Senior Engineer - DC Traction Motors
Location: NottinghamSalary: £60,000 per annum + annual bonus + private medical insurance
Overview
We are looking for an experienced Senior Engineer / Technical Focal Point to take full technical ownership of DC Traction Motors. This is a key senior role for a subject matter expert who can combine deep electrical and mechanical knowledge with hands-on operational leadership.
You will act as the definitive technical authority for traction motor overhaul, repair, and performance optimisation-supporting the shop floor, leading complex investigations, and working directly with customers to ensure engineering excellence from strip-down to final test.
Key Responsibilities
Technical Leadership & Engineering
- Serve as the technical authority for all DC traction motor activities, providing expert guidance across electrical windings, mechanical tolerances, and motor performance issues.
- Lead root cause analysis (RCA) investigations into motor failures using vibration analysis, thermography, and electrical test data, producing clear technical reports and preventative actions.
- Ensure all repairs and overhauls comply with relevant international standards (IEEE, IEC) and railway industry requirements.
- Define and refine technical work scopes, ensuring machining, insulation systems, and rebuild methods meet or exceed OEM specifications.
Project & Operational Management
- Manage the technical lifecycle of motor overhaul projects-from strip and survey through to final testing and delivery.
- Act as the main technical interface between engineering, production, procurement, and customers to resolve technical queries, deviations, and material substitutions.
- Drive continuous improvement, identifying process bottlenecks and implementing Lean engineering practices to improve turnaround times without compromising quality.
Required Skills Experience
Technical Expertise
- Electrical: Strong background in DC motor theory, including commutation, brush gear optimisation, armature windings, and high-pot / surge testing.
- Mechanical: Proven experience with bearing arrangements, shaft recovery, housing repairs, and precision fits and tolerances.
- Diagnostics: Confident interpreting electrical test results (Megger, PI, Step Voltage) and mechanical measurement data.
Professional Background
- Experience: Must have heavy industrial or rail environment focused on large DC rotating machines.
- Qualifications: Degree in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering (desirable not essential), or equivalent senior trade certification backed by significant hands-on experience.
- Project Exposure: Experience managing technical projects, including planning, stakeholder communication, and cost awareness.
Personal Attributes
- Strong analytical mindset, able to translate complex technical data into practical shop-floor solutions.
- Clear and confident communicator, capable of engaging both technical teams and non-technical clients.
- Decisive and resilient, comfortable making critical engineering decisions under operational pressure.