Head of Bus and Road Strategy

Transport Focus; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave 30 days

Civil Service Pension Alpha

Hybrid working

Wellbeing support

Job summary

Transport Focus, London or Manchester, is seeking a Head of Bus and Road Strategy to turn evidence into meaningful action. The role sits across Bus and Road, Insight, Engagement and Communications to ensure research informs real improvements for bus passengers and road users.

You’ll shape priorities, lead collaborative programmes and develop teams, while delivering strategic use of national evidence programmes and ensuring impact beyond reports.

Qualifications

• Experience in transport, public services, or customer-focused organisations.
• Ability to translate evidence into strategic action.
• Strong collaboration across teams to influence outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Shape how we use evidence to influence change across Bus and Road teams.
• Lead national evidence programmes like Your Bus Journey and the Strategic Roads User Survey.
• Translate findings into meaningful actions and improvements.
• Develop colleagues and contribute to leadership of the Bus and Road division.

Skills

Turning insight into impact

Strategic thinking

Collaborative leadership

Connecting people and expertise

Making complex things simple

Continuous improvement

Job description

Head of Bus and Road Strategy

Transport Focus | London or Manchester | Permanent | Full time - Hybrid Working

Turn insight into action. Connect people and ideas. Make a real difference.

At Transport Focus, we're the independent watchdog for Britain's transport users. We make sure their voices are heard, their experiences matter and their needs influence the decisions that shape our transport networks.

We're looking for a Head of Bus and Road Strategy to help us turn evidence and insight into meaningful action, bringing people, ideas and expertise together to deliver better experiences for bus passengers and road users.

The opportunity

This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who loves connecting the dots, making sense of complex information and turning good ideas into tangible improvements.

You’ll play a leading role in shaping how we use evidence to influence change, working across our Bus and Road, Insight, Engagement and Communications teams to ensure our research doesn't just tell us what's happening, but helps us do something about it.

You’ll lead the strategic application of important national evidence programmes, including Your Bus Journey and the Strategic Roads User Survey, identifying opportunities for improvement and helping colleagues and stakeholders translate findings into meaningful outcomes.

But this role isn't just about evidence and strategy.

It's about bringing people together, challenging thinking, creating momentum and making sure great ideas lead to real progress. You’ll help shape priorities, lead collaborative programmes and build a culture where insight, action and impact are genuinely connected.

You’ll also have the opportunity to lead and develop colleagues, contribute to the wider leadership of our Bus and Road division and help shape how Transport Focus delivers its ambitions during an exciting period of organisational change.

What you’ll bring

We're particularly interested in people who can demonstrate:

• Turning insight into impact – using evidence, data and intelligence to identify opportunities, shape priorities and deliver measurable improvements.
• Strategic thinking with practical delivery – seeing the bigger picture while knowing how to translate ideas into action and results.
• Connecting people and expertise – bringing teams together, building shared ownership and influencing outcomes across organisational boundaries.
• Making complex things simple – interpreting information, asking the right questions and turning findings into clear, practical recommendations.
• A focus on continuous improvement – understanding what works, learning from outcomes and helping successful approaches grow.
• Collaborative leadership – inspiring, developing and motivating colleagues while creating a culture of accountability, curiosity and shared success.

Experience in transport, public services, regulated environments or customer-focused organisations would be valuable, but we’re equally interested in your ability to think strategically, influence others and turn evidence into meaningful change.

You don’t need to be a technical data specialist. What matters is your ability to understand the story behind the evidence, recognise where opportunities exist and bring people together to make improvements happen.

Why Transport Focus?

Because the work matters.

You’ll have the opportunity to influence national conversations, shape how evidence informs decisions and help improve the everyday experiences of millions of people who rely on Britain's bus and road networks.

You’ll be joining an organisation with a clear purpose, talented colleagues and an ambition to make an even greater difference for transport users.

We also offer a great benefits package, including:

• 30 days' annual leave plus bank holidays
• Civil Service Pension Scheme, including Alpha, with a current employer contribution of 28.9%
• Hybrid working, with a minimum of two days per week in the office
• Employee assistance programme and wellbeing support

A place for everyone

We're committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that reflects the people we represent. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, experiences and perspectives, and want everyone to feel they can belong, contribute and thrive at Transport Focus.

If you're a strategic thinker, a natural collaborator and someone who wants to see their ideas make a genuine difference, we'd love to hear from you.