Industry Contracts Manager

FirstGroup plc; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 75,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free TfL Travel

75% season ticket discount

European rail discounts

First Xclusives benefits portal

Employee Assistance Programme

Job summary

First Rail London is seeking a commercially focused professional to manage London Overground station access agreements and leases while providing regulatory insight. You will lead negotiations with industry partners, manage key interfaces with Network Rail and London Underground, and support TfL collaboration to deliver strategic objectives.

Based in London, you will interact with senior leaders across TfL and the wider rail sector, promoting collaborative practices and ensuring value delivery

Qualifications

• Proven experience in managing and optimising value from commercial and operational contracts, preferably in rail or regulated sectors.
• Track record of building effective partnerships and collaborative relationships with peers, internal and external partners and stakeholders.
• Knowledge of contractual arrangements between FRL, TfL, Network Rail and other industry parties and the regulatory framework.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of London Overground's station access agreements and leases; provide trusted commercial and regulatory advice.
• Lead negotiations with industry partners and stakeholders; ensure robust commercial management of contracts, charges and recoveries.
• Manage FRL's interfaces with Network Rail; support programmes and funding arrangements delivering strategic objectives.
• Represent the business on industry and regulatory matters; support consultations around rail reform and Great British Railways development.
• Act as primary contact for contractual engagement with London Underground; identify opportunities for operational improvements and customer experience.
• Build relationships with senior leaders across TfL and wider rail industry to drive collaboration and growth of rail services in London.
• Support development of collaborative working practices in line with ISO 44001 and concession requirements.
• Share expertise and lessons learned across First Rail to improve contract and stakeholder management.

Skills

Contract management

Stakeholder management

Commercial negotiations

Regulatory awareness

Rail industry knowledge

Strategic collaboration

Education

GCSE English & Maths

Job description

Who are we

First Rail London (FRL) is the train operating company responsible for running the London Overground network under a concession agreement with Transport for London (TfL). The concession began in May 2026.

FirstRail London is part of FirstGroup, one of the leading rail operators and one of the largest bus operators in the UK. FirstGroup operates services throughout the UK and Ireland, with over 30,000 employees providing services that make travel smoother and life easier. FirstGroup works hard to reduce its impact on the environment, introducing cleaner and more environmentally responsible methods of transport.

About the job

The post holder is responsible for First Rail London's key industry relationships and associated commercial and contractual arrangements, in particular those relating to Station Access and Leases. The role will support and provide advice where required in matters relating to the industry regulatory framework, acting as FRL's informed stakeholder for industry programmes relevant to London Overground.

The role shalllead and promote the maintenance of strong collaborative relationships and interface management with key industry partners across the London Overground network, including Network Rail, London Underground and other relevant operators and stakeholders, aligning to First Group's collaborative working standard, building joint objectives and inspiring behaviours throughout respective organisations to improve outcomes.

The role will also provide strong commercial focus on achieving best value and minimising risk from FRL's industry arrangements, applying sound contractual knowledge to support financial delivery to FRL and Transport for London (TfL).

Your main responsibilities will be:

• Taking ownership of London Overground's station access agreements and leases, acting as the go-to expert and providing trusted commercial and regulatory advice across the business.
• Leading negotiations with industry partners and stakeholders, ensuring robust commercial management of contractual agreements, charges and recoveries.
• Managing FRL's key commercial and contractual interfaces with Network Rail, supporting collaborative programmes and funding arrangements that deliver strategic objectives.
• Representing the business on industry and regulatory matters, supporting consultations and acting as informed stakeholder particularly around the rail reform programme and the development of Great British Railways.
• Acting as the primary contact for contractual engagement with London Underground, identifying opportunities to deliver operational improvements and enhance the customer experience.
• Building strong relationships with senior leaders across TfL and the wider rail industry to drive collaboration and support the continued growth of rail services in London.
• Supporting the development of collaborative working practices in line with First's ISO 44001 standard and concession requirements.
• Playing a key role within the Concession Management team, ensuring excellent client relationship management and supporting the successful delivery of contractual commitments.
• Sharing expertise, best practice and lessons learned across the wider First Rail business to continuously improve contract and stakeholder management.

As a minimum, you will need to have:

• Proven experience in managing and optimising value from commercial and operational contracts, preferably in a rail or other regulatory background
• Track record of building effective partnerships andcollaborative working relationships with peers, internal and external partners and stakeholders
• Knowledge of the contractual arrangements in place between FRL, TfL, Network Rail and other industry parties, and of the wider industry regulatory framework and London Overground's position within it
• Goodunderstanding of the London Overground network, including interfaces with LUL and other operators
• Strong commercial acumen and financial awareness, to support robust contract management
• Excellentstakeholder management and relationship building skills
• Ability to build mutual understanding across organisational boundaries
• Strong negotiation skills and an ability to find common ground
• Ability to maintain strategic focus and drive value through effective collaboration
• Ability to identify and manage risk across strategic relationships
• Ability to take an agile and adaptable approach to problem solving
• Generaleducation including English and Mathematics at GCSE level.

About the location

2 Redman Place, Stratford

The Reward

• Free Travel for you and a nominated person at your address on TfL Network - this alone is worth a potential total of £5,200 per annum
• 75% discount off season tickets and leisure travel on other Train Operating Companies
• Discounts on European rail services after 1 year of service
• First Xclusives – a benefits portal offering a wide range of benefits and discounts
• Employee Assistance Programme - 24hr helpline, covering a multitude of subjects

We all belong at First Rail London.

FirstGroup's vision is to provide an inclusive environment for all colleagues, across its group of businesses, ensuring all candidates have an equal opportunity to access meaningful employment.

We value our differences such as age, gender, LGBTQIA+, ethnicity, religion, and disability. We maintain a zero tolerance towards any form of prejudice towards our colleagues, customers, and future talent.

We celebrate and encourage diversity of thought, progressive ways of working and seeing all our colleagues grow and thrive.

We review all roles and job descriptions to ensure they are accessible and, where possible, we support and provide flexible working options; we recommend that you refer to each vacancy description for further details.

If you require additional support to complete your application due to a disability or neurodivergent condition, for example, dyslexia, dyspraxia, or autism, please follow the links below. We encourage you to share any additional needs you may require so we can provide a fair and equal process for all who apply.

https://exceptionalindividuals.com/neurodiversity/

https://www.healthassured.org/blog/neurodiversity/