Train Operating Company - Business Planning Specification & Programme Lead
| Posting date: | 24 May 2024 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £64,108 to £64,108 per year |
| Additional salary information: | National salary: £64,108 - £71,028 A recruitment and retention allowance may also be applicable for exceptional candidates, these are not guaranteed and will be assessed on a case-by-case basis at appointment stage. |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 09 June 2024 |
| Location: | Leeds |
| Company: | Government Recruitment Service |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 353649/2 |
Summary
Would you like the opportunity to play a key role in shaping the future of our rail services?
Do you have experience of business planning processes in private and public sector environments?
If so, we have a fantastic opportunity to join our Coordination and Planning (CAP) team, and we would love to hear from you.
Our team is responsible for coordinating the business planning process for train operators. We ensure alignment and balance between individual operator plans, Department for Transport and industry policies and strategies, the contractual basis and incentives for rail operators, and the industry financial settlement the Department agrees with His Majesty’s Treasury (HMT).
As Business Planning Specification and Programme Lead, you will be responsible for leading the oversight, co-ordination and management of the Operator Business Planning process, a key contractual tool. You will work closely with internal teams and engage with and resolve issues with multiple internal and external partners. You will oversee the management of significant dependencies on other projects and workstreams across Rail, which will require developing and managing relationships to ensure best value is achieved from the Business Plans.
There are two principal phases within the Annual Business Planning (ABP) process.
In the first phase, you will use your expertise and insight to specify requirements train operators must meet in their ABP through the contractual Request for Business Plan (RfBP). This will include indicative budgets that are provided to operators as part of their annual business planning process.
In the second phase of the process, you will work with the Strategic Business Planning Lead, to review and analyse the plans that result from the RfBP. You will collaborate with specialist advisers and use information from internal teams to identify areas for improvement in operator performance, both financial and non-financial, with a particular focus on the commercial elements.
Whilst individual market teams will liaise with operators and assess the individual operator business planning returns, you will support and assure the portfolio assessment of those returns and ensure coordination of the impact of operator’s business plan proposals on the achievement of portfolio financial and other targets with the Strategic Business Planning Lead.
You will also facilitate challenge and scrutiny of operator proposals through adviser support and best practice advice to market teams, collaborate with internal specialists and develop recommendations to senior leaders on agreement of appropriate business plans.
If you would like to find out more about what it's like to work at DfT Rail, please click here.
In this role, your key responsibilities will include:
- Leading and delivering the Annual Business Planning co-ordination function for all stakeholders across the Department, cascading the vision, translating into delivery objectives for the team and ensuring that all projects are aligned with the wider aims and ambitions of the Department.
- Maintaining overall integrity and coherence of programme and governance framework and leading the provision of effective and consistent governance for the ABP process.
- Producing template business plan specifications aligned to indicative budgets for operators as part of the ABP business planning round.
- Undertaking portfolio-wide scrutiny of the annual business plans and options put forward by operators for efficiency, affordability, deliverability, and risk.
- Supporting colleagues across CAP to produce analysis on the affordability and value of options developed for input into both the Annual Business Planning process and longer-term 5-year plans.
- Engaging with the Rail Reform Programme and Great British Railway Transition Team GBRTT over improvements to the business planning process and liaising with Network Rail and GBRTT to improve alignment of cross-industry business planning processes.
- Collaborating with finance and Rail Analysis to ensure appropriate quality assurance and version control of the analysis of operator business plan returns and options and promoting the use of visual tools to present outputs graphically.
- Collaborating with CAP team members and finance teams to facilitate joined-up delivery of the annual business planning process, strategy development and contract / commercial development issues to ensure a joined-up approach towards commercial, financial and contract management.
- Line management / task management for a team of around 2-4 staff, with extensive adviser support.