Head of Business Strategy in City of London

Are you looking for a career where you can lead strategic direction and make a real impact from boardroom to track and platform? We are seeking a Head of Business Strategy to join our team based from our Head Office at London Bridge (hybrid working - 3 days on site). 2025 is the 200th anniversary of the first-ever passenger rail journey, so we’re celebrating our proud history and our bright future. As first Train Operator to integrate track and train, united by a single leadership team, there has never been a more exciting time to come aboard and join our fabulous industry on our exciting journey towards Great British Railways. Can you move people? Apply now.

What you’ll do

In this role you will provide inspirational leadership and set the direction of travel for South Eastern Railway, over the next five years and beyond. You will turn ideas into strategy, strategy into momentum and momentum into meaningful change. This role isn’t about annual business plans and tracking budget lines, it’s about shaping a long-term strategy that inspires every part of the business, from boardroom to track and platform. It’s a high profile, high impact role that brings clear, evidence-based recommendations to the Executive Team, guiding South Eastern Railway toward a unified, forward-looking business strategy that balances operational performance, commercial success and customer value.

The experience you’ll need

• You dare to Lead - Inspiring senior visionary leadership is what you do best
• You navigate senior buy-in - From Exec, to Senior DFT officials, you can navigate ways of working, lead government relations and get buy-in and sign off
• You understand the commercials - You have strong commerciality and fully understand the business impact
• You are a strategic thinker - You enable best possible outcomes & secure funding for the business to thrive
• You have knowledge of Track, Train or both - Desirable

As proud members of the Armed Forces Covenant and Disability Confident Scheme, we will offer you an interview if you apply under these schemes and meet the minimum criteria for the role.

Other things to know

This vacancy may close early if we receive a large number of applications. So, make sure you get yours in early. All offers of employment are subject to satisfactory references, a right to work verification, a basic criminal record check, and a pre-employment medical assessment. Work visa sponsorship isn’t available for this role. If you applied but weren’t successful in getting a similar role at Southeastern, please wait six months before applying again.

What you’ll get in return

Along with your salary, the rewards you’ll get include: a final salary pension, 25 days annual leave allowance (plus bank holidays), free rail travel across our networks. Meaning you can feel secure in your career as well as fulfilled by your work.

A bit about Southern

We’re one of Britain's busiest train operators, serving London, Kent and parts of East Sussex. We run over 1,700 trains a day, carrying more than 500,000 passengers and serving 180 stations. However, working on our railway is more than getting passengers from A to B. It’s about all the little moments that make a difference to their journey. It’s also about making our railway a great place to work. With a team that represents the communities we serve. This is a journey we’re fully committed to and we’re proud to have been named a ‘Great Place to Work’ at the 2023 National Rail Awards and endorsed as a WORK180 Employer for Women. Our ways of working are what we expect of everyone at Southern. They are powerful. Tiny moments, every day, from every one of us, add up to massive, positive change. Improving how it feels to work here and how it feels to travel with us. At the heart of everything we do, our Safeguarding Team works to keep our customers, colleagues, and the public safe by improving safeguarding measures and knowledge making sure everyone gets home safe, every day.