Assistant Rail Services Manager (Avanti West Coast)

Major improvements are being delivered by DFTO train operators (TOCs) that are already under public ownership - these are LNER, Northern, TransPennine Express (TPE), Southeastern, South Western Railway (SWR), c2c, Greater Anglia and WM Trains. We work closely with the DfT but operate independently with our own governance and leadership teams. Our priority is ensuring efficient, dependable rail services for everyone. Primary Purpose of Job: We are looking for an individual to maintain collaborative commercial relationships with TrainOperating Companies (TOCs) to effectively deliver high profile contracts, ensuring taxpayers receive value for money and the benefits of investments in our railways are maximised. This role sits within the Rail Services Group in the Department for Transport Operator (DFTO). You could be assigned to any of the 14 DFTO contracted TOCs; current vacancies include Avanti West Coast (AWC). You will need to be flexible to be deployed across any TOC in future. Key Deliverables: Working collaboratively with the Train Operator, you will be a key member of the team managing the commercial elements of their National Rail Contract (NRC) and successor Services Agreement (SA) to ensure outcomes are consistent with current affordability constraints, represent value for money, are in the interests of taxpayers and passengers.

• You will support the day-to-day management of the contract/agreement, to ensure the operators meet their contractual obligations/are supported and challenged to deliver agreed outcomes.
• The role is varied and fast paced and you will manage day-to-day issues as they arise e.g. monitoring train performance, drafting reports or briefings and correspondence, and ensuring that TOC improvement is supported as necessary.
• In this role you will gain extensive experience in stakeholder and supplier management as well building up to having strong contract management capability.
• As you learn to manage these high value, complex contracts, you will develop the commercial awareness to support the Department for Transport Operator to drive and deliver positive outcomes for rail passengers.
• You will also support the team to work collaboratively with senior level members of the rail operators and infrastructure managers as our delivery partners., Manage the day-to-day contractual relationship between the internal experts and train operators and DfTO ensuring that the delivery of business plan commitments and contractual obligations is monitored through to completion and that appropriate auditability is in place.
• Develop a collaborative working relationship with the operator to ensure that the interests of passengers and taxpayers are protected.
• Build up an expert knowledge of the National Rail Contract (NRC) and subsequent Services Agreement (SA) relevant processes. Using this knowledge to effectively manage the contract on a day-to-day basis.
• Proactively address day-to-day issues as they arise and provide advice to senior colleagues on emerging risks.
• Work in partnership with colleagues to manage contractual changes and approvals, ensuring proper and accurate records of these are maintained.
• Lead and support operator negotiations, variations and enforcement procedures as required.
• Support colleagues with periodic updates of Dashboards, Milestones and Risk Registers as required.
• Develop and present evidenced-based recommendations to the Deputy Director or other DfTO and DfT approval bodies.
• Provide advice and briefing including dealing with correspondence from external stakeholders and the public, sometimes within challenging timescales.
• Work closely with the Public Ownership Transition (POTP) team.
• Build knowledge and contribute to the transfer and bedding into the new public ownership Services Agreement when required.
  
  Excellent planning and organisation skills
• Effective communication skills, both orally and in writing and able to collaborate with team members and stakeholders at all levels.
• A proactive approach to delivering results in a fast-paced environment and ability to take own initiative, managing their own time and priorities effectively.
• Ability to work under pressure supporting large projects and able to adopt to ever changing demands.
• Close attention to detail, good organisational skills, and the ability to solve problems to meet deadlines and deliver agreed outputs.
• Interest in commercial or contract management to ensure decision-making is consistent with affordability constraints, represent value for money and are in the best interests of taxpayers and passengers.
• Openness to developing own knowledge and skills.
  
  DFTO is the government's public sector rail owning group. Its purpose is to bring all currently privately-owned train operators into public ownership in advance of the creation of Great British Railways in 2027 - and deliver improvements in the here and now by unifying and integrating train operations under common public ownership.
DFTO has over 30,000 employees, runs over 8,500 services a day and delivers over 640 million customer journeys across its networks every year. 7,000 people joined the railway family in the last year