Operational & Customer Standards Manager

Jobtailor; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

CrossCountry is seeking a senior leader to head Operational Standards, driving service quality, safety and customer experience across operations. You will lead the creation of practical standards and guidance, embed them across frontline teams, and use data-driven reviews to identify improvements.

The role requires strong collaboration with HR, Learning & Development and operations leadership. As Professional Head of Operational Standards, you will champion innovative, pragmatic working methods

Qualifications

• Relevant railway operations experience.
• Analytical, objective mindset using data, feedback and evidence.
• Strong communication and stakeholder engagement across frontline, technical, management, trade unions, accessibility and senior stakeholder groups.
• Ability to turn complex requirements into clear, usable standards and guidance.
• Collaborative, inclusive and people-focused leadership style.
• Willingness to bring fresh perspective and champion innovative, practical ways of working.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and embedding of operational standards for service delivery, station management and frontline conduct.
• Act as Professional Head of Operational Standards.
• Prepare dashboards, reports and trend reviews that turn data into actionable insight.
• Represent CrossCountry in forums focused on operational excellence, service quality, customer experience and passenger rights.

Skills

Railway operations experience

Operational standards development

Whole-system safety thinking

Stakeholder engagement

Performance improvement

Tools

Dashboards

Data analysis

Job description

• Lead the development and embedding of operational standards for service delivery, station management and frontline conduct
• Act as Professional Head of Operational Standards
• Support continuous improvement in operational safety and customer experience
• Collaborate with Operations, Control, Fleet, Safety, HR and Learning & Development
• Use audits, performance measures, service quality reviews and customer feedback to identify improvement opportunities
• Apply whole-system safety thinking to operational performance and risk
• Champion pragmatic, innovative and simpler ways of working
• Prepare dashboards, reports and trend reviews that turn data into actionable insight
• Lead through people by setting direction, creating shared ownership and supporting colleagues
• Represent CrossCountry in forums focused on operational excellence, service quality, customer experience and passenger rights

Requirements

• Relevant railway operations experience
• Credibility, practical judgement and ability to build trust with operational colleagues
• Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills across frontline, technical, management, trade union, accessibility and senior stakeholder groups
• Ability to turn complex requirements into clear, usable standards and guidance
• Analytical, objective mindset using data, feedback and evidence
• Whole-system safety thinking and awareness of wider operational risk
• Collaborative, inclusive and people-focused leadership style
• Willingness to bring fresh perspective and champion innovative, practical ways of working
• Experience in customer service, safety, service quality, performance improvement or standards management within a railway or closely related operational environment

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in railway operations, focusing on operational standards, safety, and customer experience. Capable of leading teams through effective communication, collaboration, and innovative problem-solving.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Railway Operations Experience
• Operational Standards Development
• Whole-System Safety Thinking
• Stakeholder Engagement Skills
• Performance Improvement

Hard Skills

• Operational Standards
• Service Quality Reviews
• Data Analysis
• Performance Measures
• Dashboards Preparation

Soft Skills

• Strong Communication
• Collaborative Leadership
• Practical Judgement
• Trust Building
• Innovative Thinking

Industry Keywords

• Operational Safety
• Customer Experience
• Frontline Conduct
• Service Delivery
• Standards Management