DfT Interfaces Design Lead in London

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), Southeastern, 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:

GBR is the most significant reform to the rail system in over 25 years – a once-in-a-generation opportunity to unite over 100,000 people, simplify the system, and put passengers and taxpayers at the heart of a modern, public-owned railway. This change is being delivered within a complex ecosystem of rail reform, integration activity, legislative change, and in-flight transformation.

As DfT Interfaces Design Lead, you will drive and manage the detailed design activity required to define how GBR and the Department for Transport will work together in the future. Working across DfT, DFTO, Network Rail and wider stakeholders, you will bring together the appropriate expertise, navigate complex organisational and government interfaces and translate strategic intent into practical governance, processes, decision authorities and ways of working.

You will lead the development of the documentation and design products underpinning these arrangements, using strong communication and influencing skills to mobilise stakeholders, motivate contribution and build consensus across organisational boundaries. You will coordinate specialist expertise and translate agreed designs into clear, practical outputs that can be taken forward through implementation and change.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Drive, coordinate and lead activity to shape the definition and design of future GBR–DfT interface, coordinating activity across DfT, DFTO, Network Rail and relevant stakeholders (such as ORR) to translate strategic intent into practical governance, processes and future ways of working.
2. Build and maintain influential relationships across DfT, DFTO, Network Rail and wider stakeholders, understanding different organisational perspectives and using judgement, credibility and constructive challenge to secure commitment to the design activity and its outcomes and progress complex design activity.
3. Influence and build consensus around proposed designs, navigating competing priorities and organisational interests, testing areas of disagreement and brokering practical solutions that allow the design to progress.
4. Develop and own the core design products for the GBR–DfT interface, including governance documentation, escalation routes, process maps, decision authorities, relationship frameworks, charts and supporting artefacts that provide a coherent description of the future arrangements.
5. Drive the evolution of DFTO/DfT Services Agreements, Ways of Working and associated relationship documentation, coordinating specialist input and drafting detailed provisions where required, to translate agreed principles into tangible arrangements.
6. Translate agreed interface designs into clear requirements and deliverables for project and change teams, providing the documentation, dependencies and implementation considerations needed to move from design into delivery
7. Identify and manage design dependencies, gaps and barriers to progress, bringing together the appropriate stakeholders and expertise to resolve issues and escalating matters requiring more senior decisions or intervention.
8. Incorporate relevant wider external interfaces into the design, including local authorities and other government or industry bodies, so that GBR–DfT arrangements operate coherently within the wider rail and government system. Provide high-quality input to GBR Detailed Design as it relates to GBR’s future relationship with DfT and future governance/business delivery arrangements.

Knowledge, Skills, Experience & Technical Qualifications:

Essential

• A developed understanding of how central government works and the dynamics to be navigated or an ability to get up to speed quickly drawing on your wider skillset.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills developed in a complex multi-stakeholder environment with ability to credibly engage at all levels of the organisation, conveying complex information effectively and creating commitment across complex environments.
• Demonstrable experience of bringing together senior stakeholders and specialist expertise to address complex issues and build consensus around practical outcomes without relying on direct authority.
• Demonstrable experience of effective contract and relationship management with ability to understand the detail and propose strategic and tactical solutions capable of acceptance.
• Highly organised with proven experience of providing timely high-quality outputs to tight deadlines, which may have been gained as part of a programme.
• Proven ability to drive complex activity through to tangible outcomes, coordinating multiple contributors and dependencies and identifying and addressing barriers to progress with a high degree of personal ownership.
• Strategic mindset, with the ability to connect complex issues and translate strategic objectives into practical outcomes.
• Demonstrable experience of designing or adapting solutions to complex organisational challenges and producing the supporting governance, processes and documentation required for implementation.

Desirable

• Understanding of the rail industry.
• Experience of managing interfaces with Government organisations, which may have been gained in an Arms Length Body or Government organisation.
• Programme management expertise and/or qualification.

Vacancy Details:

Duration: Fixed Term up to 31st March 2027 contract/secondment with likelihood to extend.
Location: We currently have officesin London Waterloo, Leeds, Birmingham
Salary: up to £83,000
Closing date: 24 November 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 Jason.blakemore@dftoperator.co.uk.

Please do not email any CV's to us, your application must be made by clicking the 'Apply' button.