Head of NPR - High Speed Development

Transport for Greater Manchester; Greater Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 110,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme

Holiday entitlement

Hybrid work

Free travel in GM

Professional fees reimbursement

Wellbeing support

Job summary

Transport for Greater Manchester seeks a Head of Northern Powerhouse Rail and High Speed Development to steer critical rail investment work across the North. This role sits at the intersection of transport policy, devolution and public investment, and involves building support with ministers and senior stakeholders.

You will lead strategies, business cases, funding submissions, and delivery priorities while guiding multidisciplinary teams across TfGM and partner organisations.

Qualifications

• Strategic leadership experience in a complex, politically sensitive environment.
• Strong knowledge of transport and public policy.
• Experience developing transport solutions, business cases, funding propositions.
• Credible with elected members, government departments, and Civil Service bodies.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for Northern Powerhouse Rail and high-speed connectivity.
• Shape strategies, business cases, funding submissions, and delivery priorities.
• Represent TfGM with ministers, senior stakeholders, and in scrutiny processes.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams across a high-profile, evolving portfolio.

Job description

Are you an exceptional strategic leader who can shape one of the North’s most significant transport programmes?

We are looking for a Head of Northern Powerhouse Rail and High Speed Development to lead TfGM’s contribution to the strategic development of Northern Powerhouse Rail and associated high-speed rail priorities. This is a high-profile role at the intersection of transport, economic growth, devolution, government policy, and major public investment.

You will represent Greater Manchester’s interests with senior stakeholders across organisational boundaries and with ministers, build support for investment, and lead colleagues through a complex and evolving programme of work. This is a high-profile role, supporting a £45 billion commitment to rail investment in the North , as out by the Government.

Your Role

You will provide strategic leadership for TfGM’s work on Northern Powerhouse Rail and high-speed connectivity, helping to develop an integrated approach across rail, road, bus, and tram.

You will shape strategies, business cases, funding submissions, and delivery priorities, working closely with the Department for Transport, HM Treasury, local authorities, transport partners, and other government bodies.

You will provide clear, authoritative advice to senior leaders and elected members, represent TfGM through formal scrutiny and committee processes (including Select Committees), and represent Greater Manchester’s position when required. As a collegiate leader, you will bring multidisciplinary teams and partners together around a clear direction and shared outcomes.

Who are we?

Transport for Greater Manchester works to improve transport and support sustainable growth, opportunity, and quality of life across Greater Manchester.

This role sits within the Plan and Develop Directorate and reports to the Transport Planning and Development Director. It works across TfGM and with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), Greater Manchester - and neighbouring - local authorities, the Department for Transport, HM Treasury, Transport for the North, Network Rail, National Highways, transport operators, and other public- and private-sector partners.

The postholder will be responsible for connecting national investment and policy decisions with Greater Manchester’s ambitions for an integrated transport network, economic growth, and prosperity.

This is an opportunity to influence nationally significant transport policy while helping to shape long-term outcomes for Greater Manchester and the wider North.

What you’ll bring

What you do and how you do it is important whatever type of role you work in at TfGM and even small behaviours and actions can have a really big impact. At TfGM, our behaviours bring to life our values of Deliver, Care and Adapt.

You will bring substantial strategic leadership experience in a complex, politically sensitive environment, alongside strong knowledge of transport and public policy. You will have successfully developed transport solutions, business cases, funding propositions, and major programmes in partnership with public- and private-sector organisations.

You will demonstrable credibility with elected members, government departments and Civil Service bodies, committees, and external stakeholders; and have excellent judgement, negotiation, written communication, and presentation skills. You will Deliver through disciplined programme and financial leadership, Care by building trust and bringing people with you, and Adapt by navigating scrutiny, ambiguity, and changing political and policy priorities.

What we can offer you

This role offers the opportunity to lead TfGM’s contribution to a nationally significant programme, influence decisions at the highest levels, and make a lasting contribution to Greater Manchester and the North. You will work with senior leaders, elected members, government departments, and transport partners, while leading talented multidisciplinary teams across a high-profile and evolving portfolio as the remit of devolution continues to expand under the new Government administration.

The role provides considerable scope to shape strategy, build collaborative partnerships, and develop your experience of major investment, government engagement, public scrutiny, and organisational leadership.

Our benefits include:

• Local Government Defined Benefit Pension Scheme which includes life cover of 3x your salary and options to increase your pension contributions
• 28 days holiday per annum (plus bank holidays)
• Flexible and hybrid working options to promote and support a good work/life balance
• Free travel to work within Greater Manchester boundary on bus and rail or Metrolink
• Commitment to learning and personal development and upskilling with reimbursement of relevant professional fees.
• We promote good physical and mental health and can provide additional support to staff via our employee assistance programme when required

TfGM is proud to be an equal opportunities employer that encourages and celebrates diversity. We want to recruit and retain a workforce that reflects the communities we serve and welcome individuals from all backgrounds by committing to providing a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process.

We will offer support and reasonable adjustments if required and we also have a Guaranteed Assessment Scheme which you can find out more information on here.

For this opportunity, you must be able to prove you have the right to work in the UK - if in doubt please visit the following link Employers' right to work checklist - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Please note we are not a licensed sponsor.

Please note we may close the advert early if we receive a high volume of applications.