Business Manager, Sector Interface

About DFT Operator

Join Our Team at DFTO

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 11,000 services a day and delivers over 930 million customer journeys across its networks every year. 7,000 people joined the railway family in the last year

Major improvements are being delivered by DFTO train operators (TOCs) that are already under public ownership - these are LNER, Northern, TransPennine Express (TPE), Southeast, South Western Railway (SWR), c2c, Greater Anglia, WM Trains, GTR. and Chiltern.

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:

The Business Manager provides comprehensive business, governance and operational support to the Head of Strategic Development and the Sector Interface Lead, driving the effective coordination and delivery of rail reform activities across DFTO and its subsidiaries.

The role is responsible for managing the administrative and business management functions that underpin the Sector Interface team's delivery, including governance, programme coordination, reporting, stakeholder engagement support, communications, briefing and materials production, knowledge management and planning. Acting as the central point of coordination, the postholder will support and drive the effective flow of information between DFTO, its subsidiaries and wider industry stakeholders, enabling informed decision-making and efficient delivery of reform activities.

The Business Manager will work closely with senior leaders, stakeholders and partner organisations, maintaining oversight of actions, risks, dependencies and deliverables arising from rail reform programmes and strategic development activities.

Key Responsibilities:

Business Planning and Coordination

• Support the planning, coordination and delivery of the Sector Interface portfolio and associated rail reform activities.
• Maintain integrated work plans, milestones, action trackers and delivery schedules to support effective programme management.
• Coordinate inputs from across DFTO and subsidiary organisations to support strategic submissions, consultations and reform activities.
• Monitor progress against agreed priorities and identify emerging risks, issues and dependencies requiring management attention.
• actions arising from meetings, workshops and governance so they are followed through to completion.

Governance and Secretariat Support

• Establish and maintain effective governance arrangements to support the Rail Reform function.
• Provide secretariat support for meetings, steering groups, governance forums and working groups.
• Prepare agendas, papers, briefing packs, minutes and action logs.
• Coordinate the timely production and quality assurance of governance documentation.
• Maintain governance calendars and drive compliance with reporting requirements and deadlines.

Executive and Leadership Support

• Own and drive the preparation of briefings, presentations, papers, reports and correspondence for senior executives, boards and leadership teams.
• Coordinate responses to requests for information from internal and external stakeholders.
• Drive communications so that senior leaders receive accurate and timely information on rail reform developments, decisions and programme activity.
• Assist in the preparation of Board and Executive Committee papers as required.

Stakeholder Engagement and Communications

• Support engagement activities with DFTO subsidiaries and external rail sector organisations.
• Coordinate stakeholder meetings, workshops and engagement events.
• Maintain stakeholder contact databases, engagement plans and communication schedules.
• Support the development and dissemination of key messages, updates and communications relating to rail reform activities.so that
• Stakeholders receive consistent and coordinated information across the organisation.

Knowledge Management

• Develop and maintain an organised, accessible and regularly updated central knowledge repository containing rail reform policies, strategic positions, consultation responses, briefing materials and key decisions.
• Maintain records of decisions, actions and emerging policy developments to support organisational learning and continuity.
• Support the management of document version control and information governance arrangements.

Reporting and Performance Management

• Produce regular reporting on programme progress, risks, issues and stakeholder activity.
• Develop dashboards and management information to support decision-making and performance monitoring.
• Coordinate the collection and consolidation of information from multiple sources to provide a coherent view of delivery progress.
• Monitor key milestones and support performance reviews against agreed objectives.

Programme and Change Support

• Support the administration and coordination of rail reform and organisational change activities.
• Maintain programme documentation, including plans, risk registers, dependency logs and lessons learned records.
• Coordinate workshops, consultation responses and stakeholder engagement exercises.
• Support the implementation of cultural change initiatives and internal engagement activities aligned to GBR principles and ways of working.

Financial and Resource Management

• Assist with budget monitoring, forecasting and financial reporting for the Sector Interface function. So that value for money principles are applied across activities and events.
• Track expenditure and support procurement and contract management activities where required.
• Support workforce planning, resource management and organisational administration activities.

Knowledge, Skills, Experience & Technical Qualifications:

Essential criteria

• Experience in a business management, programme office, governance, executive support or similar role
• Strong organisational and planning skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Experience preparing high-quality papers, reports and briefings for senior audiences.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building abilities.
• Experience maintaining governance processes, action tracking and reporting arrangements.
• Ability to analyse and synthesise information from multiple sources and present it clearly.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft 365 applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams and SharePoint.

Desirable criteria

• Experience working within the rail, transport, infrastructure or public sectors.
• Understanding of rail reform, Great British Railways and wider railway industry structures.
• Knowledge of programme management methodologies and governance frameworks.
• Experience supporting senior executives or Board-level governance.

Vacancy Details:

Duration: Fixed Term up to 31st March 2028 contract/secondment
Location: We currently have offices in London Waterloo, Leeds, BirminghamSalary Banding :£52,158 - £57,954
Closing date: November 20th 2026

DFTO Locations:

DFTO currently have office locations in London, Birmingham and Leeds and individuals can be based from any of the three locations. Whilst we do offer hybrid working there are sometimes demands to travel to the other office locations.

DFTO Benefits:

Annual Leave: Starting at 25 days and rising to an additional day per year of service completed within the first 5 completed years up to a maximum of 5 additional (30 days)

DC Pension Scheme: 10% Employer contribution, 5% Employee contribution

Opportunities to learn and network across the wider industry

Additional Information…

Disclaimer: Candidates applying for this position on a secondment basis must inform their line manager prior to submitting their application. This is to ensure transparency and facilitate any necessary discussions regarding workload and responsibilities.

About our people and the recruitment process - We're an inclusive employer of choice and we welcome applications from everyone! We encourage our colleagues to work flexibly, as we know traditional working patterns don't always fit. If you want to consider working flexibly, just let us know and we'll do our best to help and invest in your career with us, whilst you have a healthy work life balance.

Contact:

If you have any questions or reasonable adjustments, please contact Dean.palmer@dftoperator.co.uk.

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