New Fleet Joint Project Manager

London North Eastern Railway; York and North Yorkshire; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free travel on LNER

75% off other tickets

Discounts on international tickets

Family ticket discounts

Generous pension scheme

Cycle to work / EV scheme

Retail discounts & cashback

Health & wellbeing schemes

Training opportunities

Rewards & awards

Job summary

London North Eastern Railway is seeking an experienced Lead Project Manager to drive the CAF fleet introduction under a 24-month fixed term contract. You will lead the delivery of a major Manufacture and Supply Agreement, coordinate the 10-train rollout, and oversee milestones, budgets, and quality with a diverse set of stakeholders.

You will act as the primary interface between LNER, the asset owner and the manufacturer, maintain robust governance and risk management, and champion safety.

Qualifications

• Proven ability to build credibility and lead diverse stakeholders, from operators to executives.
• Commercial thinker with strategic and practical problem-solving skills.
• Extensive programme and project delivery experience with procurement focus.
• Exceptional communication and influencing skills across multiple groups.
• Strong people leadership, building trust and collaborative culture.
• Experience in business change or transformation programmes.

Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of the CAF fleet programme, achieving milestones on time, within budget and to quality standards.
• Act as the primary interface between LNER, asset owner and manufacturer; manage supplier relationships.
• Maintain governance, reporting and risk management with clear escalation when needed.
• Oversee train build and acceptance, ensuring stakeholder requirements are embedded and approved.
• Ensure regulatory compliance and drive continuous improvement in delivery practices.
• Manage programme budgets, resources, schedules and risks to maximise value.
• Support operational transition plans to ensure safe and effective fleet introduction.
• Provide assurance and recommendations to senior leaders and asset owners ahead of handover.
• Foster a collaborative, delivery-focused culture prioritising safety and stakeholder alignment.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Commercial acumen

Project management

Communication

People leadership

Portfolio delivery

Consultancy approach

Safety focus

Job description

Great journeys start with great people

Here at LNER, we're shaping the future of rail on one of the UK's most iconic routes. From our high-speed Azuma fleet, redefining long-distance travel, to our next generation of trains, Serenza, this is a moment of real transformation for LNER. We're investing in cutting-edge technology, sustainability, and most importantly our people, to deliver outstanding experiences for our customers. There has never been a more exciting time to grow your career with LNER!

So,what exactly does our New Fleet Joint Project Manager do?

This is a unique opportunity to play a pivotal role in the introduction of LNER's new CAF-built train fleet, leading the delivery of a major Manufacture and Supply Agreement on behalf of both LNER and Porterbrook.

Please note that this is a 24 month fixed term contract initially.

You'll oversee the successful introduction of 10 new trains, ensuring delivery to time, cost and quality expectations while managing a diverse network of stakeholders, suppliers and risks. Combining exceptional project leadership, commercial acumen and relationship management skills, you'll drive the right outcomes for customers, colleagues and partners, champion safety, and help shape the future of rail travel.

As the Lead Project Manager, you will:

• Lead the successful delivery of the new CAF fleet programme, ensuring milestones are achieved safely, on time, within budget and to the required quality standards.
• Act as the primary interface between LNER, the asset owner and the manufacturer, managing relationships and driving performance across a complex supplier environment.
• Maintain effective governance, reporting and risk management processes, providing clear visibility, control and timely escalation where required.
• Oversee the train build and acceptance process, ensuring stakeholder requirements are embedded, reviewed and formally approved.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and project management standards, driving continuous improvement and best practice delivery.
• Manage programme budgets, resources, schedules and risks to maximise value and deliver successful outcomes.
• Support the development of operational transition plans, ensuring the fleet is introduced into service safely and effectively.
• Provide assurance and recommendations to senior leaders and asset owners ahead of unit acceptance and project handover.
• Foster a collaborative, delivery-focused culture that motivates teams, builds strong stakeholder relationships and prioritises safety at every stage.

