Salary £45,312 - £54,660
Location Crewe / Carlisle / Motherwell
This is a permanent, full time vacancy that will close in a day at 23:59 BST.
The vacancy
Technical Materials Lead
Location: Crewe / Carlisle / Motherwell
Reporting to: Reliability and Continuous Improvement Engineer
About the role
We are looking for a Technical Materials Lead to play a critical role in ensuring the availability, reliability and optimisation of materials across our rail fleet. You will be responsible for maintaining accurate and standardised Bills of Materials (BOMs), managing critical spares, and supporting reliability improvements through data-driven insights.
Acting as a key interface between Engineering, Procurement and suppliers, you will ensure materials are sourced efficiently, comply with regulatory standards, and support safe and reliable rail operations. This role is central to improving maintenance performance, reducing downtime and enabling continuous improvement across the business.
What you’ll be doing
Ensuring availability of critical spares to support planned maintenance and reduce Mean Time to Repair (MTTR)
Owning the accuracy and completeness of Bills of Materials (BOMs) for rail vehicles, aligned to maintenance schedules and overhauls
Acting as the link between Engineering, Procurement and Material Handling teams to enable effective material sourcing
Building strong supplier relationships to mitigate supply chain risks and secure critical components
Monitoring reliability trends and analysing component performance to identify recurring issues
Supporting Root Cause Analysis (RCA) by sharing data on usage, lead times, and costs
Managing warranty processes, including claim validation and recovery from suppliers
Optimising inventory levels using reliability data and implementing Just-In-Time (JIT) or critical spares strategies
Developing and maintaining obsolescence strategies, including alternative sourcing and redesign options
Driving continuous improvement by identifying better materials, suppliers or processes
Providing cost insights to support business cases for reliability and performance improvements
Ensuring compliance with UK/EU legislation, rail standards and company processes
Training & development
At NTS, we are committed to supporting your growth and development. This role includes:
Core safety training (e.g. Fire, Manual Handling)
Systems training (ERP systems, SharePoint, HR systems)
On-the-job training in maintenance systems, asset management and inventory processes
Opportunity to work towards Lead Auditor certification (ISO 9001 / 14001)
Exposure to continuous improvement methodologies such as Lean and Six Sigma
Who we’re looking for
Experience
Experience in rail vehicle maintenance or a similar engineering environment
Proven track record of improving processes in technical or operational settings
Experience working with supply chains, procurement processes and supplier management
Strong stakeholder engagement experience across multiple functions
Knowledge
Engineering maintenance practices and reliability principles
Analytical techniques for performance and reliability monitoring
UK/EU regulatory frameworks and rail industry standards (e.g. RISAS, ISO)
Inventory management, obsolescence planning and lifecycle management
Continuous improvement methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma)
Skills & behaviours
Strong data analysis and reporting skills (e.g. Excel, Power BI)
Excellent communication and influencing skills
Ability to build effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders
Proactive approach to problem solving and continuous improvement
Strong organisational skills with attention to detail
Commercial awareness and ability to support cost-based decisions
High standards of integrity, safety awareness and compliance
Why NTS?
At NTS, our people are trusted to perform, supported to grow and encouraged to be curious and innovative. We create an environment where you’re given the freedom to do your job well, the support of a strong team, and the opportunity to help shape the future of safe and reliable rail operations.
The Kind of People We’re Looking For
We’re interested in who you are, not just what’s on your CV.
You’re likely to thrive at NTS if you:
Take ownership of your work and enjoy being trusted to deliver
Are collaborative, approachable and naturally supportive of others
Care about doing the right thing, in the right way
Are curious and motivated to learn, improve and grow
Communicate openly and act with integrity and respect
Are comfortable working in a purpose‑driven, safety‑critical environment
You don’t need to tick every box on day one — we value potential, attitude and alignment with our culture just as much as experience.
Benefits
30 Days holidays plus 8 bank holidays
Buy / Sell annual leave
Health shield
Nuclear Pension scheme
Hybrid working
Family friendly
Bonus
The company
We are the leading global provider of safe, secure and reliable nuclear transport solutions that make the world safer and more sustainable.
As part of the UK’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, we support the largest environmental restoration programme in Europe, and we use our specialist transport and logistics expertise to help customers and partners around the world solve their own complex challenges.
Benefits
Attractive
salary
Fantastic
pension scheme
Training and
development
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Generous
leave entitlements
Flexible
working
Healthcare
scheme
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