Area Director [Liverpool]

In North West Route, we're seeking a dynamic and rail industry experienced individual for the role of Area Director, based in Liverpool. As the Area Director, you will lead and direct a team to develop and deliver the strategy to safely operate a reliable and efficient railway system in the Liverpool City region. Meeting key targets and positively impacting the area, you'll be the responsible senior leader for developing the future railway & communities by building key relationships, collaborating closely with internal and external stakeholders to provide exceptional service, income and value for our people, passengers and freight. Stronger collaboration, will empower local relationships and decision making, working towards an integrated industry team, that are easy to do business with.About the role (External) Every day will be different, but you can expect to be involved in the following activities: 1. Inspire & lead teams in an alliance structure through authentic & visible leadership to achieve unified, business objectives by meeting key performance measures and maintaining alignment to railway industry strategic direction. 2. Direct the team to develop and own the Liverpool plan, identifying and setting key priorities with clear communication that drives value for customers and passengers whilst meeting expectations. 3. Lead the key stakeholder relationships and interfaces across the Liverpool region including Merseyrail, fostering effective communication across the teams. 4. Accountable for operations, maintenance, and stations team to deliver the Liverpool plan by creating a culture within the area that enables empowerment, collaboration and clear decision making that drives continuous performance improvement. 5. Accountable for delivering programmes of work with transparent communication to key stakeholders throughout the programme life cycle; ensuring those responsible delivers effectively on time to appropriate requirements and quality. 6. Manage the development, implementation and assurance of safety, train service delivery, people, customer & community satisfaction, asset performance, reliability, productivity, and efficiency initiatives. 7. Achieve safety, people, financial, technical, and customer satisfaction targets agreed with the Route Director. Develop and implement a business plan and monitor business performance through effective area reviews at all levels. 8. Establish an alliance structure that enhances safety culture by driving safety improvements across the delivery and operational processes; and manage the effective identification and management of all risks associated with area activities. 9. Lead and guide the area through any change programmes, making necessary adjustments to programme deliverables to realise benefits. 11. Assure with the Route Infrastructure Engineer that sustainable levels of asset condition and performance are delivered and maintained. 12. Act as the Designated Competent Person (DCP) for both formal and local investigations. Report on accidents/incidents and undertake investigations as required.

• Proven experience in senior leadership roles, ideally within the transport industry, leading maintenance and operations teams. • Demonstrable strategic leader with a proactive approach to managing ambiguity, identifying challenges and implementing solutions. • Proven strong leadership skills, with the vision and ability to inspire and motivate teams in an alliance organisation to drive cultural change and achieve ambitious goals. • Educated to degree level or relevant equivalent experience. • Proven ability to manage ambiguity and influence cross functional and cross industry relationships. • Comprehensive experience and skills in being commercially astute and leading a customer service orientated business. • Exceptional people skills, possessing the ability to interact and maintain credibility with people at all levels across the business and industry stakeholders. • Experience of delivering strategic change programmes in excess of £10 million. • Full chartered membership of relevant professional body (e.g., Institute of Railway Operators, Registered Engineer at CEng level with Engineering Council, CMI, ACCA, ) with demonstrable relevant post qualification experience • Demonstrable in-depth knowledge of health and safety management and compliance management processes. • Successful experience of managing business unit financials, in a complex delivery organisation. • Proven ability to effectively lead and develop diverse teams and deliver initiatives to set timescales. We would also like but it isn't crucial to have/to be: • In-depth understanding of the railway industry, its needs and interfaces. • Demonstrable experience of leading and managing business assurance activity within a large complex/ matrix management organisation • Proven expertise in operational management in a Safety Critical Industry with considerable successful operational and maintenance delivery experience

We're proud to be recognised as one of the Times Top 50 Employers for Gender Equity for the fourth year running. Find out more from our people here. Network Rail operates and maintains the railway infrastructure 24/7 365 days a year. We do work that matters to millions. And we do it in millions of different ways. We're passionate about great service and commit to our service equation vision by “putting passengers first”. Performance, safety and getting the fundamental basics right, is something we strive for as well as asking ourselves - what can we do to put our passengers and freight users at the centre of everything we do? You will be part of the NW&C Region which consist of three routes

· Salary: Starting at £116,753

• Pro-rata annual leave entitlement (28 days)
• My benefits – our discounted online shopping site
• A range of discounted offers including, childcare vouchers, healthcare offers – cycle to work, healthcare club discounted membership and other benefits
• Subsidies of up to 75% on rail and underground season tickets
• 75% discount on leisure travel
• A choice of contributory pension schemes
• 2 weeks paid reserve leave for our Armed Forces community
Want to find out about what fantastic benefits we offer? Find out here Network Rail adheres to a structured pay framework, any salary offered will be within the pay range advertised.