Brief Description
Are you ready to take on a pivotal leadership role at Network Rail? We are seeking an exceptional individual to join our team as the Head of Readiness and Resilience for the North & East Route. This is a rare senior opportunity to influence and shape the operational resilience and performance of one of the most critical routes in the UK rail network.
Please be aware this role holds a mandatory requirement for the incumbent to hold valid security vetting clearance. Any offer will be conditional on the successful candidate obtaining clearance prior to a start date being agreed.
If you have lived outside of the UK in the last 3 years and have been invited to interview for this role, please notify us.
For further information including residency eligibility, please contact your recruiter for more details.
About the role (External)
The Head of Readiness and Resilience is a critical leadership role responsible for ensuring operational and strategic readiness across N&E Route Operations, leading operational resilience, and mitigating risks to enhance business continuity. The role encompasses leadership, strategic planning, and the implementation of initiatives that promote preparedness, professional development, and resource efficiency. Key accountabilities include:
• Lead and manage the Route's multifaceted resilience team, ensuring readiness and resilience strategies align with timely and effective delivery.
• Mitigate Operational and Performance risks and reduce business interruptions through stakeholder collaboration and leading a culture of resilience and risk mitigation.
• Oversee the Professional Development team to deliver a professionalised service in training, competence management, and operational capability enhancement.
• Lead the development and execution of strategies to reduce route crime, suicide, and trespass incidents, ensuring alignment with national strategies. Provide strong leadership and work in close collaboration with the embedded British Transport Police (BTP) team to drive effective interventions and enforcement measures.
• Lead resilience and continuity planning for North and East Route Operations, collaborating with Local Resilience Forums and preparing the business for operational continuity in the event of sustained failures.
• Oversee seasonal management and weather-related incident response for Network Rail by delivering mitigation plans, driving performance improvements, and developing long-term resilience strategies.
• Direct the Resource Manager organisation to achieve cost-efficient rostering, compliance with national agreements, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Drive high performance across resourcing and lead strategic workforce planning in operations, implementing best practices, and ensuring compliance to National Rostering Principles.
• To ensure effective financial and budget management by accurately forecasting OPEX workforce costs, optimising resource allocation, and driving cost efficiency.
The role demands a results-driven leader with strong strategic vision, excellent stakeholder management skills, and the ability to drive initiatives that enhance operational readiness and resilience while aligning with national standards and strategies.
What We're Looking For:
Essential
• Exceptional leadership skills with proven experience in senior management roles, capable of setting priorities, managing deadlines in dynamic environments, and developing high-performing teams.
• Strong railway operational background with extensive experience managing complex challenges, driving improvements in resilience and performance and experience of strategic workforce planning for both operations and contingency planning.
• Membership in a relevant professional body, (CIRO or equivalent experience), alongside in-depth knowledge of rail industry performance processes, regimes, and procedures.
• Outstanding communication, negotiation, and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate effectively across all levels of the organisation.
• Proven expertise in resilience disciplines, including Business Continuity, Incident Management, and Emergency Planning, with knowledge of resilience standards, legislation, and best practices.
Desirable
• In-depth understanding of the railway industry and its needs and interfaces
Knowledge of relevant standards and procedures
This is more than a role; it's an opportunity to make a lasting impact on the operational performance and resilience of one of Network Rail's key routes.
If you're ready to lead from the front and have the vision, experience, and determination to succeed in this challenging but rewarding role, we want to hear from you.