About the job Summary

We recognise the challenges that people with (multiple) protected characteristics may experience on the job market and in their career progression. We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible, and we hope to attract applications from underrepresented groups, including Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) people, people with a disability, and people with gender diverse identities.

Salary: £60,135 (National minimum) £65,439 (London minimum)

Would you like the opportunity to play a key role in influencing decision making for the future of our rail services?

Do you have an understanding of commercial planning and contractual management processes?

If so, we are looking for a dedicated Business and Commercial Planning Lead to join our Coordination and Planning (CAP) team, and we would love to hear from you.

Job description

Our CAP team is responsible for coordinating and implementing changes to the in-life management of Emergency Recovery Measures Agreements (ERMAs) and National Rail Contracts (NRCs) within the Department for Transport.

The ERMA and new NRC contracts mean that cost and revenue risk effectively sit with the Government. Train operators are now incentivised to act as good operators through performance-based fees instead. NRCs include requirements to produce business and strategic plans that align with government priorities, network enhancement programme timelines and affordability targets.

As Business and Commercial Planning Lead, you will develop and oversee the process of specifying and agreeing annual business plans, and longer-term strategic plans, across the portfolio of ERMA and NRC contracts.

You will provide confident leadership to a small team and four Strategic Business Planning Leads and take direct responsibility for setting up the business and strategic planning process across Passenger Services. This role provides the opportunity to liaise directly with internal teams and external advisers to establish and implement new business planning processes.
 

Responsibilities

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Overseeing the Business Planning process for all Department for Transport operators that effectively agrees budgets and business plans, ensuring that business plans deliver government policies for the railways in an affordable way
• Putting in place procedures and monitoring arrangements for the business plans, working closely with individual markets and Senior Commercial and Strategy Planners, including the Rail Revenue Recovery Group within Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT)
• Engaging with Network Rail, GBRTT and other industry colleagues to ensure alignment with wider industry and other planning processes
• Producing guidance notes, decision papers and presentations to internal and external governance boards, including providing advice to Ministers and senior leaders across the industry
• Line management responsibilities for a Business and Commercial Planning Manager and a Rail Revenue Planning Manager.

You will have the option to be either based in London attracting the London pay scale, or in Leeds or Birmingham attracting the national pay scale. Occasional travel may be required to attend business meetings.

About you

You will demonstrate a good understanding of the railway commercial and operational environment, and the ability to deliver in a highly challenging area where complex operational, policy, legal, commercial and financial issues come together in an area of media interest.

You will have outstanding interpersonal skills, be articulate and credible to build positive working relationships with our internal teams, external financial and legal advisers, train operators and Network Rail. You will be an engaging leader with the capability to co-ordinate and successfully deliver results through others.

You will be a strategic thinker and comfortable working with an array of data to support recommendations.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions
• Leadership
• Working Together

Benefits

Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits. We offer generous annual leave, attractive pension options, flexible working, inclusive working environments and much more to support a healthy work/life balance.

Find out more about what it's like working at the Department for Transport.

Things you need to know Security

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.

People working with government assets must complete basic personnel security standard checks.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

We are closely monitoring the situation regarding the coronavirus, and will be following central Government advice as it is issued. There is therefore a risk that recruitment to this post may be subject to change at short notice. In addition, where appropriate, you may be invited to attend a video interview.

Please continue to follow the application process as normal and ensure that you check your emails regularly as all updates from us will be sent to you this way.

How to apply

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

When considering your experience, please tailor your CV and personal statement to provide evidence of:

• A good understanding of the UK railway commercial and operational environment, including the current contractual management arrangements for rail operators.
• Developing and using commercial planning processes, incentive regimes and monitoring arrangements to agree and deliver contractual outputs.
• Building relationships with a wide range of stakeholders and agreeing and delivering shared outcomes, particularly in commercial and policy delivery environments.

The sift is due to take place on 02/12/2021.

Interviews/assessments are likely to be held on 20th and 21st December.

We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change. You will be provided with sufficient notice of the confirmed dates.

The selection process will be designed specifically for the role. As a result, your assessment could include:

• an interview and presentation exercise

You’re encouraged to become familiar with the role profile, as you may be assessed against any of the criteria recorded within.

The Department for Transport alongside other Government Departments recruit using Success Profiles. This means for each role we consider what you will need to demonstrate in order to be successful. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

For further information on Success Profiles visit our Careers website.

Please see attached candidate notes for further information about our recruitment process.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section

Further Information

To learn more about applying for a role within the Department for Transport, visit the Application Process page of our Careers website.

Before submitting your application, we encourage you to visit our Things You Need to Know page for further information about applying for a role within the Department for Transport and the Civil Service.

Throughout this job advert there are links to the DfT Careers website, which provides you further information to support your application. Should you be unable to access the information on our website, please email [email protected] for assistance.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
• relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
• certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals

Further information on nationality requirements

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Apply and further information

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants Job contact : Name :   Rail Resourcing Email :   [email protected]   Recruitment team : Email :   [email protected] Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact Government Recruitment Services via email: [email protected] If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website at https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk