ETCS Programme Manager

East Midlands Railway; East Midlands; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

East Midlands Railway is building its ETCS capability to transform how we operate the railway in the East Midlands. You will lead the ETCS programme, guiding strategic direction, planning and delivery across EMR and external partners to align with industry developments.

The role requires strong leadership, governance discipline and experience delivering major rail infrastructure programmes. You will engage senior leaders and work in a collaborative, safety‑mocused environment to realise the

Qualifications

• Significant experience leading complex programmes or large-scale transformations.
• Strong governance, reporting and benefits realization capabilities.
• Proven ability to manage multidisciplinary teams and external partners.

Responsibilities

• Lead the ETCS programme delivering projects on time, within budget and to quality.
• Coordinate the ETCS programme team and stakeholders across EMR and industry partners.
• Oversee governance, reporting, documentation and assurance for all programme activities.
• Manage budgets, investment planning, forecasting and cost recovery for the programme.
• Identify risks, issues and dependencies with mitigation plans and escalation as needed.

Skills

Programme management

Stakeholder management

Budgeting & financials

Governance & controls

Leadership & people

ETCS / digital railway knowledge

Job description

Help shape the future of our digital railway.

We are proud to be One Team at East Midlands Railway (EMR). We are passionate about keeping people safe, delighting our customers, doing the right thing and putting customers at the heart of our sustainable railway for the East Midlands. With over 2,600 employees, our people are the reason we are so successful. Ten times accredited as a Top Employer, we value our people and are dedicated to making sure that everybody feels empowered to bring their authentic self to work.

The railway is entering an exciting period of transformation, with digital signalling set to change how we operate our trains and deliver services for our customers. Here at EMR, we're building a dedicated team to help shape and deliver our contribution to this transformation through the introduction of the European Train Control System (ETCS).

This is a fantastic opportunity to be part of something from the outset, helping to shape our approach, influence industry developments and prepare our people, fleet and operations for the next generation of railway technology.

We have an exciting opportunity to leads EMR's programme of activity to prepare our fleet, people and operations for ETCS.

As our ETCS Programme Manager, you will provide strategic leadership and oversight of the programme, ensuring the successful planning, design and implementation of ETCS while aligning EMR's business objectives with wider industry infrastructure developments.

This is a highly influential role where you will work collaboratively with senior leaders, Network Rail, industry partners and specialist project teams to deliver a complex programme that will help shape the future of railway operations.

What will you be doing?

You will take overall responsibility for leading and delivering the EMR ETCS programme, ensuring projects are effectively managed, appropriately resourced and delivered to agreed timescales, budgets and quality standards.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Leading the development, mobilisation and successful delivery of the ETCS programme, ensuring alignment with EMR's long-term strategy and wider industry requirements.


• Leading and coordinating the ETCS programme team, including the Fleet Engineering Development Manager and Competency and Standards Development Manager, working collaboratively with wider EMR functions and industry partners.


• Overseeing programme governance, ensuring projects follow EMR's project management processes and maintain high standards of reporting, documentation and assurance.


• Managing programme budgets, investment planning, financial forecasting and cost recovery, ensuring effective financial control throughout delivery.


• Identifying and managing programme risks, issues and dependencies, developing mitigation plans and escalating key decisions where required.


• Working closely with Network Rail, Industry Partnership Digital Railway (IPDR), the Department for Transport and wider stakeholders to ensure effective programme integration and delivery.


• Leading programme-level business change planning, ensuring operational and organisational impacts are understood and effectively managed.


• Preparing and presenting programme updates, investment proposals and recommendations to senior leadership and programme boards.


• Ensuring programme delivery meets relevant contractual obligations, industry safety standards and regulatory requirements.


• Developing strong collaborative relationships across EMR and the wider rail industry to maximise opportunities, resolve challenges and drive continuous improvement.

What are we looking for?

We are looking for an experienced and forward-thinking Programme Manager who can combine strategic leadership with strong delivery capability, bringing people together to achieve successful outcomes in a complex environment.

You will ideally bring:

• Significant experience leading complex programmes or large-scale transformation projects, ideally within rail, transport, infrastructure or another regulated environment.


• A strong understanding of programme management methodologies, governance, financial management and benefits realisation.


• Experience managing multidisciplinary project teams, resources and external delivery partners.


• The ability to manage competing priorities, programme risks and complex stakeholder relationships while maintaining focus on delivery.


• Strong commercial awareness, including experience managing significant budgets, investment proposals and financial forecasting.


• Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the confidence to engage senior leaders and present complex information to executive-level audiences.


• Experience delivering organisational or operational change and ensuring successful integration into business‑as‑usual activities.


• A collaborative leadership style, with the ability to develop high-performing teams and create a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.


• Knowledge of ETCS, digital railway programmes or major rail infrastructure delivery would be particularly advantageous.

If you're successful in this role, you'll be expected to support our frontline colleagues at some points throughout the year. This might be undertaking safety critical work, for which you'll receive training, but it could just be helping out with Customer Service when our stations are busy. We're One Team, and that means our managers step up for the frontline, not just manage from a distance. Supporting frontline colleagues is part of our DNA at EMR.

As well as a competitive salary, we’ll also offer you:

We welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds , we promote equal opportunities for all. East Midlands Railway is a non-discriminatory employer committed to the recruitment and promotion of all on the basis of ability and merit irrespective of disability, race, gender, health, social class, sexual preference, marital status, nationality, religion, employment status or age. We’ll treat your application fairly and assess you for the job based on merit and skills.