Head of Chief Executive Office

DfT Operator; City Of London; On-site; GBP 52,000 - 63,000; Full time

Job summary

A public sector organization in London seeks a candidate for a key role supporting the Chief Executive. This exciting opportunity involves building a new CEO office support function and driving strategic goals. Ideal applicants will possess strong leadership, communication, and teamwork skills. This is a 12-month fixed-term contract that offers a salary of up to £62,034 and additional benefits, including generous leave and pension contributions.

Benefits

Annual leave starting at 25 days

10% Employer pension contribution

Networking opportunities

Qualifications

• Strong leadership and staff management skills.
• Outstanding communication and influencing skills.
• Experience in building relationships with stakeholders.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Support the CEO and SLT with their priorities.
• Build the CEO office support function.
• Manage the CEO's inbox and priorities.
• Provide strategic assurance and advice to the CEO.
• Liaise with internal and external stakeholders.

Skills

Leadership skills

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Analytical skills

Job description

About DFT Operator

Join Our Team at DFTO

DFTO is the government’s public sector rail owning group. Its purpose is to bring all currently privately-owned train operators into public ownership in advance of the creation of Great British Railways in 2027 - and deliver improvements in the here and now by unifying and integrating train operations under common public ownership.

DFTO has over 24,000 employees, runs over 6,500 services a day and delivers over 450 million customer journeys across its networks every year. This accounts for 28% of total UK passenger journeys and 32% of passenger miles.

Major improvements are being delivered by DFTO train operators (TOCs) that are already under public ownership - these are LNER, Northern, TransPennine Express (TPE), Southeast, etc.

Our vision is to unify and strengthen train operators under the DFTO banner. By working collaboratively, we aim to become industry-leading in safety, customer service, financial and operational performance.

Primary Purpose of Job

With a new Chief Executive joining DFTO in the new year this is a hugely exciting opportunity to help establish his office. DFTO is going through significant change throughout 2026, not only with TOC’s continuing to join the group but also the transfer of functions from Network Rail and DfT in April will see the organisation numbers expand rapidly.

This is a great chance to help shape the Chief Executive’s team to drive the industry change and transformation. This role ultimately helps drive the CEO’s vision and enable him to realise his and his SLT’s strategic vision.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the CEO as well as the wider Senior Leadership Team (SLT) by understanding, articulating and driving forward their priorities to enable delivery of the strategic vision and goals.
• Build new CEO office support function in response to the requirements of the incoming CEO and in preparation for an expanded DFTO from April 2026, following the transfer of some functions from DfT.
• Efficient management of the DFTO CEO’s Office, overseeing and leading activities at pace; ensuring all actions are responded to accurately, aligning with current strategic direction and within set timescales.
• Manage the CEO’s inbox, categorising incoming emails and prioritising based on urgency – ensuring the CEO is sighted on urgent matters and that high priority tasks are addressed promptly.
• Provide the CEO with strategic assurance and advice on a variety of issues, accurately establishing, interpreting and representing the CEO’s views in discussions, correspondence and at meetings where appropriate.
• Review and support preparation of correspondence, Board/meeting packs and other papers. Providing briefing to CEO as required.
• Liaise and build effective relationships with key internal and external stakeholders, to drive forward CEO and organisational priorities
• Ensure the CEO Office delivers to high standards by building its reputation and establishing personal credibility, clear processes and lines of responsibility
• Line management of CEO office team

Knowledge, Skills, Experience & Technical Qualifications

To be successful you will be a self-starter with drive and energy, strong interpersonal skills and a team-centric and collaborative way of working.

You will need to demonstrate your skills and experience against the following criteria:

• Strong leadership and staff management skills, with the ability to get the best out of the team and maintain morale under pressure.
• Outstanding communication and influencing skills to act on behalf of the CEO when needed, providing clear direction and guidance to all.
• Strong written and oral communication skills, with the ability to tailor to different audiences and channels.
• Experience in building and maintaining strong relationships with stakeholders, both internally and externally - including senior leaders
• Excellent analytical skills and attention to detail, ensuring accurate and high-quality work

Vacancy Details

Duration: 12-month Fixed Term contract/secondment

Location: London Waterloo

Salary: up to £62,034

Closing date: 16th December 2025

DFTO Benefits

Annual Leave: Starting at 25 days and rising to an additional day per year of service completed within the first 5 completed years up to a maximum of 5 additional (30 days)

DC Pension Scheme: 10% Employer contribution, 5% Employee contribution

Opportunities to learn and network across the wider industry

Additional Information

Disclaimer

Candidates applying for this position on a secondment basis must inform their line manager prior to submitting their application. This is to ensure transparency and facilitate any necessary discussions regarding workload and responsibilities.

Contact

If you have any questions or reasonable adjustments, please contact [e-mail].

Please do not email any CV's to us; your application must be made by clicking the 'Apply' button.

About our people and the recruitment process - We're an inclusive employer of choice and we welcome applications from everyone! We encourage our colleagues to work flexibly, as we know traditional working patterns don't always fit. If you want to consider working flexibly, just let us know and we'll do our best to help and invest in your career with us, whilst you have a healthy work life balance.