About the job Summary

Are you looking for an opportunity that provides exposure to senior leaders within government and the rail industry?

Do you thrive in fast paced, high-profile environments?

If so, we have a fantastic opportunity as our Shareholder Lead, and would love to hear from you.

Job description

We are looking for a dedicated individual to manage some of the highest profile, politically sensitive, franchise change activities in the Department’s Rail Group. You will be working as part of a dedicated, supportive team that

• Management of the Secretary of States obligations under Section 30 of the Railways Act 1993.
• Mobilisation of new rail franchises into the DfT Public Sector Rail Operator (DOHL)
• Management of the shareholder function for the public-sector rail operator.

You will play a critical role in ensuring DOHL drives forward new policies. You will lead from the front within the rail industry to implement changes in line with industry progression, and oversee the functions and Governance of the DOHL Oversight Committee, which is chaired by Rail Group’s Directors General.

As our Shareholder Lead, you will be required to be innovative and able to work within a high-profile environment whilst managing relationships with external partners. You will be given the opportunity to develop and manage across a range of specialisms from rail finances, rail operational, rail regulatory and rail policy areas.

You will be an integral part of re-shaping DOHL as the company grows and develops over time, including recruiting additional staff, including at Director level and gaining the necessary approvals for these changes to be implemented, to ensure DOHL continues to have the correct level of resource, that is appropriate and consistent with employment contracts.
 

Responsibilities

Your key responsibilities will include:
• Leading on the shareholder role to ensure DfT OLR Holdings Ltd (DOHL) and its subsidiaries, including London North Eastern Railway (LNER) and Northern Trains Limited (NTL) are fully meeting their requirements and the organisation is running successfully.
• Leading the implementation of new policies from the Department and the wider rail industry into DOHL including outputs from the Keith Williams Rail Review.
• Working flexibly within FRAM and have a good understanding of project management activities. Working with and managing activities when rail franchises move from the private to public sector.

Occasional travel within the UK will be required.

About you

You have outstanding interpersonal skills to build positive relationships and credibility at senior levels across or outside the Civil Service. You confidently lead and influence partners to secure decisions and resolve conflicting views to gain consensus.

You demonstrate high quality drafting skills, and the ability to produce concise complex Board/Ministerial submissions.
You have a detailed knowledge and understanding of public or corporate policy making and experience of working in a public or private commercial environment. You articulate high profile complex information into a simple and easy manner.

You have strong planning and organisational skills to deliver rapidly in a fast-paced environment.

You display a broad knowledge and understanding of planning and project management tools and techniques and have the capability to support the delivery of a range of complex projects.

About us

Our mission at the Department for Transport is ‘connecting people and places’. Everything we do to achieve this is reinforced by our values:

- Confidence: to challenge, to take action, to innovate
- Excellence: in our professionalism, in our delivery, in our learning
- Teamwork: we are inclusive, we collaborate, we support each other

These values define the kind of organisation we want to be – delivering for today whilst being ambitious for tomorrow.

We embrace diversity and celebrate our differences. Everyone is involved in making DfT an inclusive and great place to work. We actively promote a flexible approach to working whilst giving our staff opportunities to maximise their skills and achieve their full potential.

We are different people, one team.