Operational Compliance Team Leader

arriva; East Midlands; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Arriva Road Transport Services is seeking an experienced Compliance & Audit lead to direct the operational delivery of compliance and audit activities. You will manage a small team, oversee supplier and internal audits, and ensure CAPA closure while developing data-driven assurance via AI and Power BI.

The role requires strong leadership, regulator understanding, and the ability to drive improvements across ISO 9001 and 45001 processes. Travel to sites will be involved as needed.

Qualifications

• Proven line management experience in a small compliance/audit team.
• Experience delivering an audit programme in a regulated industry.
• Knowledge of ISO 9001 and ISO 45001; lead auditor qualification preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead the compliance team and deliver the audit programme on a risk-based cycle.
• Manage supplier assurance and CAPA tracking with evidence discipline.
• Produce weekly dashboards and monthly audit packs for leadership.

Skills

Line management

Audit programme

ISO 9001

Power BI

AI tools

Education

Lead Auditor

Tools

Power BI

Excel

Power Query

Job description

Calling all operational & compliance professionals!

Can you help us in our ambition of delivering a game changing 5-star service for our customers? Do you possess the drive, ambition and experience to be come and show us how to be better than we are today? And are you looking for a workplace whereby you can be happy, looked after and your contributions make a real difference?

Then we want to hear from you!

Here at Arriva Road Transport Services, we shine brightest in our service provision, and we exist to prove alternative transport can be better than the journey it replaces. We are going places - literally! We deliver over 80,000 rail replacement journeys, facilitate 20,000 taxi journeys and supply dedicated frontline support to our customers every year.

We have a plan to build on our success so far and have an opening in a key role in operational compliance and want someone to join us, who will drive us forward in every way possible.

Purpose of role:

To be responsible for the operational delivery of ARTS' compliance and audit activities through leadership of the Compliance Team. Ownership of day-to-day supplier and internal audit delivery, manages the compliance administration workload, and ensures findings are followed through to closure.

Additionally, the creation, management and ownership of business information/data that provides operational assurance that ARTS and its supplier network are meeting their contractual, regulatory and quality obligations - using modern digital and AI-assisted methods as the default.

Direct responsibilities include :

• Audit programme delivery. Plan, schedule and deliver the approved ARTS audit programme - supplier audits, operational audits and compliance checks - on a risk-based cycle, to agreed timescales and to evidence-ready standards.
• Quality assurance. Run the QA routine over ARTS' compliance activities and supplier outputs, ensuring audit working papers, permit records and compliance documentation are consistent, traceable and fit for external scrutiny.
• Line management of the compliance team. Lead two Lead Auditors, the Taxi Permit Administrator and the Compliance Administrator. Set objectives, manage performance, authorise leave, run 1:1s, address capability issues, and develop the team.
• Supplier assurance. Own the operational relationship with audited suppliers, escalating material non-conformances to the Head of Operations and Head of Safety, and ensuring corrective actions are tracked and closed.
• PSVAR and taxi/PHV compliance. Provide oversight of the Taxi Permit Administrator's workload, ensuring permits, vehicle records and driver documentation are current, and PSVAR obligations are evidenced on rail replacement services.
• Findings closure and CAPA. Maintain the corrective and preventative action (CAPA) log, chase findings owners, verify closure evidence and escalated overdue or recurring issues.
• Reporting cadence. Produce and own the weekly compliance dashboard and monthly audit pack for operational leadership, highlighting trends, repeat findings and emerging supplier risk - using AI to draft narrative and Power BI to visualise.
• Audit readiness. Support the Head of Safety and external certification bodies during ISO 9001, 45001 and 22301 surveillance audits, presenting the compliance team's evidence base.
• Digital and AI uplift of the compliance function. Identify, pilot and scale AI-assisted and rules-based improvements to audit templates, findings tracking, supplier evidence collection and MI narrative. Develop the digital maturity of the compliance team.

Experience required includes:

• Essential
• Proven line management experience with a small compliance, audit or operational assurance team
• Demonstrable track record delivering an audit programme in a regulated industry (rail, bus, coach, logistics, aviation, utilities or similar)
• Working knowledge of ISO 9001 and ISO 45001 (lead auditor qualification preferred - see Qualifications)
• Strong understanding of supplier assurance and contract compliance
• Confident with findings management, CAPA tracking and evidence discipline
• Clear, concise report writing for operational leadership
• Practical, daily user of enterprise AI tools (Microsoft 365 Copilot, ChatGPT Enterprise, Claude, Gemini or equivalent) for drafting audit narrative, summarising evidence, producing first-cut findings reports and MI commentary - with the judgement to verify and edit before release
• Responsible AI use: understands Arriva Group data classification and will not expose supplier PII, TOC-sensitive information or commercial data to unapproved tools
• Comfortable interrogating data directly - Excel to intermediate level, Power Query for cleaning, Power BI (or equivalent) for dashboards
• Ability to hold suppliers and internal colleagues to account without escalating unnecessarily
• Comfortable travelling n