team are dedicated to growing and diversifying Gemini Rail Services through flexibility, partnership, collaboration with a forward–thinking can–do approach. Our team currently brings together more than 300 people across the UK, from Engineering, Project Management, Technical and business support functions, and we believe that everyone in that team has a vital role in our future.

Our History

We bring together many years experience in a Rail Market that is evolving at an ever increasing pace. This earned trust makes us the partner of choice to provide innovative and competitive life cycle solutions to our customers throughout the Rail industry, and makes us a vital part of their success.

Our Approach

Safety and quality are essential requirements for every project Gemini Rail Services undertake. Our facilities and processes meet the most exacting safety standards and deliver assured quality in everything we do. We have a strong ethos and are committed to doing business in an ethical and collaborative way – both internally with staff and suppliers, and externally with customers and the community.

The Future

Gemini Rail Services is at the forefront of developing products and solutions that will have a positive impact and enable a more sustainable railway. GemEco is leading the way to develop new and hybrid technologies on existing rolling stock, and will put Gemini on the map as the leading company for existing rail vehicle hybrid conversions.

Candidate Essentials:

• Candidates will be experienced in working within a structural engineering in a safety–critical industry. Ideally, this would be Rail but we are open to candidates from transferable industries such as OEM or Overhaul Defence, Aerospace. Automotive of Off–Highway.
• Excellent leadership and management experience with a strong personality. Have proven examples of implementing change both operational and culturally. Ability to empower and lead a team on the journey from good to great.
• Experience using / Implementing MRP systems, ideally SAP or PML would be advantageous.
• Ideal but not essential to have some design software experience such as solidworks, solidedge, CATIA or similar.
• Proven experience in managing systems and processes
• An engaging, clear and concise communicator at all levels who gets things done and with ability to find solutions to problems.
• Qualified highly likely to be degree educated in some form of engineering discipline.
• Good sense of humour
• Ability to become, in process of or already secured chartered engineer status.
• Proven background in continuous improvement.
• As this is a leadership role it is expected to have a site presence at least 3 days per week. Ideally 4. With that in mind it is likely the successful candidate will live within 1.5 hour commutable distance from Wolverton, Milton Keynes.

Good to know:

• The role reports to the Chief Engineer and has 8 direct reports and Currently 40 indirect reports (due to the success of the business and pipeline of projects going live this will likely rise to 70–100).
• You will be responsible for the attraction, development and retention of the team.
• Opportunity to play a pivotal role in its defining and development of the role, looking for a candidate who will challenge the status quo.
• The Group has big plans for the Wolverton operation and is currently 85% of the way in getting ISO 15805 accreditation which will be key in securing larger opportunities.
• The role has become vacant due to the current incumbent deciding to move industries
• There is a new CEO in place appointed in 2023 that has bought a fresh energy, swifter decision making and budget to invest.
• The biggest challenges the role represents are in relation to rework, due to process and precursors not being up to scratch there has been a number of preventable reworks. You will be working alongside the quality department to reduce this.
• There is a lot happening at any one time, circumstances can change quickly sometimes hourly and one of the challenges in this role is the ability to spin several plates at once.
• There will be a 2 stage interview process, remote 1st stage with the Chief Engineer, Head of Rolling Stock Engineering and HR (4 candidates) and face–to–face for the final stage (2 candidates) which will include a site tour, presentation and formal interview. Interview dates are already pre–booked for Mid/late April and the Start of May respectively.
• We have an organisational chart and role profile available for candidates to review upon request.
• This role averages 40 hours per week 8am–4pm Monday to Thursday and a nice early finish of 8–1pm on Fridays.

Budget:

• Base Salary Banding: Low of GBP70k, Mid of GBP75k and top end of GBP78k (May move up to GBP80k for exceptional candidates anyone with expectations of a base salary above GBP80k will not be considered)
• Annual Salary Reviews
• Car Allowance of GBP6k
• Bonus up to 20%
• Private Healthcare option
• 25 days Holiday + 8 Statutory
• 5% Pension matched contributions
• Life Assurance

Likely Job Titles:

Engineering Manager, Head of Engineering, Design Manager, Head of Design, Head of Structural Engineering, Structural Engineer

Executive Search Delivery Team:

• Lavina Munteanu Executive Assistant (Coordination & Diary Management)
• Oliver Nunn Research Manager (1st Line Enquiries, Proactive Search, Longlisting, Market Intel, Advert Response Management, Headhunting)
• Daniel Taylor Search Director (Shortlisting, Recommendations, Client Advisory)

About Ford & Stanley Executive Search:

At Ford & Stanley Executive Search we go beyond a recruiting transaction with our core mission being that of every interaction we have with clients and candidates is best in class. We are select in the opportunities we represent, as such, work under strict exclusivity or retained agreements with forward thinking and proactive Rail companies that place their trust in our ability to deliver a winning shortlist at the first time of asking.

Our Search Directors (who are themselves members of the F&S Group Board) and in–house research team invest time at the front end of process with our client s leadership team or stakeholders to consult, understand the opportunity inherent within the role, business need, map and agree timescales with supporting delivery plan well in advance of conducting the search.

All candidates both active and passive (head–hunted) can expect full and professional engagement from the Executive Search team in addition a timely, thorough and engaging recruitment process from a committed employer that seeks to secure cream of the crop from a busy and noisy Global Rail candidate market.

Ford & Stanley Group Ltd is committed to a policy of equal opportunities for all opportunity seekers and approach all opportunity with a mindset of who is right for the job irrespective sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, age, disability, colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin . click apply for full job details