Director of East West Rail

Job summary

The Rail Group is responsible for delivering the Government’s vision of a unified and simplified rail system, improving services for passengers and better value for money for taxpayers. We will deliver a once in a generation change to the UK railways by bringing them into public ownership, including the creation of Great British Railways (GBR).

The Director of East West Rail (EWR) will be the Department’s Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) for a nationally significant transport and growth programme. EWR will improve east-west connectivity between Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge, linking communities to jobs, education, services and each other, supporting faster and more direct journeys, easing pressure on local roads and providing more sustainable travel choices.

The programme represents a multi-billion pound investment in the Oxford-Cambridge corridor, a nationally important area for science, technology, education and innovation which already makes a major contribution to the UK economy but is constrained by poor east-west links. EWR is intended to help support the corridor’s long term growth potential by improving connectivity and supporting planned housing and employment growth, investment and productivity.

This is a high-profile programme with significant public, Ministerial and cross-government interest. The role requires visible senior leadership that can build confidence in EWR’s purpose, direction and delivery; engage credibly with communities and regional partners, and provide assurance to inform choices on scope, affordability, delivery confidence and the benefits EWR is expected to realise.

As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, you will play a central role in the collective leadership of the Group and Department, shaping strategy, resolving cross-cutting issues and ensuring delivery remains aligned to Government priorities.

We will be hosting a Microsoft Teams Information session on 26th August 1pm – 1:30pm to give you the opportunity to learn more about the role and ask any questions you may have.

Please contact our search partners [email removed] to ask for the invite.

Job description

Key Responsibilities

You will:

• Act as Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) for East West Rail, providing clear leadership of the Department’s sponsorship role and maintaining confidence in outcomes, affordability, value for money, benefits and delivery confidence.
• Own the Department’s business case, funding and investment position for EWR, ensuring decisions on scope, cost, schedule, commercial strategy and benefits are coherent, evidence-based and focused on public value.
• Lead the Department’s sponsor relationship with EWR Co, setting clear requirements, providing effective challenge, and keeping decisions focused on the programme’s intended benefits for passengers, communities, housing, regional growth, sustainability and public value.
• Act as the senior interface with Ministers, HM Treasury, National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority, delivery partners, local and regional leaders, communities, businesses and other government departments, building trusted relationships and providing clear advice and assurance.
• Provide leadership across the multi-party delivery model involving EWR Co, Network Rail and DFTO, ensuring the Department can support integration, resolve cross-cutting issues and maintain effective governance and assurance.
• Contribute to the collective leadership of the Rail Group, ensuring EWR remains aligned with wider rail reform, future network development, sponsorship arrangements and the Department’s evolving role with the rail industry.
• Build and lead a strong, senior sponsorship function, with the right mix of public sector, commercial, delivery, governance and programme sponsorship capability to support the Department’s role as an effective client and sponsor.
• Develop and lead a high-performing, multidisciplinary directorate, setting clear expectations, building capability and maintaining delivery focus through a significant period of organisational and sector change.

Person specification

You will need to be able to show, through your application, that you have the professional skills, breadth of experience and personal qualities for this post, as well as the leadership skills to succeed at Director level in the Senior Civil Service.

The successful candidate will be an outstanding, visible leader who will demonstrate the following criteria throughout the selection process:

• Proven senior leader within complex infrastructure, transport, growth, operational or transformation environments, providing strategic sponsorship and cross-organisational leadership to drive and enable delivery through others, with accountability for strategic outcomes, significant investment, value for money and delivery confidence.
• Strong strategic judgement and analytical capability, with the ability to test evidence and assumptions, assess wider policy and delivery impacts, identify key risks and dependencies, and make clear strategic choices across scope, affordability, benefits realisation and wider organisational priorities.
• Extensive experience of operating across complex stakeholder and delivery environments, bringing together partners with different priorities and incentives to achieve shared outcomes, while maintaining a clear sponsor perspective.
• Ability to build credibility and influence at the most senior levels, for example securing the confidence of Chief Executives, Boards, Ministers or key partners and providing constructive challenge to support effective decision-making and delivery.
• A strong track record of working effectively as a senior team, building and leading a high-performing directorate, strengthening capability, setting a clear culture and sustaining performance through ambiguity, scrutiny and change.

We encourage applications from a diverse range of candidates

At DfT, we are proud of the commitment we make to diversity and inclusion and of the progress we have made. We have active & vibrant staff networks, special leave policies and workplace adjustments put in place for those who need them. We are continuing to build a diverse DfT, in an inclusive environment which nurtures and realises potential in all, at all levels.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £105,000, Department for Transport contributes £30,418 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

Whatever your role, we take your career and development seriously, and want to enable you to build a really successful career with the Department and wider Civil Service.

It is crucial that our employees have the right skills to develop their careers and meet the challenges ahead, and you’ll benefit from regular performance and development reviews to ensure this development is ongoing. As a Civil Service employee, you’ll be entitled to a large range of benefits.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

The Civil Service values and supports all its employees.

We have strong and pro-active staff networks, special leave policies for hospital appointments, reasonable adjustments put in place for those who need them, and diversity talent programmes to help everyone irrespective of background, to achieve their potential.