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Sector: Operations and Facilities Management
Role: Director
Contract Type: Permanent
Hours: Full Time
About Network Rail
We're proud to be recognised as one of the Times Top 50 Employers for Gender Equity for the fourth year running. Find out more from our people here.
Network Rail operates and maintains the railway infrastructure 24/7 365 days a year. Our purpose is to connect people and goods with where they need to be and our vision is for a simpler, better, greener railway.
The North West route is part of the North West and Central region and runs from Cheshire in the south to Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, and Cumbria in the North, with the two Northern Powerhouse cities of Liverpool and Manchester on the route, as well as the tourist destinations of Blackpool and the Lake District.
Major stations across the route include Crewe, Liverpool Lime Street, Preston, Manchester Victoria and Manchester Piccadilly.
We're a very busy region, with 1.3 million passengers travelling on our rails every weekday and 700,000 tonnes of freight moved a week. With 571 stations in the North West & Central region, we make up a quarter of Britain's railway system.
For us, Diversity means recognising differences between people while valuing the contribution they make. Inclusion means creating safe and welcoming workplaces with fair cultures that encourages innovative and fresh ways of thinking.
We value the commitments you may have outside of work and will consider flexible and hybrid working applications. If we can make it work we will! Please click here for more information.
Brief Description
We're looking for an exceptional leader to join Network Rail as Operations Director for the North West Route. Based in the vibrant city of Manchester, this is a career-defining opportunity to oversee and inspire an operations team that supports the safe, efficient, and sustainable operation of our vital rail infrastructure, serving millions of passengers and freight customers across the region.
As the Operations Director, you'll not only manage operations but also drive innovation, build strong partnerships, and lead with purpose to meet ambitious safety, performance, and financial goals. You'll be at the heart of shaping priorities with key stakeholders, ensuring the North West continues to set the standard for operational excellence in the rail industry.
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.
About the role (External)
This dynamic, high-impact role offers incredible variety and responsibility. Expect to:
* Lead by example in safety and sustainability, championing a culture of safety and environmental excellence while managing operations across the North West.
* Inspire exceptional service delivery for Network Rail's customers by fostering a motivated, engaged, and high-performing team that lives our company values.
* Drive operational success by achieving key business objectives, meeting performance metrics, and delivering continuous improvement in all areas.
* Shape a customer-focused culture by integrating feedback from stakeholders and frontline employees to refine policies and procedures for better outcomes.
* Deliver real-time performance excellence, implementing initiatives to address customer needs and improve train performance in collaboration with the Infrastructure Director.
* Respond and recover with confidence by leading the development of disaster and incident management plans and supporting recovery efforts during major incidents.
* Influence the future of rail by contributing to business strategies, policies, and standards that strengthen the North West Route's position as an industry leader.
Every day will be different, but you can expect to be involved in the following activities:
* Direct the management of safety within the geographical area and act as a role model in the promotion of safety and environmental excellence across all areas of control.
* Inspire excellence in the quality of service provided to Network Rail's customers.
* Direct the area team to achieve business / functional objectives and meet key performance measures. Create an engaged, motivated working environment in line with company values.
* Create a culture to enable customer and frontline employee feedback to be reflected in policies and procedures to deliver continuous performance improvement.
* Achieve financial, technical, safety and customer satisfaction targets agreed with the Route Director.
* Lead delivery of operations in compliance with policies, procedures and standards and direct the development of disaster and incident management plans. Support the on-site management of recovery from major incidents.
* Manage the development and implementation of safety, train performance and customer satisfaction initiatives. With the Infrastructure Director, create plans to address customer needs and performance issues.
* Lead real-time delivery of train performance and implement processes to deliver continuous improvement.
* Provide input to business plans, policies, standards and network strategies.
* Act as the Designated Competent Person (DCP) for both formal and local investigations. Report on accidents/incidents and undertake investigations as required.
* Undertake safety tours and set the framework for safety and work quality check within the team.
We're seeking a bold, visionary leader who can balance operational precision with a passion for people, safety, and performance. To succeed in this role, you'll need:
* Chartered membership of a relevant professional body or equivalent experience.
* Significant operational leadership experience in a safety-critical industry.
* A proven track record of delivering safety, performance, and customer excellence.
* Expert knowledge of health, safety, and compliance processes.
* In-depth understanding of the rail industry and its unique challenges and opportunities.
* Strong financial management skills and the ability to meet targets.
* Exceptional relationship-building and influencing skills across functions, companies, and stakeholders.
We would also like but it isn't crucial to have/to be:
Knowledge of relevant standards and procedures.
Company
Every day, 4.8 million people use our network. Keeping Britain moving and building a better railway for the future is full of challenges – but also tremendous opportunities.
From our commitments to your development, our range of benefits and our approach to Diversity & Inclusion, we believe there are many reasons to join the team at Network Rail.
We’re proactive in empowering employees with the knowledge to help them progress. We encourage all our employees to be ambitious, and offer great training and career development opportunities. As the railway becomes bigger and more technologically advanced, it’s crucial that our employees have the right skills to develop their careers and meet the challenges ahead.
We believe that investing in our people is one of the most effective ways of improving the safety, reliability and efficiency of the railway.
We also know that it’s vital to get each individual’s training programme just right. As well as helping us to meet our immediate needs, we believe this is an approach that encourages people to stay with us and develop their careers.
Your health, wellbeing and benefits
We believe that safety and performance go hand in hand and this doesn’t just mean safety on the railway! We are committed to the wellbeing of our employees and believe, that should come first.
We provide access to support services such as our employee assistance program to help you with finances, family, health and wellbeing. In addition to this, we offer excellent benefits, are sensitive to work-life balance and encourage our employees to use their 5 volunteer days for their favourite causes.
We have a range of benefits including:
* 28 days annual leave entitlement.
* My benefits – Our discounted online shopping site.
* A range of discounted offers including, childcare vouchers, Healthcare offers – cycle to work, healthcare club discounted membership and other benefits.
* Subsidies of up to 75% on rail and underground season tickets.
* A range of pension schemes.
* 2 weeks paid reserve leave for our Armed Forces community.
What Diversity and Inclusion means to us
‘Diversity’ means recognising differences between people while valuing the contribution they make. ‘Inclusion’ means creating safe and welcoming workplaces with fair cultures that encourages innovative and fresh ways of thinking.
Our aspiration is that the behaviours and actions that support diversity and inclusion will come from the conviction of everyone here at Network Rail – making diversity and inclusion a conscious part of how we run our business throughout Britain.
Disability Confident Leader
Network Rail is an accredited Disability Confident Leader. This means, where a disabled applicant meets the essential criteria for any of our vacancies, they will receive an interview.
Find out more about our recruitment process here.
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