Director General Major Rail Projects Group

The role will appeal to an experienced and inspirational leader, who thrives working in a highly complex and challenging environment. First and foremost, the Director General will need to be a highly capable leader, able to lead teams across organisational and disciplinary boundaries in a collaborative and inclusive manner. The role requires an individual with proven experience of orchestrating very large-scale projects.

Specifically, the role holder is responsible:

Working, as the Senior Responsible Owner for HS2, with the Chief Executive of HS2 Ltd to assess the current programme position, develop, propose and agree reset schedule and cost ranges to complete Phase 1, including re-incentivising the supply chain and implementing a more capable and efficient client organisation.
Overseeing the delivery of the remainder of HS2’s civils, stations and systems by HS2 Ltd against the reset schedule and cost ranges and designing its entry into service and future operation as part of Great British Railways.
Driving delivery of early economic benefits on the land freed-up from construction around the new stations in close partnership with the London Borough of Camden, Birmingham City Council, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council and the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation.
Finalising the delivery model, schedule and funding for the three stations and local transport links at Euston – including potential use of private finance and tax increment finance; and working closely with the London Borough of Camden and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Growth colleagues on housing delivery.
Working with HMT, NISTA and the NAO to capture and share lessons from HS2 in order to deliver other infrastructure projects more effectively including Northern Powerhouse Rail, Euston, East West Rail, and the Lower Thames Crossing.
Developing and implementing Northern Powerhouse Rail, in conjunction with Network Rail and HS2 Ltd, to strengthen connectivity between England’s northern cities to integrate their economies and accelerate growth, building on Transpennine Route Upgrade. This includes work to deliver early benefits around Leeds and Bradford and to take a hybrid Bill through Parliament and secure additional powers for a new line between Manchester and Liverpool.
Participating in the leadership of the Department for Transport as a member of the Executive Committee and Investment and Project Delivery Committee, including working to build project delivery capability within the Department and across Government.
Supporting development of the project profession across the Civil Service under the direction of the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority.

Person specification:

It is essential that in your written application you give evidence of examples of proven experience in each of the essential criteria of the person specification. These responses will be developed and discussed with those candidates invited for interview.

In terms of strengths and experience we are looking for the following:

Outstanding senior leadership to lead a national-scale endeavour across organisational and political boundaries and to account to Parliament and taxpayers for its delivery.
Extensive breadth and depth of experience of orchestrating very large-scale projects. This includes securing and sustaining support; defining scope; obtaining funding, setting delivery targets on cost and schedule; and monitoring, challenging and supporting delivery and budgets. (This need not be in a rail or public sector context but should evidence sponsorship of delivery by other organisations – whether suppliers or subsidiaries – as distinct from leading direct delivery).
Strong communication skills and high personal impact to establish and maintain trusted and collaborative relationships and to influence ministers and senior industry leaders to achieve agreed collective outcomes and hold people to account.
Financially numerate to oversee very large budgets; balance programme, Departmental and whole of government funding trade-offs; and drive value for money.
Commercial acumen in ensuring appropriate commercial models, aligning incentives, and monitoring and overseeing contracts so that strategic risks are appropriately assigned and mitigated.
An excellent leader of people who improves capability, leads through change, builds a diverse, inclusive, and multi-disciplinary team, and empowers and guides staff successfully through significant challenges and in the face of significant external scrutiny.
Experience in working as part of a senior leadership team within a complex operating environment, providing support and constructive challenge to colleagues to support the organisation’s wider objectives.

Selection process details:

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application process by no later than 23:55pm on Monday 15th September.

The application should include:

A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
A Statement of Suitability (no longer than 1,000 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the criteria in the person specification.
Failure to submit both documents will mean the panel only has limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification.

As part of the online application process, you will be asked a number of diversity-related questions. If you do not wish to provide a declaration on any of the particular characteristics, you will have the option to select ‘prefer not to say’.

All monitoring data will be treated in the strictest confidence and will not be provided to the selection panel.

Nationality requirements:

This job is broadly open to the following groups;

UK nationals
nationals of the Republic of Ireland
nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service.