Customer Experience Director

Are you ready to shape the future of customer experience on one of the UK’s largest and most visible railway networks? We’re seeking a Customer Experience Director to lead our customer strategy and operational delivery, based at our head office in London Bridge. This is a rare opportunity to shape the future of customer experience on one of the UK's largest and most visible railway networks. Southern serves 181 stations across London, Kent and East Sussex, operating more than 1,700 services every day and connecting millions of customers with work, education, leisure and communities. With Great British Railways only a year away, Southern is already ahead of the curve. Through its integrated partnership with Network Rail Kent, we are demonstrating what a more joined-up railway can deliver for customers, colleagues and communities.

As Customer Experience Director, you will lead the strategy, culture and operational delivery that defines how customers experience our railway. From stations and frontline service to accessibility, disruption management, and customer information, you will influence every touchpoint of the journey. The scale of the opportunity is significant: shaping experience across a network carrying around over 140 million customer journeys annually, while helping create a blueprint for the future integrated railway. As the face of customer experience at Southern, you will lead from the front. You will spend time with customers and frontline colleagues across the network, working closely with stakeholders and partners, while also contributing at executive and board level to shape the future of the business. Your ability to move seamlessly between the station platform and the boardroom will be key to your success.

The South Eastern Railway is the first in a new era of integrated railways under public ownership. We are ambitious and determined to deliver high levels of customer satisfaction. If you have proven experience of transforming customer outcomes, leading large operational teams, delivering change at scale and working at an executive level then we want to hear from you.

The Experience You’ll Need

• Dare to Lead - Inspiring leadership is what you do best
• Customer obsessed – You create strategies and experiences that drive customer advocacy and trust, you are the ultimate voice of the customer
• Strategic thinker - You zoom out and understand how decisions will impact the business & our people
• Extensive Operations Experience – You have extensive experience leading large multi-site teams
• You drive performance – You balance customer, operational and commercial priorities to achieve results, ensuring safety is never compromised
• Have worked in a highly unionised environment
• You understand the commercials – You have strong commerciality and understand how our people impact the bottom line
• Have great knowledge of industry standards, railway rules and regulations (desirable)
• You have knowledge of Track, Train or both

As proud members of the Armed Forces Covenant and Disability Confident Scheme, we will offer you an interview if you apply under these schemes and meet the minimum criteria for the role.

Other Things To Know

This vacancy may close early if we receive a large number of applications. So, make sure you get yours in early. All offers of employment are subject to satisfactory references, a right to work verification, a basic criminal record check, and a pre-employment medical assessment. Work visa sponsorship isn’t available for this role. If you applied but weren’t successful in getting a similar role at Southern, please wait six months before applying again.

What You’ll Get In Return

• A final salary pension
• 25 days annual leave allowance (plus bank holidays)
• Free rail travel across our networks.

A Bit About Southern

We’re one of Britain's busiest train operators, serving London, Kent and parts of East Sussex. We run over 1,700 trains a day, carrying more than 500,000 passengers and serving 180 stations. However, working on our railway is more than getting passengers from A to B. It’s about all the little moments that make a difference to their journey. It’s also about making our railway a great place to work and building a team that represents the communities we serve. We’re committed to creating an inclusive, supportive environment, and we’re proud that this continues to be recognised through employer accreditations and our ongoing endorsement as a WORK180 Employer for Women. Our ways of working are what we expect of everyone at Southern. They are powerful. Tiny moments, every day, from every one of us, add up to massive, positive change. Improving how it feels to work here and how it feels to travel with us. At the heart of everything we do, our Safeguarding Team works to keep our customers, colleagues, and the public safe by improving safeguarding measures and knowledge making sure everyone gets home safe, every day.