Associate Director - Human Factors Engineering

Key Responsibilities:

- Lead the planning, execution, and integration of Human Factors activities across the full system lifecycle, from concept through to operation and maintenance.

- Establish HF design philosophies and strategies aligned with project and regulatory requirements.

- Act as technical lead on key rail and infrastructure projects, ensuring alignment with HF integration strategies and applicable standards (e.g., EN 50126, ISO 9241, RIS-7100, RSSB guidance).

- Experience producing Human Factors Integration Plans, Human Factors Issue Logs and Human Factors Assessment Report and experience of conducting assessments such as Hierarchal Task Analysis.

- Execute HF design development activities, including design reviews, mock-ups, simulators, and structured user feedback studies.

- Lead certification planning and develop compliance strategies for HF-related system elements.

- Provide expert input into RAMS (Reliability, Availability, Maintainability, and Safety) assurance activities.

- Translate regulatory and system requirements into clear, verifiable HF design and usability criteria.

- Conduct and review task analyses, HMI design assessments, usability testing, cognitive workload studies, and error management strategies.

- Develop, review, and approve certification-related documentation (e.g., Issue Papers, Equivalent Levels of Safety, Test Plans, Design Reports).

- Oversee planning and execution of HF-related test campaigns, including fabrication, witnessing, and compliance evidence.

- Interface with certification bodies and regulatory stakeholders to demonstrate compliance and resolve design queries.

- Drive human-centred design within multidisciplinary teams, ensuring HF is embedded in technical decisions and design trade-offs.

Project and Team Management:

- Contribute to project proposals, technical scoping, and estimation of HF effort and cost.

- Ensure timely and high-quality delivery of HF work packages, aligned with programme constraints and project milestones.

- Review and sign off technical documentation, HF reports, and deliverables to ensure accuracy and compliance.

- Mentor junior engineers and support performance development through project delivery and structured feedback.

Industry Engagement & Knowledge Development:

- Maintain strong working knowledge of UK and international Human Factors and rail standards, including regulatory frameworks such as CSM-RA and ORR.

- Represent AECOM in client meetings, industry working groups, and technical committees.

- Support the development and continuous improvement of HF methodologies, tools, and guidance within AECOM.

- Identify innovation opportunities and contribute to thought leadership, technical training, and capability building across the Human Factors discipline.

Qualifications:

- Masters degree (MSc) in Human Factors, Ergonomics, or a closely related discipline.

- A minimum of 10-15 years professional experience in Human Factors, including at least 5 years in the rail or other regulated, safety-critical environments.

- Significant experience applying Human Factors principles to UK and international rail programmes, with expert understanding of relevant standards (e.g., EN 50126, RIS-7100, RSSB guidance).

- Proven technical leadership in the delivery of HF activities, including HMI design, task and workload analysis, error management, human-system integration, and user-centred design.

- Strong capability in interpreting and developing engineering specifications and HF compliance documentation.

- Experience supporting RAMS, safety cases, and certification processes.

- Highly effective communication skills (written and verbal), with the ability to engage technical and non-technical stakeholders, present to clients, and influence outcomes across disciplines.

- Proficiency in English.

- Proficiency in Microsoft Office and HF-related tools.

Preferred Qualifications:

- Holds or working towards Chartered status or equivalent.

- Experience in regulatory or consultancy environments (e.g., ORR, RSSB, RAIB).

- Familiarity with ERTMS, CBTC, GSM-R, or modern signalling/control system environments.

- UK Rail experience.

- Involvement in industry standards groups or technical committees.

Additional Information:

At AECOM, you will have freedom to grow in a world of opportunity.

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