Transport for the North

Commercial Manager - Rail North Partnership
Reference:    
Closing date: Midday 11th November 2022    
Location: Flexible across the North of England, but with a requirement to regularly work from our office in Leeds.
Salary: £48,450 to £56,525 per annum
Employment Term:Permanent

The successful candidate will generally lead the relationship with TransPennine Express Limited and can be expected to be deployed flexibly as part of the wider Contract Management Team to meet emerging risks and business needs.

Job Description:

The covid-19 outbreak has caused a fundamental shift in the relationships within the railway and with government and funders. The franchising system, which was with us for 20+ years, has now ended and we are working towards its replacement at the same time as we work with our operators to ensure their passengers and staff feel safe and supported during this difficult phase. Part of the requirements of this role will be in assisting firstly to ensure we continue to provide a clear, consistent, sustainable and recoverable position for as long as the situation remains; and thereafter build back through investment in services and support for investment in infrastructure to the railway for the future the north needs.

With the continuous investment, this role will see the successful candidate taking responsibility for managing the real time interface and relationship with a specific rail services operator on behalf of passengers, the Department for Transport (DfT) and Transport for the North (TfN), so it’s essential to possess the ability to work collaboratively with the train operators as the delivery partner, so they operate the rail services contract (which were formerly known as franchises) in the interest of passengers and meet their contractual obligations as the industry manages and then recovers from the covid-19 outbreak.

Key competencies for this role will see the ideal candidate being proactive in nature, a capable communicator and an enthusiastic team-member with an ability to prioritise tasks and manage own workloads to meet the demands of varying stakeholders.

What we’re looking for:

The successful candidate will generally lead the relationship with TransPennine Express Limited and can be expected to be deployed flexibly as part of the wider Contract Management Team to meet emerging risks and business needs on such things as:

• Briefing the DfT and Ministers, and TfN and Members, on matters arising as well as contracted or programmed services delivery
• Supporting the Rail Service Procurement Programme
• Contractual negotiations and variations
• Commercial support to the wider Contract Management Team, Departmental and Rail Executive programmes e.g. capital investment schemes

In addition, the Commercial Manager will be accountable for the key competencies within the role that can be found in the Role Profile under ‘Key Deliverables’.

Provisional Interview Date: 16 November 2022

If you believe you have the skills and experience we’re looking for please apply online, ensuring that in your application you provide evidence in the form of specific examples of how you meet the essential criteria.

At TfN, we welcome and encourage applications from everyone regardless of age, disability, gender, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation. We are particularly keen to encourage applications from women, members of ethnic minority groups and people with disabilities who are currently under-represented.

As part of our commitment to diversity and inclusion, all applications will be considered on their merit.

As an organisation we always strive to do the right thing and understand that in order to make a difference in our society and workplace, we must be committed to respecting equality and diversity, showing kindness, tackling discrimination and promoting inclusion and have signed the CIHT Diversity and Inclusion Charter Statement to further endorse our commitment. We are also an accredited Living Wage Employer, this means that every member of staff working for Transport for the North, earns a real Living Wage and are recognised as Disability Confident employer (stage 2) acting as a Disability Confident champion within our local and business communities and business networks.

To apply please click on the link below: https://bit.ly/3WpVmwQ