Operations Director

Brief Description:

As the Operations Director, you’ll not only manage operations but also drive innovation, build strong partnerships, and lead with purpose to meet ambitious safety, performance, and financial goals. You’ll be at the heart of shaping priorities with key stakeholders, ensuring the North West continues to set the standard for operational excellence in the rail industry.

Please be aware this role holds a mandatory requirement for the incumbent to hold valid security vetting clearance. Any offer will be conditional on the successful candidate obtaining clearance prior to a start date being agreed.

If you have lived outside of the UK in the last 3 years and have been invited to interview for this role, please notify us.

About the role:

This dynamic, high-impact role offers incredible variety and responsibility. Expect to;

Lead by example in safety and sustainability—championing a culture of safety and environmental excellence while managing operations across the North West.
Drive operational success by achieving key business objectives, meeting performance metrics, and delivering continuous improvement in all areas.
Shape a customer-focused culture—integrating feedback from stakeholders and frontline employees to refine policies and procedures for better outcomes.
Deliver real-time performance excellence, implementing initiatives to address customer needs and improve train performance in collaboration with the Infrastructure Director.
Respond and recover with confidence by leading the development of disaster and incident management plans and supporting recovery efforts during major incidents.
Influence the future of rail by contributing to business strategies, policies, and standards that strengthen the North West Route’s position as an industry leader.

Every day will be different, but you can expect to be involved in the following activities:

Direct the management of safety within the geographical area and act as a role model in the promotion of safety and environmental excellence across all areas of control.
Direct the area team to achieve business / functional objectives and meet key performance measures. Create an engaged, motivated working environment in line with company values.
Create a culture to enable customer and frontline employee feedback to be reflected in policies and procedures to deliver continuous performance improvement.
Achieve financial, technical, safety and customer satisfaction targets agreed with the Route Director.
Lead delivery of operations in compliance with policies, procedures and standards and direct the development of disaster and incident management plans. Support the on-site management of recovery from major incidents.
Manage the development and implementation of safety, train performance and customer satisfaction, initiatives. With the Infrastructure Director, create plans to address customer needs and performance issues.
Lead real-time delivery of train performance and implement processes to deliver continuous improvement.
Provide input to business plans, policies, standards and network strategies.
Act as the Designated Competent Person (DCP) for both formal and local investigations. Report on accidents/incidents and undertake investigations as required.
Undertake safety tours and set the framework for safety and work quality check within the team.

We’re seeking a bold, visionary leader who can balance operational precision with a passion for people, safety, and performance. To succeed in this role, you’ll need;

Chartered membership of a relevant professional body or equivalent experience.
Significant operational leadership experience in a safety-critical industry.
A proven track record of delivering safety, performance, and customer excellence.
Expert knowledge of health, safety, and compliance processes.
In-depth understanding of the rail industry and its unique challenges and opportunities.
Strong financial management skills and the ability to meet targets.
Exceptional relationship-building and influencing skills across functions, companies, and stakeholders.

Salary and benefits:

Salary: Band 1C, starting at £116,753 and increasing to £141,771.
Pro-rata annual leave entitlement (28 days)
My benefits – our discounted online shopping site
A range of discounted offers including, childcare vouchers, healthcare offers – cycle to work, healthcare club discounted membership and other benefits
Subsidies of up to 75% on rail and underground season tickets
75% discount on leisure travel
A choice of contributory pension schemes
2 weeks paid reserve leave for our Armed Forces community.

Closing date: 11th February 2025. Late applications will not be accepted.

Tagged as: line, safety, technical