Head of Digital and Metallurgy

Location: Serco Rail Technical Services, Derby, DE24 8AA

Salary: Competitive salary plus excellent benefits

Schedule: 37.5 hours, Monday – Friday

Ready to impact a better future? As a Head of Digital and Metallurgy in our Serco Rail Technical Services team, you’ll lead the strategic direction and delivery of our digital, data and metallurgy capabilities, ensuring our work continues to create positive impact across the UK and Europe. You’ll drive commercial governance, digital transformation, laboratory excellence and innovation while leading a high‑performing team through day‑to‑day requirements. Your work will help ensure Serco remains at the forefront of digital and materials innovation, delivering value to our customers and supporting sustainable long‑term growth.

• Define and lead the strategic direction for Serco Rail Technical Services’ digital, data and metallurgy functions, ensuring alignment with business objectives, industry demands, and long‑term growth ambitions.
• Drive commercial governance and hold full P&L responsibility for the Digital and Metallurgy functions, ensuring financial performance, cost control, forecasting accuracy and delivery of growth targets.
• Proactively identify, develop, and convert new business opportunities, building a strong pipeline of digital, data‑led and metallurgical services that support sustainable revenue growth across the UK and Europe.
• Lead customer engagement and account development activities, strengthening Serco’s market position and ensuring the long‑term value and relevance of digital tools, analytical platforms, laboratory services and technical subscriptions.
• Oversee operational excellence across digital engineering, data analytics and metallurgy laboratories, ensuring services meet technical, regulatory and client requirements.
• Maintain close alignment with the DDaT function, ensuring that digital tools, software platforms and key subscriptions are fit for purpose and continue to support client service delivery, innovation and retention.
• Act as senior commercial authority on metallurgy and the application of digital services.
• Ensure robust technical governance, quality management and safety, maintaining high standards across laboratory operations, digital systems, data governance and compliance.
• Build and develop a high‑performing, multi‑disciplinary team, implementing strong succession planning, capability development and talent pipelines across digital and metallurgy.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders including Governance, Commercial, Operations, Quality, DDaT and wider Serco RTS teams to ensure integrated service delivery and shared strategic objectives.
• Champion a culture of continuous improvement, innovation and customer focus, ensuring the Digital and Metallurgy functions deliver exceptional technical value and service reliability.

• Degree or equivalent experience in Business, Management, Commercial Strategy, or related discipline.
• Extensive experience in commercial, operational or business leadership roles, ideally within a technical or engineering organisation.
• Proven track record of growing revenue, building pipelines and converting new business opportunities.
• Demonstrable success in leading high‑performing teams, including resource planning, talent development and succession management.
• Strong financial acumen with experience managing budgets, P&L, forecasting and cost control.
• Excellent relationship‑building and stakeholder management skills with a customer‑centric approach.
• Experience leading strategic change, transformation, or organisational development initiatives.
• Strong communication, negotiation and influencing skills, with experience presenting to senior leadership and external clients.

As well as checking eligibility to work in the UK, you will also complete an Occupational Health Questionnaire to help us identify and provide any support you may need to undertake the role effectively.

• Holidays: 25 days plus bank holidays (and the option to buy up to five additional leave days each year)
• Pension: Up to 6% contributory pension scheme
• Bonus: A performance‑based bonus scheme
• Company car
• Private medical insurance
• Training and development: Over 1,100 internal courses available, funding for qualifications and apprenticeships, mentoring opportunities, and a focus on internal progression
• Health and wellbeing: Employee Assistance Programme, Bupa Anytime HealthLine, wellbeing app, 30% off at Serco‑managed leisure centres, and 24/7 access to a virtual GP service
• Discounts: Discounts across around 1,000 retailers, from food and clothing to days out, entertainment and travel
• Charity: Paid volunteering day, tax‑free charitable giving through Payroll Giving Scheme, donate your pennies from your monthly pay to the Serco People Fund Charity
• Employee networks: Our networks support inclusion and connection by providing spaces for collaboration, learning, and belonging. They represent and empower all our colleagues including LGBTQIA+ employees, women, parents and carers, people with disabilities, veterans, and people from all cultural backgrounds.

Let’s impact a better future, together. Apply today.

At Serco, not only is the nature of the work we do important, everyone has an important role to play, from caring for vulnerable people to managing complex public services. We are a team of 50,000 people responsible for delivering essential public services around the world in areas including defence, transport, justice, immigration, healthcare and citizen services. We are innovators, committed to redesigning and improving public services for the benefit of everyone.

By joining Serco you will have unlimited access to our Global Employee Networks – SercoInspire (Gender), SercoEmbrace (Multicultural), SercoUnlimited (Disability) and In@Serco (LGBT & Networks). Serco Employee Networks, led by colleagues who are passionate about diversity, inclusion and belonging.

Please click on the apply button to complete your application. Occasionally we receive a large volume of applications for our roles and when that happens we sometimes bring the closing date forward, so please apply promptly to avoid disappointment.

At Serco, we see people first and foremost for their performance and potential. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that supports the needs of all. As such we will make reasonable adjustments at interview through to employment for our candidates and strongly encourage applications from a diverse candidate pool. We are open to discussions around flexibility and flexible working. We operate a hybrid work structure in many of our business areas. We are proudly Disability Confident Leader employers and holder of the Gold Inclusive Employer Standard. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities at an interview.

For help with your application please contact 0345 010 4000. At Serco we support fair access to employment for those with unspent criminal convictions through the ‘Ban the Box’ pledge (some may be exempt due to the nature of the role and the security clearance required). Please contact our recruitment team directly on 0345 010 4000 to discuss.