Crime, Security, & BTP Liaison Lead in London

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. Major improvements are being delivered by DFTO train operators (TOCs) that are already under public ownership - these are LNER, Northern, TransPennine Express (TPE), Southeastern, 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: Manage and champion the delivery of the national security, national crime and suicide environment and lead on developing internal and external relationships, acting as a point of contact for tactical crime and industry engagement with British Transport Police.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage and deliver the national operational security, crime and suicide prevention strategies and associated portfolio of performance improvement work streams and projects to achieve the delivery of business objectives.
• Own the day-to-day relationship with British Transport Police on behalf of the DFTO group, monitoring performance and service levels and working with DFTO analysts regarding railway crime to understand trends to inform and drive national and local decision making.
• Develop and implement performance improvement schemes relating to external delay (police related disruption categories) to mitigate performance and safety risks.
• Develop business cases for performance enhancement projects both internal and external to Network Rail to bring industry together in improving performance and safety.
• Support the DFTO TOCs to deliver performance improvement plans and structured continuous improvement to enable them to deliver their business objectives.
• Lead and provide subject matter expertise to influence DFTO TOCs, other functions, British Transport Police, local government and other key stakeholders to deliver improvement in external delay, police related disruption categories.
• Identify process gaps and propose improvements across group security teams, so that efficiency and compliance are enhanced.
• Contribute to lessons-learned reviews and lead case-specific reviews after case closure, so that future security and anti-crime processes are improved.
• Oversee and provide expert input on the security and emergency plans and procedures of TOCs within the group, helping to improve processes and supporting a security culture across the Group.

Knowledge, Skills, Experience & Technical Qualifications:

Essential:

• Understanding and experience in operational security and resilience principles, how these issues/risks can impact on the railway and how to mitigate them.
• Understanding of railway crime, the impact it has on performance and safety and proven experience of leading crime management initiatives.
• CTC of higher security clearance.
• Successful experience in applying business management, programme or project management skills.
• Ability to lead, manage and develop people.
• Ability to negotiate and influence at a senior level.
• Excellent organisation, communication, interpersonal and report writing skills.
• Ability to analyse and present complex data.
• Good knowledge/understanding of the railway industry, the impact of crime on safety and performance.
• Knowledge of crime management on the railway.

Desirable:

• Understanding of Project Management Principles.
• Knowledge of key stakeholders and partners and their responsibilities for crime management on the railway.
• Previous analytical experience.

Vacancy Details:

• Duration: Fixed Term contract/secondment until October 2027.
• Location: Hybrid London Waterloo or Leeds.
• Salary: £60,207 - £73,124.
• Closing date: 8th June 2026.

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 jason.blakemore@dftoperator.co.uk. Please do not email any CV's to us, your application must be made by clicking the 'Apply' button.