The covid-19 outbreak has caused a fundamental shift in the relationships within the railway and with government and funders. The franchising system, which was with us for 20+ years, has now ended and we are working towards its replacement at the same time as we work with our operators to ensure their passengers and staff feel safe and supported during this difficult phase. Part of the requirements of this role will be in assisting firstly to ensure we continue to provide a clear, consistent, sustainable and recoverable position for as long as the situation remains; and thereafter build back through investment in services and support for investment in infrastructure to the railway for the future the north needs

With the continuous investment, this role will see the successful candidate taking responsibility for managing the real-time interface and relationship with a specific rail services operator on behalf of passengers, the Department for Transport (DfT) and my client, so its essential to possess the ability to work collaboratively with the train operators as the delivery partner, so they operate the rail services contract (which were formerly known as franchises) in the interest of passengers and meet their contractual obligations as the industry manages and then recovers from the covid-19 outbreak

Key competencies for this role will see the ideal candidate being proactive in nature, a capable communicator and an enthusiastic team member with an ability to prioritise tasks and manage own workloads to meet the demands of varying stakeholders.

What we’re looking for:

The successful candidate will generally lead the relationship with Northern Trains Limited and can be expected to be deployed flexibly as part of the wider Contract Management Team to meet emerging risks and business needs on such things as:

Briefing the DfT and Ministers, and TfN and Members, on matters arising as well as contracted or programmed services delivery

• Supporting the Rail Service Procurement Programme
• Contractual negotiations and variations
• Commercial support to the wider Contract Management Team, Departmental and Rail Executive programmes e.g. capital investment schemes