Principal Rail Engineer

Tauranga, Wellington, or Auckland

As our Principal Rail Engineer, you'll be the technical authority driving excellence across major rail projects. You'll shape strategy, deliver innovative solutions, and ensure safety and technical excellence throughout the project lifecycle. Your leadership will anchor our rail capability, strengthen client relationships, and continue Vitruvius' position as a market leader.

• Champion technical excellence and innovation in rail engineering, lifting quality, consistency, and client confidence.
• Lead multi-disciplinary project delivery and asset management best practices, ensuring seamless outcomes across teams.
• Drive sector growth and help set the strategic direction for our rail business, supporting sustainable expansion and a stronger market presence.
• Foster a culture of safety, continual improvement, and collaboration, improving performance and reducing risk.
• Empower teams and mentor emerging talent, building a sustainable pipeline of rail expertise.

As Principal Rail Engineer at Vitruvius, you will be the primary technical authority for our rail projects, providing trusted advice and strengthening relationships with clients, industry partners, and external organisations. You'll lead the technical delivery of track engineering, design standards compliance, and the integration of signalling, OHLE, civil, and structural disciplines. Overseeing multiple and diverse rail projects, you'll ensure best practices in design, planning, and asset management are consistently applied. Your responsibilities will include setting performance targets, monitoring risk and compliance, and ensuring the quality of technical submissions and contract administration. In addition, you'll act as Project Leader for nominated projects and play a key role in coaching and mentoring developing employees to achieve wider business goals and embody Vitruvius' values.

Essential Experience:

• Minimum 15 years' experience as a rail technical professional, with expertise in track engineering and leading multidisciplinary rail projects.
• Proven experience in stakeholder and relationship management, and a track record of technical excellence and high-level project delivery.
• NZ Chartered Professional Engineer (or equivalent) and a relevant Bachelor's degree.
• Exceptional problem-solving skills and the ability to communicate complex information clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.
• A commitment to Vitruvius' values: connection, bravery, continual improvement, diversity, and adventure.

Desirable:

• Rail asset management experience, management consultancy background, and experience on major projects ($50M+ CAPEX).
• ISO 19650, PRINCE2, or PMP certification.
• New Zealand industry experience.

• Professional development – conference attendance and leadership trainings
• Potential shareholding – own a piece of what you build
• Work-life balance – we actually mean it
• Flexible working – hybrid arrangements available
• Diverse, collaborative team – small enough that your voice matters

Vitruvius is dedicated to creating an environment that encourages Limitless Ambition to thrive. We value your individual skills and expertise that every team member brings to Vitruvius, and we encourage staff to innovate and collaborate so we can produce our best work as a team and as individuals. We operate in an environment where people want to engage with clients and one another – a place that promotes, empowers, and willingly blurs the line between work and adventure.

Join us to make a lasting impact – help Vitruvius deliver high-quality, safe, and sustainable rail solutions that set industry standards.