Senior Controller

Location: Purley Way

Contract Type: Full-Time, Permanent

Why Join Arriva London?

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced operational professional looking to develop their career within one of London's largest and most respected transport operators. We are committed to investing in our people through structured development, mentoring, training, and clear progression pathways, while offering a competitive benefits package and the opportunity to play a key role in delivering safe, reliable, and high-performing bus services across London.

Role Purpose

The Senior Controller is responsible for the effective day-to-day management, supervision, and regulation of bus services through the iBus Control Centre, ensuring the delivery of a safe, reliable, and high-performing operation. The role requires extensive operational control experience and a comprehensive understanding of bus operations, service regulation, mileage management, and performance monitoring to ensure contractual and operational targets are achieved and exceeded. The successful candidate will provide leadership to Controllers, manage service disruptions, oversee operational performance, and ensure all services operate in accordance with TfL requirements, company standards, and regulatory obligations.

Essential Knowledge and Experience

• Extensive and in-depth knowledge of bus operations and service delivery within a high-volume operational environment.
• Significant experience in bus service control, regulation, and performance management.
• Strong understanding of service control techniques, including curtailments, projections, diversions, holding, advancing, and service recovery methods.
• Proven experience monitoring, validating, and managing operational mileage, including scheduled mileage, lost mileage, dead mileage, and mileage coding accuracy.
• Strong understanding of mileage reporting, performance data, operational KPIs, and contractual performance measures.
• Experience analysing operational trends and implementing corrective actions to improve reliability and efficiency.
• Thorough knowledge of TfL performance requirements, Quality Incentive Contracts (QICs), and operational compliance standards.
• Strong leadership, coaching, and people management skills.
• Excellent decision-making abilities under pressure, particularly during service disruption and emergency situations.
• Sound knowledge of PCV regulations, Road Traffic legislation, health and safety requirements, and transport industry best practice.

Key Responsibilities

Service Performance and Operational Control

• Take overall responsibility for the daily control, regulation, and performance of allocated bus services, ensuring all routes operate safely, efficiently, and in accordance with company and TfL performance standards.
• Lead and support the Control Team in managing service disruptions, incidents, and emergencies while minimising customer impact and maintaining service reliability.
• Ensure all relevant stakeholders, including senior management, risk management teams, TfL, emergency services, and other external agencies, are informed in accordance with company reporting procedures.
• Utilise all available operational systems and data to monitor service performance, identify emerging issues, and implement effective service recovery measures.
• Apply established service control methods including curtailments, diversions, projections, advancing, holding, and retarding services to maximise reliability and operational performance.
• Maintain detailed knowledge of route networks, traffic hotspots, roadworks, events, and other operational challenges affecting service delivery.
• Implement diversions and emergency route alterations safely and efficiently, liaising with relevant stakeholders as required.
• Ensure all control logs, performance records, and incident reports are completed accurately and contain sufficient detail to satisfy internal and external audit requirements.
• Identify trends in operational performance and produce reports highlighting areas of concern, opportunities for improvement, and examples of best practice.

Mileage Management and Compliance

• Take ownership of all mileage reporting and validation processes within the Control Centre.
• Ensure all mileage recorded by Controllers is accurate, correctly coded, and fully compliant with company and TfL requirements.
• Monitor scheduled mileage, operated mileage, lost mileage, dead mileage, and engineering-related mileage impacts.
• Investigate mileage discrepancies and implement corrective actions to improve reporting accuracy and operational efficiency.
• Produce and analyse mileage reports to identify trends, service losses, and opportunities for performance improvement.
• Work closely with garage, engineering, and operational teams to minimise lost mileage and maximise service delivery.

Leadership and Team Management

• Provide day-to-day leadership, supervision, and support to Controllers and other operational staff.
• Manage controller performance through coaching, mentoring, development planning, and regular performance reviews.
• Identify training and development requirements and ensure operational competence is maintained across the team.
• Support the induction and development of new Controllers.
• Promote a culture of accountability, professionalism, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
• Conduct investigations, fact-finding exercises, and performance discussions where standards fall below expectations.
• Escalate serious conduct or performance matters to the Performance Team Leader as appropriate.

Operational Planning and Improvement

• Contribute operational expertise to service planning, route development, and performance improvement initiatives.
• Conduct route studies, surveys, and operational reviews to identify opportunities to improve service reliability and efficiency.
• Provide recommendations regarding route performance, passenger demand, resource allocation, and operational effectiveness.
• Support business improvement projects through data analysis, operational insight, and performance reporting.

Additional Responsibilities

• Conduct operational observations, investigations, and audits as required.
• Attend operational, performance, and stakeholder meetings.
• Support business continuity arrangements during major incidents and emergency situations.
• Undertake any other reasonable duties commensurate with the level of the role.

What We're Looking For

• Exceptional knowledge of bus operations and service regulation.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Proven leadership and people management experience.
• Experience in operational performance monitoring and reporting.
• High levels of accountability and attention to detail.
• Confidence in making decisions under pressure.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• A proactive approach to identifying and resolving operational challenges.
• A commitment to delivering outstanding customer service and operational performance.

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Full-time, permanent role
• Excellent career progression opportunities within a major London transport operator
• Dedicated one-to-one mentoring and development support
• Access to training courses and professional certifications
• Free bus travel for you and a nominated family member
• Access to Arriva Village – retail discounts worth up to £1,200 per year
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Company pension scheme
• Employee wellbeing support programmes

Join Arriva London and play a key role in delivering safe, reliable, and high-quality bus services across the capital while developing your career with one of the UK's leading transport operators.