About DFT Operator
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. 7,000people 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 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
The Leadership and Development Manager is a key leadership role within the DfT Operator, sitting within the Learning, Leadership & Capability directorate. The post-holder will support delivery of the Leadership and Management Development strategy across the organisation and, where required, across the wider group, ensuring capability is built in line with business priorities and the rail integration agenda.
A key element of this role is to identify and deliver against DFTO’s central leadership and management development requirements. Source or design and deliver relevant and high impact leadership. Fully contribute to DFTO Group activity working across industry to reduce duplication and establish a portfolio of cutting‑edge programmes.
Contribute to the success of our team by remaining up to date with professional standards and innovative ideas.
Key Responsibilities
- Needs analysis
- Using best practice tools and coaching, identify leadership and management development requirements, learning outcomes and success measures.
- Deliver against these requirements through sourcing, designing and facilitating high-quality, engaging and experiential leadership and development programmes and events.
- Delivery methodology
- Manage available resources effectively so that delegates are motivated to learn and can transfer their learning back in the workplace.
- Create learning resources that enable self-development and embed our leadership framework, behaviours and cultural ambitions.
- Transfer of learning and evaluation
- Evaluate the impact of leadership and management development programmes through end‑of‑course evaluation methodology.
- Provide timely reporting and MI to customers to demonstrate a return on investment and delivery of success measures.
- Work with Culture, Engagement and EDI lead to measure progress against EDI data, cultural data and engagement indices.
- Use customer feedback to continually improve programme design and delivery.
- Industry leadership and talent development
- Develop relationships across industry to identify existing programmes, reduce duplication and create one portfolio for all that meets Group needs.
- Work across the Leadership, learning and org capability team to support interventions, utilise data to inform new programmes and ensure the plan is aligned to our business objectives.
- Support the Industry Talent Development Forum to progress talent development interventions at all levels.
- Contribute to the success of our team by remaining up to date with professional standards and innovative ideas.
- Stakeholder and supplier management
- Build strong working relationships with HR Business Partners, leaders and subject matter experts to ensure learning provision is joined up and responsive.
- Manage supplier performance and contracts for learning provision, ensuring agreed service levels, quality measures and continuous improvement.
- Work with relevant teams to promote the learning offer, share success stories and support engagement in development activity.
- Programme governance & reporting
- Manage learning and development budgets as agreed (including Apprenticeship Levy and externally funded provision), ensuring effective allocation and value for money.
- Deliver regular management information on learning activity, outcomes, supplier performance and apprenticeship funding/utilisation to the Director and HR leadership.
- Maintain robust governance across L&D provision, including due diligence on suppliers, contract management, data quality, risk and issue management.
Knowledge, Skills, Experience & Technical Qualifications
Essential Skills & Experience
- Experience of successfully delivering relevant and innovative leadership and management training.
- Manage stakeholder relationships.
- Experience in facilitating experiential learning across all levels.
- Excellent team working skills.
- Experience of working in complex, fast‑paced environments with multiple stakeholders.
- Experience of learning programme design and development.
Stakeholder & Partner Management
- Strong relationship management skills with experience working across multiple organisations, including training providers, funding bodies and industry partners.
- Experience engaging with trade unions and works councils on workforce development matters.
- Ability to influence senior leaders and build cross‑organisational coalitions around skills investment.
Operational & Commercial
- Budget management experience, including management of Apprenticeship Levy accounts and external funding.
- Strong data literacy with the ability to monitor programme performance, identify risks and report on outcomes.
- Experience operating in a regulated, safety‑critical or technically complex industry is advantageous.
Desirable Skills & Qualifications
- CIPD, ILM or equivalent qualification relevant to L&D, skills development or HR.
- Experience working within or alongside the rail industry, transport sector or a similarly safety‑critical environment.
- Familiarity with NSAR (National Skills Academy for Rail) frameworks and rail‑specific competency standards.
- Knowledge of the Civil Service skills agenda, including the Government Campus and public sector apprenticeship targets.
- Project management qualification (e.g. PRINCE2, APM) or equivalent experience managing complex multi‑workstream programmes.
Behaviours & Values
- Seeing the Big Picture – Understanding the national rail integration context and how culture underpins delivery.
- Changing and Improving – Driving meaningful, evidence‑based change in how the organisation engages its people.
- Working Together – Building effective networks internally and across the rail industry.
- Communicating and Influencing – Inspiring action at all levels through authentic leadership.
- Developing Self and Others – Championing learning and growth as a foundation for inclusive culture.
Vacancy Details
Duration: Fixed Term contract/secondment until 31st Ocotber 2027
Location: Hybrid
Salary: up to £59,700
Closing date: 7th July 2027
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.
