Department for Transport - Rail Executive

Senior Commercial Manager

Circa £65k + up to £24k allowance (dependent on relevant experience)

The Department for Transport (DfT) is spending the best part of £90bn on rail infrastructure between now and 2021, including such programmes as Thameslink, Crossrail and HS2, and we also have a transformative agenda to deliver in rail franchising.

We are now seeking commercial professionals to manage industry leading franchisees as they take our investments and use them to deliver high quality passenger train services.

Rail Executive - Passenger Services buys and manages rail services for the benefit of everyone using the franchised rail network. We work with government departments, industry stakeholders, industry members and passenger representatives in order to build a clear specification for the future delivery of passenger services in England. Join our talented team to play your part in ensuring passengers get the services they need.

Your role will be to manage the commercial relationship between Rail Executive and one of sixteen passenger rail franchise operators.  You will manage the franchisee relationship at Board level, and will advise Ministers in government – the challenge is getting a common deliverable goal, especially when things don’t go to plan!  Of course you will need to ensure   obligations are delivered and the finances flow as per the contract, but we are looking for people who don’t want to just monitor a contract – they want to use that contract to help the government and the franchisee create a better journey for passengers!  Identify opportunity for change, and then make it happen.   

What will you need to be successful?

• Considerable experience of driving commercial relationships and negotiating effective and complex business deals in a large franchise or service orientated environment. , preferably but not necessarily within the transport industry.
• Financially astute, with effective planning and organisational skills.
• Experience of building and managing stakeholder relationships at the highest levels.
• First-class communication and networking skills.
• Ideally, you will also have transport industry experience, probably in railway commercial delivery and a wider understanding of the public sector.

This is an exciting opportunity to work at the heart of rail development in England and to get the best possible outcome for passengers.