Bus Centre Of Excellence

Stakeholder Engagement Lead (Bus)
Location: Hybrid
Salary: Up to £46,000 per annum
Role Status: Full-time, 37 hours per week
Closing Date: 27 Jul 2026

Location & Travel: This is a hybrid role requiring attendance at the CIHT office in central London two days a week (one day must be Wednesday). However, fully home-based working may be considered (at a reduced salary) if a case can be made. Whether hybrid or home-based, the role requires regular travel across England and occasionally work outside normal office hours for events.

This is a fixed term post, currently ending on 31 March 2029. The contract may be renewed in March 2029.

About us

The Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) is a charity, learned society, membership body and leading voice for those who work in the transport and infrastructure sector.
CIHT is the home for all people working in highways and transportation infrastructure. CIHT members come from within the private, public and academic sectors.
We champion equality, diversity and inclusion. We work with employers to encourage people from all backgrounds to choose a career in our sector.
CIHT works with our members to improve the standard of practice across the fields of highways, transportation and infrastructure. We are the lead voice of the highways and transportation profession in the UK and globally.

About the job

JOB PURPOSE
This role sits within the Bus Centre of Excellence (BCoE) team, which is part of the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) and is funded by the Department of Transport.

The purpose of the role is to act as a stakeholder manager and named contact for Local Transport Authorities (LTAs), understanding their bus delivery challenges and connecting them with BCoE resources, networks and support. The role will focus on supporting authorities with bus service improvement, including franchising and Enhanced Partnership (EP) initiatives, and enabling peer learning opportunities across different local authority contexts.

Key Contacts

- Stakeholders include: BCoE Members, Local Transport Authorities, Mayoral Combined Authorities, Sub-national Transport Bodies, BCoE Advisory Group, BCoE Forums/Networks, advocacy groups and commercial entities such as bus operators and suppliers to the bus industry.
- CIHT marketing and communication colleagues
- CIHT members, external participants in events, external suppliers and venues

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Stakeholder Relationship Management

Act as the named contact for LTAs and their elected members for bus-related queries they have for either BCoE or the DfT.

Liaise with local authorities and their elected members to assess their challenges in the local context.

Build trusted relationships with bus sector stakeholders, understanding their operational challenges and connecting them with appropriate BCoE support.

Support authorities undergoing change due to devolution by acting as a focal point for bus-related questions, organise relevant events and resources.

Franchising and Enhanced Partnership Support

Support LTAs with bus service improvement, including franchising and Enhanced Partnership initiatives, identifying their specific challenges and coordinating BCoE resources to address them.

Work closely with authorities considering or implementing franchising, connecting them with BCoE's Franchising Network and relevant expertise and resources.

Support the development and improvement of Enhanced Partnerships through peer exchange and sharing of best practice.

Collaboration

Work closely with bus sector groups and local authority stakeholders.

Facilitate knowledge exchange and peer learning between LTAs, helping them share best practice and practical solutions for bus service improvement.

Collaborate with stakeholders across different local authority contexts and facilitate cross-learning where appropriate.

Events and Capacity Building

Organise regional workshops, in person or virtual, to assist LTAs with bus delivery challenges, facilitating peer learning and skills development.

Attend and represent BCoE at regional bus forums and relevant transport events, whether virtual or in person.

Carry out market research and identify professional course instructors or training providers to deliver courses on topics relevant to bus sector stakeholders, as identified through the skills survey and stakeholder discussions.

Help to organise and curate the annual Quality Bus Conference, developing the agenda in collaboration with conference organisers and other partners, ensuring it addresses the bus sector’s priorities.

Networks and Knowledge Exchange

Support the development and delivery of BCoE's Networks and Bus Forum, helping to connect LTAs with similar contexts and promote consistent approaches to EP improvement.

Support the development and delivery of BCoE's Franchising Network, ensuring authorities have access to expert guidance and can learn from peers who have implemented or are considering franchising.

Identify emerging trends and challenges in bus delivery, feeding these insights back to the Regional Stakeholder Engagement Manager to commission appropriate technical support or guidance.

Support other BCoE Networks and Forum as required (e.g. source relevant speakers to present at Network meetings).

Support and Coordination

Support the delivery of BCoE's training courses, conferences and webinars, ensuring a broad range of bus sector perspectives are represented.

Contribute to the annual BCoE Members Survey and BCoE Annual Report.

Identify, share and amplify case studies and best practice examples from different local authority areas through BCoE's communications channels.

Person Specification
ESSENTIAL

Experience:
Experience working in or with Local Transport Authorities, particularly in relation to bus policy, bus service delivery or wider public transport delivery.
Proven ability to build effective working relationships with diverse stakeholders, including local authority officers and elected members.
Experience of organising events, workshops, or facilitating professional networks.
Experience of working with MS Teams and MS Office

Knowledge and Skills:
Understanding of public transport challenges, particularly issues affecting bus service delivery.
Understanding of bus policy and delivery mechanisms, including Enhanced Partnerships and franchising.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively with stakeholders at all levels.
Good organisational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously.
Self-motivated with the ability to work independently and take initiative in identifying opportunities to support stakeholders.
Commitment to knowledge sharing and capacity building within the transport sector.
Ability to chair meetings
Degree level education or equivalent.

DESIRABLE

Experience:
Experience working with Mayoral Combined Authorities.
Experience working with DfT or other central government departments.

Knowledge and Skills:
Knowledge of bus policy frameworks, including bus franchising processes and Enhanced Partnerships development
Knowledge of bus network planning, bus priority measures, bus data and modelling approaches

Equality and Diversity Statement

CIHT is committed to equality and diversity in its role as an employer, valuing the benefit a diverse workforce brings. It is our intention not to discriminate on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

Our Values

Professional
An effective, high-performing and ethically focused Institution that has integrity, acts impartially and strives to do the right thing, in a fair and responsible way

Inclusive
An accessible Institution that values equality, diversity and inclusion by supporting all our members, regions and national groups, committees and panels

Collaborative
A membership body that engages with our stakeholders, supports common interests and informs and influences decision-makers

Progressive
An ambitious and innovative Institution committed to positive change

How we value our people

We recognise that our people are central to our ability to deliver high-quality and professional services. We offer a welcoming working environment and a commitment to good people management, including our performance and development review process.

Learning and development
We are committed to supporting employees’ learning and development. Ensuring every employee has a learning and development plan is part of our annual performance development process.

Working environment
We are a friendly team located in central London, close to transport links, in a well-resourced light and airy building.

Wellbeing support
We provide a range of benefits to support staff wellbeing: Healthcare cash benefits plan provided (post probation), employee assistance programme (post probation) and opportunity to apply for flexible working hours.

Pension and life assurance provision
All employees are eligible for the statutory provision, and additionally we provide a good pension scheme with 8% employer contributions (employee contribution is minimum 5%). Group Life Assurance scheme is offered to all staff upon completion of their probation.

Other benefits
Generous holiday allowance (27 pro rata days plus bank holidays), with option to buy/sell leave
Healthcare cash benefits plan provided by SimplyHealth (after probation)
Cycle to Work Scheme