What you'll need:

• Proven ability to build credibility and lead a diverse range of stakeholders, from operational teams and technical specialists through to senior executives, suppliers and asset owners.
• A commercially minded professional who combines strategic thinking with creativity, bringing fresh ideas and practical solutions to complex challenges.
• Extensive experience in programme and project management, with a strong track record of delivering large-scale, high-profile programmes with a strong procurement element.
• Exceptional communication and influencing skills, able to challenge constructively, negotiate effectively and secure alignment across multiple stakeholder groups.
• A proven people leader who excels at bringing together diverse teams to deliver results in complex environments. You'll build strong relationships, inspire and develop others, and create a culture of trust, accountability and collaboration, while turning complex operational, technical and commercial challenges into clear, practical solutions.
• Strong portfolio delivery experience, ideally within a business change, transformation or programme delivery environment, balancing competing priorities while maintaining focus on strategic objectives.
• A consultancy-style approach, combining analytical thinking, problem solving, stakeholder engagement and a results-focused mindset to drive successful outcomes.
• A commitment to living the LNER values every day, championing safety, inclusion, continuous improvement and delivering exceptional outcomes for colleagues, customers and partners.

You'll enjoy:

• Free travel on LNER, plus 75% off other companies' tickets (for you and your dependents).
• Discounted international train tickets (after one year's service).
• 50% discount on LNER tickets for friends and family.
• Generous pension scheme.
• Annual cycle to work schemes/electric vehicle scheme.
• Discount, savings and cashback scheme from top retailers.
• Health and wellbeing schemes and discounts.
• A host of training opportunities to help further your career.
• Rewards and awards to recognise when you shine.

Life at LNER

We're on a mission to become the UK's most loved, forward-thinking, and responsible train operating company in the UK. This means making a real difference by doing the right thing for our customers, our people, and the communities and destinations we serve.

Together, we're shaping the future of rail travel through our passion, our innovation, and our extraordinary people.

Our people are at the heart of everything we do. We're committed to creating an inclusive and engaged culture that supports everyone at every stage of their journey. This means that when you're with LNER, you can truly be yourself—and it's why so many of our colleagues choose to stay and grow with us.

Diversity and inclusion– We are passionate about building a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We actively create opportunities to inspire and attract diverse talent to join LNER. We are committed to supporting all candidates, so if you require any adjustments or assistance at any stage of the recruitment process, please let us know.

Developing our people – We're creating a learning culture that enables our people to be the best they can be. We support development and career journeys with the right tools and resources, aligned to our people priorities: readiness for Great British Rail, the future world of work and strong, people-focused leadership that delivers for our people, customers, and business.

Health and wellbeing - To create a culture where our people can perform at their best, the physical health and mental wellbeing of our people is of paramount importance to us.

Disclosure and Barring Service(DBS) check

At LNER, safety is our top priority. If your application is successful and you're new to the business, we'll carry out a basic DBS check as part of our pre-employment process. This is only takes place once a conditional job offer has been made.

The DBS check looks for any unspent convictions and conditional cautions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974. If there's evidence of an unspent conviction or a conditional caution, the details of these will be reviewed internally by a cross functional panel on a case‑based basis before a final offer of employment is confirmed. Please note that in some cases, this may result in an offer being withdrawn.

Further information on how we collect and use this data is available on our privacy notice.

Medical screening

We're a safety conscious business, so when joining LNER in any role you'll need to pass a medical screening and a drugs and alcohol test before we can confirm an unconditional job offer. For safety-critical roles, a safety-critical medical will also be required.

Our Talent Team will be on hand to guide you through the process and will send you a medical questionnaire by email. Once complete, this will go directly to our in-house Health and Wellbeing team who will contact you to arrange a convenient location, date and time for your medical appointment. We currently have clinics in Kings Cross, Doncaster, Newcastle and Edinburgh. The sooner we can do it, the better, so please try to be flexible with your availability. Once your medical is approved, we'll finalise any last details and look forward to you joining the team!