Senior Commercial Supply Chain and Risk Lead

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:

Lead the development and implementation of a group-wide Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) and Supply Chain Risk strategy, driving and embedding consistent, high-quality approaches across DFTO and all train operating companies whilst aligning strategy with future GBR design. The role will also support proportionate supplier engagement and supply chain development activity where this strengthens market readiness, resilience with development and delivery of the future SRM and risk strategy.

The role is responsible for leading the team to develop and embed consistent governance frameworks, driving robust supplier oversight (including due diligence, onboarding and exit planning), and proactive management of supplier relationships, performance and risk to deliver value for money, compliance, operational resilience, and sustainable procurement and added value, whilst supporting delivery and improvement of existing practices.

This role will lead and coordinate the Strategic Supplier Relationship & Risk Manager roles, providing structure, prioritisation, and accountability for delivery across the group.

Key Responsibilities:

SRM Strategy & Framework Development

• Lead the development, implementation and management of SRM and risk management frameworks with engagement strategies that can operate across the group to drive alignment with strategic objectives, optimize value and minimise risk through the supplier lifecycle.
• Lead the implementation and ongoing delivery of the SRM framework, including supplier segmentation, governance structures and relationship ownership.
• Provide leadership of supplier governance forums, drving consistent performance oversight and issue resolution.
• Drive performance management across key suppliers, including KPIs, service delivery, and value realisation.
• Build strong, strategic relationships with critical suppliers to enable collaboration, innovation and improved outcomes.
• Coordinate appropriate supplier engagement activity, such as pipeline briefings, capability workshops and targeted market dialogue, working with sourcing and operator teams to improve supplier readiness and identify barriers to participation.
• Develop relationships with relevant trade associations, regional clusters, innovation bodies and other industry networks to strengthen market insight, supply chain capability and access to innovation.
• Work closely with Commercial, Governance, RIsk and Assurance Leads to establish group standards, policies, and governance frameworks across the supplier lifecycle that are aligned with:
  • Public ownership programme objectives
  • Procurement legislation and policy expectations
  • Wider rail industry strategy and GBR transition.

Supplier Risk Management

• Provide leadership for development and implementation of supply chain risk management strategies, working across industry partners and operators to facilitate joint risk management practices and sharing of information to support operational delivery, supply chain sustainability and drive compliance with required regulation and legislation as may be required.
• Lead the development and delivery of supplier risk management processes across the full lifecycle:
  • Due diligence and onboarding
  • Ongoing monitoring and risk assessment
  • Risk mitigation and escalation
  • Exit planning and supplier transition
• Own and manage the enterprise view of supply chain risk exposure across DFTO and operators, whilst looking to create industry alignment to support future reform. Establish and maintain a group-level supply chain risk model, and oversee the implementation of tools to “manage and mitigate supply chain risk” across the system.
• Work with colleagues to embed consistent risk management practices across all contracts and suppliers.

Process Development

• Lead & Support the adoption of tools and standardised processes, identifying and influencing key stakeholder or operator leads and support train operator requirements.
• Capture supplier feedback and market intelligence on capability, capacity, emerging risks and innovation, and translate this into practical insight for category, sourcing, SRM and supply chain risk decisions.
• Design and lead the implementation and management of supplier due diligence onboarding and management processes within DFTO purchasing and procurement

Leadership & Capability Development

• Work closely with train operators, Network Rail and DFTO to develop core competencies and methods to support the implementation of corporate initiatives and provide oversight and advice to enable the right commercial approach to be taken in the management of key suppliers. Foster collaborative relationships with suppliers and the train operators where there are multiple operator interfaces across the same supply partners.
• Line manage and develop the Strategic Supplier Relationship & Risk Managers, providing:
  • Clear priorities and delivery focus
  • Consistent methodologies and tools
  • Professional development and capability development
• Build SRM and risk capability across DFTO and operators, in line with the need to develop core competencies to support implementation and establish communities of practice cross industry.

Performance Management

• Oversee top level strategic contracts or central contracts where appropriate at DFTO.
• Lead the management of strategic level supply chain relationships and risks and act as point of escalation, working with train operators to carry out supplier risk assessment, audit or due diligence reviews as may be required.
• Establish, monitor and report on key supplier performance metrics and contract adherence at a central industry level ensuring alignment with Operators.
• Work with internal and external stakeholders so that risks appropriately recorded or escalated and managed through correct governance processes, operationally and strategically.
• Influence senior stakeholders to adopt group standards over localised approaches

Continuous Improvement

• Collaborate with procurement, legal, safety, and operational teams to embed and drive continuous improvement of supplier risk management practices and processes across the organisation, leveraging data and best practice insights.
• Build and lead on strategic partnerships for the DFTO and TOC sourcing teams to identify opportunities for joint innovation, efficiencies and value creation.
• Support proportionate initiatives that improve supplier accessibility and market readiness, including engagement with SMEs and new entrants, where this supports resilience, competition, value and strategic outcomes.
• Monitor the effectiveness of supplier engagement and development activity through agreed measures, such as participation, supplier feedback, readiness and evidence of insight influencing commercial practice.

Knowledge, Skills, Experience & Technical Qualifications:

• Significant experience in the management of strategic supplier relationships and risk or contract management with proper regard to the contract and the commercial obligations set out within
• A proven track‑record of success of managing and negotiating with internal and external stakeholders and of driving out increased performance and value whilst managing risk;
• Proven track record of developing and implementing SRM and risk management strategies.
• Ability to operate successfully and deliver within a challenging and complex environment, with experience of managing strategic suppliers.
• Has practical experience in the development and implementation of business unit strategies and processes through contracts and can challenge risk averse behaviours where appropriate.
• Understands and the ability to practically apply the procurement rules & associated legislation and link them to the implementation of policy objectives.
• Demonstrates the ability to analyse risks and understand margins of error in developing recommendations and making effective decisions.
• Experience of successful working with a range of clients and stakeholders in an assurance capacity.
• Demonstrates the ability to communicate standards to eliminate corruption, fraud and unethical behaviour in supply chains, taking appropriate actions in the event of any alleged breach of standards
• Able to engage, build relationships with, and influence challenging senior stakeholders and navigate internal politics at all levels.
• Experience in building and maintaining effective relationships with key and senior stakeholders, with the ability to drive progress towards shared outcomes, unlock barriers and create courses of commitments amongst a diverse group of stakeholders.
• Experience of engaging suppliers and relevant industry networks, gathering market insight and supporting supply chain capability or supplier development activity in a complex commercial environment.
• Ability to present technical advice successfully in order to influence internal and external decision making.
• Demonstrates the ability to articulate commercial motivations and expected behaviours of stakeholders, suppliers, and networks.

Vacancy Details:

Duration: Fixed Term up to 31st March 2028 contract/secondmentLocation: London Waterloo, York, Manchester, Birmingham and LeedsSalary:up to £82,267
Closing date: 18th November 2026

DFTO Locations:

DFTO currently have office locations in London, Birmingham, Manchester, York and Leeds and individuals can be based from any of the these 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 Amra.Hurley@dftoperator.co.uk.

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