Role Purpose:

Act as my client's primary specialist in a role providing critical rail service technical support to the Rail North Partnership (RNP) Management Team, Board and Partners in relation to analysing, selecting, contracting and implementing the passenger-service solution for the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) works and interim and final outputs.

Network Rail is developing plans for TRU, a multi-billion-pound investment in the Manchester – Leeds/York rail route. TRU is the largest programme within the current industry funding cycle. TRU development is led by Network Rail collaboratively with the support of industry stakeholders. Train Operators (in particular TPE and Northern) are an integral element of that development. TRU will see a substantial amount of work on the operational railway over a number of years, which will require increased input from train operators and specifiers/funders to ensure that the work has the minimum adverse impact on passengers and the wider economy, that the outputs are robust and suitable for the whole industry and that the benefits of TRU can be realized as soon as possible in faster, more frequent journey opportunities.

RNP is looking to ensure that we fully support the Programme’s development and prepare rail services for the change that TRU will bring through our management of the Northern and TPE franchises on behalf of the Department for Transport and Transport for the North. This will enable us to mitigate disruption during works and to ensure incremental benefits can be realized throughout the duration of TRU, as service improvements and timetable changes.

You will be expected to provide impactful strategic and policy input by building strong relationships, internally and externally and be able to influence, shape, challenge and contribute to the development and delivery of the RNP’s input into TRU.

Key Accountabilities Key Role Outputs (KROs) What must be achieved for the post-holder to be successful in the role Key Actions How the KROs will be achieved – the activities required:

1. People Management
• May lead, motivate and engage team members, monitoring performance, to ensure a high-performing and cohesive team which works in a collaborative manner consistent with TfN's values.

2.,Business Case Development
• Translate business objectives into clearly defined business cases, costs or schedules that meet required internal standards and those set by HMT to support achievement of a strategy/policy area.

3. Policy and Process Development
• Lead the development and implementation of a complex strategy that drives an integrated approach across TfN and relevant programmes that make up the LTRS.
• Identify and make recommendations to strategy and policy development, focusing on ways implementation can be achieved more effectively and efficiently to achieve Partners’ wider strategic transport plans.

4. Stakeholder Management
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with critical stakeholders, both internally and externally, in order to ensure and influence the successful delivery of the TRU programme.

5. Project Management
• Manage strategic projects and initiatives that cut-cross Partners’ programmes in order to improve strategic planning and create value for partners utilising a project management framework in order to identify, assess and take action to mitigate risks to project success.

6. Data Collection and Analysis
• Analyse external factors and market trends in order to identify potential opportunities or risks, always focused on the North's growth agenda.
• Analyse key themes from a wide range of sources in order to identify how different scenarios may impact upon the TRU programme and the cross-cutting programmes.

7. Advice and Information
• Establish and manage the framework of research and intelligence that is required to build a robust evidence base to shape key decisions for a strategy/policy.
• Review and report emerging best practice and guidance, sharing across TfN and with wider stakeholders to ensure the evidence base and outputs are the best they can be.
• Produce timely and informed advice and briefings to Board Members and Senior Management.

8. Financial Management
• Contribute to the development of and lead the control of relevant budgets to ensure value for money and cost, fulfilling financial and contractual management requirements and ensuring the effective use of financial resources within budget.

9. Risk Management and Compliance
• Supervise and quality-assure the drafting of key strategy/policy documents to ensure consistency including in line with the LTRS and TfN’s wider Strategic Transport Plan.

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