Senior Strategic comms manager

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 23,000 employees, runs over 6,000 services a day and delivers over 450 million customer journeys across its networks every year. This accounts for 26% of total UK passenger journeys and 30% of passenger miles. 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) and c2c.

Primary Purpose of Job

The senior strategic comms manager will lead on developing communications for a number of high profile and complex projects that are critical for the development and growth of DFTO and the establishment of GBR. They will be responsible for developing strategy and project managing delivery of communications across a range of channels and audiences. You will need to work with colleagues from across DFTO, TOCs and NR to develop and deliver innovative and targeted content that deliver impact and support DFTO’s organisational objectives. You will be highly strategic, able to process complex information and quickly identify and interpret key risks and opportunities from projects and act proactively to identify communications tactics to manage or optimise these. You must be comfortable working with and building relationships with a range of stakeholders and confident in advising them as a representative of DFTO.

Key Responsibilities

• Work closely with the Head of Strategic Comms, Public Ownership Team and incoming TOC teams to deliver the communications programme for the public ownership transfer programme, including mobilisation and transfer of TOCs into DFTO and associated communications handling and strategies.
• Develop communication strategies and content at a strategic and local level, to support and showcase the development of integrated railways.
• Support the Head of Strategic Comms to develop comms and content to support the transformation of DFTO into GBR.
• Act as a leader within the DFTO comms teams, proactively identifying opportunities and risks and driving continuous improvement within the team.
• Develop and manage DFTO reputational risk registers.
• Work closely and establish relationships with colleagues across different departments and multiple organisations to deliver consistent messaging and alignment of external communications.
• Support the DFTO Press office, including on call duty rota, as needed.
• Manage, support and develop the Strategic Comms manager.
• Any other duties as reasonably required to support the communications directorate.

Knowledge, Skills, Experience & Technical Qualifications

Essential Criteria

• Experience in Communication Teams: Substantial experience in corporate communications functions, ideally within fast moving environments.
• Communication Skills: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a strong ability to tailor messaging for specific audiences and an understanding and experience of delivering across a range of channels.
• Strategic and analytical thinking: Proven experience in working on complex projects or issues, analysing information, identifying risks and opportunities developing and implementing communications strategies to address these.
• Strong Team Player: Ability to work collaboratively with team members, particularly remotely, and make a strong contribution to creating a positive and supportive team culture.
• Organisational Skills: Ability to project manage multiple tasks and deadlines in a fast paced environment, often overseeing delivery through others. Experience of creating, leading and delivering projects on time and within budget.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Strong experience working with a range of stakeholders and the ability to build effective working relationships and influence across all levels of the organisation.

Desirable Criteria

• Rail industry experience.
• Experience working in change or transformation comms.

Vacancy Details

• Duration: 2 year Fixed Term contract/secondment.
• Reports to: Head of Strategic Comms.
• Location: London Waterloo/ Hybrid (to be discussed at interview stage).
• Salary: up to £64,000.
• Closing date: 8th February 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 dean.palmer@dftoperator.co.uk. Please do not email any CVs to us, your application must be made by clicking the 'Apply' button.