Chief Operating Officer – GTR

Women in Rail; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 120.000 - 180.000; Vollzeit

Zusammenfassung

Women in Rail is seeking a Chief Operating Officer to lead the largest operational function in UK rail, shaping how train services are delivered across an integrated network and driving improvements that matter to millions of customers daily.

As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, you will oversee safety, performance, and customer outcomes, collaborate with Network Rail and government partners, and guide transformation to prepare for future growth and enhanced service delivery.

Qualifikationen

• Proven track record of leading large-scale operational businesses and sustained performance improvements.
• Strong experience in safety management, operational delivery and risk management.
• Ability to lead and inspire large multidisciplinary teams through change and transformation.
• Excellent stakeholder management with credibility at executive, government and industry levels.

Aufgaben

• Lead Train Services, Network Operations and Control across the integrated railway.
• Develop and deliver the integrated operating strategy achieving safety, performance and customer objectives.
• Drive reliability, punctuality, capacity, productivity and service delivery improvements.
• Lead operational transformation, workforce reform and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Oversee operational control, incident response, business continuity and service recovery.
• Champion a positive safety culture and robust risk management across operations.
• Lead resource and workforce planning for a sustainable, efficient railway.
• Build relationships with industry partners, regulators and unions.
• Deliver performance targets with governance and accountability.

Kenntnisse

Large-scale operations leadership

Safety management

Operational delivery

Risk management

Stakeholder management

Commercial & financial acumen

Communication & negotiation

Executive leadership

Ausbildung

Degree-level education

MBA

Jobbeschreibung

A rare opportunity to lead rail operations at scale, driving safety, performance and customer outcomes across an integrated railway serving more than one million customers on its busiest days.

This is a rare opportunity to lead the largest and most complex rail operation in the UK at a defining moment for the industry. You will have a million reasons to deliver excellence, because that is how many people are carried on the network’s busiest days.

As Chief Operating Officer, you will join the Executive Leadership Team and take overall responsibility for the safe, reliable and efficient delivery of train services across an integrated railway. Working across the train operator and Network Rail, you will shape operational strategy, drive performance and lead the transformation required to support the transition to Great British Railways.

You will work extensively with other Integrated Business Units to support customer journeys across the network.

This is a highly visible executive role where your leadership will directly influence customer experience, operational excellence and the future performance of the railway.

What You’ll Be Doing

You will:

• Lead Train Services, Network Operations and Control functions across the integrated railway.
• Develop and deliver the integrated operating strategy, ensuring the achievement of safety, performance, customer and business objectives.
• Drive improvements in reliability, punctuality, capacity, productivity and service delivery across the network.
• Lead operational transformation, workforce reform and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Oversee operational control, incident response, business continuity and service recovery activities, ensuring disruption is managed safely and effectively.
• Champion a positive safety culture and ensure robust risk management across all operational activities.
• Lead resource and workforce planning to deliver a sustainable, efficient and customer-focused railway.
• Build strong relationships with industry partners, government stakeholders, regulators and trade unions.
• Deliver financial, operational and customer performance targets while maintaining excellent governance and accountability.
• Support the successful introduction of new trains and future operational enhancements.
• Participate in the Executive On-Call rota for significant operational and business incidents.

About You

You are an accomplished operational leader with significant experience in a complex, customer-focused and safety-critical environment.

You will bring:

• A proven track record of leading large-scale operational businesses and delivering sustained performance improvement.
• Strong experience of safety management, operational delivery, risk management and business planning.
• The ability to lead and inspire large multidisciplinary teams through change and transformation.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the credibility to influence at Executive, government and industry level.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, with experience managing significant operational budgets and resources.
• Outstanding communication, negotiation and relationship-building skills.
• Degree-level, MBA or equivalent professional experience.

Experience within rail, transport, infrastructure or another highly regulated operational environment would be advantageous, as would experience operating within complex partnership or matrix organisations.

The Opportunity

The future railway will be built on closer integration, stronger partnerships and a relentless focus on customer outcomes.

As Chief Operating Officer, you will play a central role in making that vision a reality. You will lead the largest operational function in UK rail, shape how train services are delivered across an integrated network and drive improvements that matter to more than one million customers every day.

Joining the Executive Leadership Team, you will have the opportunity to influence not only operational performance today, but also how the railway evolves for the future and prepares for the significant opportunities presented by the Thameslink Growth Corridor, where Luton and Gatwick Airports, together with Universal Resort, offer substantial growth potential.

If you are a strategic, inspiring and customer-focused operational leader with the ambition to shape the future of rail, this is an exceptional opportunity to make a lasting impact.