ZE Transition Business Partner

Arriva is a leading European passenger transport partner, operating in 11 countries across the UK and Europe. The company employs around 35,000 people, delivering more than 1.5 billion passenger journeys connecting people and communities safely, reliably and sustainably. We have strong roots dating back to 1938, an ambitious growth and sustainability agenda, and a continuously developing relationship with I Squared Capital – a global infrastructure investment fund manager - who acquired Arriva in 2024.

We are looking for a ZE Transition Partner to join our Zero Emission Team! This role can be based from either our London, Netherlands or Mainland Europe Operating Countries offices. Step into a role where you shape the future of sustainable mobility. As part of our international team, you will be at the forefront of the Zero Emission (ZE) transition, driving innovation and delivering groundbreaking projects that set new standards in the industry. You combine sharp analytical skills with a hands‑on approach, bringing strategy to life while inspiring collaboration across countries, cultures, and disciplines.

What Makes This Role Unique

You won’t just be planning the ZE future—you’ll be delivering it with the local businesses. In this role, you will act as a true Business Partner, with hands‑on involvement in groundbreaking, innovative, pioneering projects that will boost the ZE transition. Being part of an international team means you will operate in a dynamic environment where ideas, knowledge, and best practices flow freely across borders. You’ll combine strategy with execution, turning vision into action and ensuring that innovation, knowledge, and quality come together to realize our Zero Emission ambition.

Direct Responsibilities

• Define and lead the BU’s ZE strategic roadmap: Take full accountability for shaping and owning the BU’s Zero-Emission (ZE) vision and long-term strategy. Set clear priorities and direction, ensuring alignment with corporate objectives and market dynamics. Act as the strategic architect—design, build, and govern the ZE roadmap and its portfolio of initiatives. Drive decision‑making at senior levels, secure stakeholder buy‑in, and proactively steer execution to accelerate the transition.
• Tackle & innovate: Lead (ad-hoc) problem solving and generate innovative ideas to accelerate the ZE transition by tangible progress, visibility and project management ownership.
• Ensure quality: Serve as the objective advisor for investment rigor and operational readiness. Review and validate Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) models and business cases to ensure financial feasibility, strategic fit, and scalability. Establish governance standards that guarantee quality, compliance, and resilience across all ZE developments.
• Standardize & structure: Define and enforce universal blueprints, frameworks, and standards for ZE solutions. Create modular building blocks that enable consistency, interoperability, and speed of deployment across markets. Embed best practices into processes to reduce complexity and drive operational excellence.
• Monitor & measure: Implement robust performance tracking and impact assessment mechanisms. Develop dashboards and reporting frameworks to monitor ZE transition progress, financial outcomes, and sustainability metrics across key markets. Translate insights into actionable recommendations for continuous improvement and strategic course correction.
• Facilitate & improve: Maintain the central knowledge hub and develop or implement process enhancements.
• Inspire & connect: Act as the ambassador for the ZE Transition—energize stakeholders through compelling narratives, thought leadership, and knowledge‑sharing forums. Organize and participate in events, conferences, and advisory sessions to build momentum and foster collaboration. Connect markets and teams to strengthen processes, elevate quality, and embed a learning culture.

Knowledge, Skills And Experience

• A pragmatic way of working and an efficiency mindset to optimize lead times, decision making and collaboration.
• A strong analytical mindset and the ability to turn complex data into clear, actionable insights.
• Curiosity, creativity, and a problem‑solving attitude to challenge the status quo and spark innovation.
• Experience in project management and/or process improvement, ideally in an international or cross‑functional setting.
• A hands‑on approach with the resilience to deliver results in fast‑changing, pioneering projects.
• Strong communication and storytelling skills, with the ability to inspire diverse stakeholders.
• An international outlook and cultural awareness, enabling you to connect people and ideas across countries.
• Ambition to leave a lasting positive impact.

Success Criteria And Indicators

• An up to date and ambitious ZE Transition roadmap and being executed as planned.
• Growing ZE tender/implementation pipeline vs. baseline plan.
• Project and portfolio management and execution as planned.
• ZE TCO improvements vs. ICE solution.
• Setting and enforcing the standard across the Group.
• Connecting businesses to cooperate and utilize Group potential.
• Grow local knowledge (to reduce the need for external support).
• Continuously improving the way of working to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
• A pro‑active leader & owner.