Chief Technician - #1669040

Join us on the Journey...

National Express are recruiting an experienced Chief Technician, UK Coach to join our team. Based at our Head Office in Digbeth, the successful candidate will lead the UK Coach Technical and Compliance functions, focusing on the safety, reliability, and compliance of both internal and partner operators' fleets. Build and maintain strong relationships with key external stakeholders and suppliers to maximise value and efficiency. This is a mobile role, requiring the candidate to foster strong working relationships with engineering teams across the network to ensure the highest maintenance and repair standards are consistently met in line with company policies and procedures. The purpose of this role is to ensure the safe, cost-effective and compliant operation of our fleet while having a constant focus on driving continuous improvement across the National Express network.

What you'll do:

• Manage OEM and supplier relationships, ensuring they deliver the highest levels of service and resolve any issues effectively
• Provide oversight across internal depots, coordinating engineering functions to uphold high standards in servicing, repairs, and vehicle presentation
• Manage the UK Coach compliance team and ensure all engineering audits are fair, consistent and effective at driving improvement across our network. Work with the compliance team to ensure risks are managed across the fleet and action plans are delivered within appropriate timescales
• Design and own cost-effective, reliability-driven vehicle maintenance schedules for our owned operator fleets, leveraging maintenance data to drive continuous improvement
• Collaborate with partner operators' engineering teams to foster strong working partnerships across the network that ensure best practice is shared. Create an effective engineering forum that allows us to learn from the collective expertise and provide a database for common vehicle issues
• Support depot engineering teams by identifying deficiencies and implementing targeted action plans to enhance engineering standards and service delivery
• Drive best practices across engineering functions in alignment with the overall Engineering strategy, ensuring continuous improvements in fleet presentation, productivity, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness
• Stay up to date with all regulatory updates from the DVSA and OEMs, ensuring full compliance across the network and any OEM Service Bulletins are actioned
• Contribute to the strategic direction of the business by developing well-researched, cost-effective engineering solutions to operational challenges
• Lead the development of new vehicle specifications that meet safety, environmental, and customer requirements
• Collaborate closely with engineering teams across the Network to ensure that vehicle specifications are developed in line with legislative and operational requirements
• Oversee auditing standards, setting audit schedules, ensuring audits are conducted effectively, and reporting findings to appropriate stakeholders while maintaining transparency and integrity
• Ensure thorough investigations are conducted for serious vehicle incidents, identifying root causes, implementing corrective actions, and mitigating risks across the network
• Hold regular team meetings to foster a unified, adaptable, and high-performing engineering function

What you'll need:

• Excellent understanding and experience of the road passenger transport sector with particular emphasis on the Engineering function, including all relevant legal and external regulations and requirements
• Appreciation of the needs of the Operational function and the ability to identify areas for improvement within Engineering and then formulate/implement effective action plans
• Flexible approach to working hours – able to work out-of-hours for meetings or operational requirements
• CPC Holder (National Certificate of Professional Competence for Bus and Coach Operations)
• Ability to manage teams to achieve high standards of performance in a unionised environment
• Excellent working knowledge of all daily garage Engineering procedures, including all current processes and procedures, health and safety regulations, legal obligations

What we offer in return for your hard work and commitment...

• Free Bus & Coach travel for yourself on the National Express network
• Complimentary coach travel for a Nominated Person or complimentary bus travel for a Spouse or Partner on the National Express network
• Life Assurance
• Company pension
• Employee Assistance programme
• Private online GP service

National Express is committed to creating an inclusive workplace that reflects the diverse communities we serve and we positively encourage applications from all sectors of the community.

We are a Disability Confident Committed employer and should you require any adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process please let us know.

We reserve the right to close this advert early if we receive a high volume of applications before the advertised closed date.