Assistant Rail Services Manager (Avanti West Coast)

About DFT Operator

Join Our Team at DFTO

DFTO is the governments public sector rail owning group. Its purpose is to bring all currently privately-owned train operators into public ownership in advance of the creation of Great British Railways in 2027 - and deliver improvements in the here and now by unifying and integrating train operations under common public ownership.

DFTO has over 30000 employees runs over 8500 services a day and delivers over 640 million customer journeys across its networks every year. 7000people joined the railway family in the last year

Major improvements are being delivered by DFTO train operators (TOCs) that are already under public ownership - these are LNER Northern TransPennine Express (TPE) Southeastern South Western Railway (SWR) c2c Greater Anglia and WM Trains.

We work closely with the DfT but operate independently with our own governance and leadership teams. Our priority is ensuring efficient dependable rail services for everyone.

Primary Purpose of Job:

We are looking for an individual to maintain collaborative commercial relationships with TrainOperating Companies (TOCs) to effectively deliver high profile contracts ensuring taxpayers receive value for money and the benefits of investments in our railways are maximised. This role sits within the Rail Services Group in the Department for Transport Operator (DFTO). You could be assigned to any of the 14 DFTO contracted TOCs; current vacancies include Avanti West Coast (AWC). You will need to be flexible to be deployed across any TOC in future.

Key Deliverables:

Working collaboratively with the Train Operator you will be a key member of the team managing the commercial elements of their National Rail Contract (NRC) and successor Services Agreement (SA) to ensure outcomes are consistent with current affordability constraints represent value for money are in the interests of taxpayers and passengers.

• You will support the day-to-day management of the contract/agreement to ensure the operators meet their contractual obligations/are supported and challenged to deliver agreed outcomes.
• The role is varied and fast paced and you will manage day-to-day issues as they arise e.g. monitoring train performance drafting reports or briefings and correspondence and ensuring that TOC improvement is supported as necessary.
• In this role you will gain extensive experience in stakeholder and supplier management as well building up to having strong contract management capability.
• As you learn to manage these high value complex contracts you will develop the commercial awareness to support the Department for Transport Operator to drive and deliver positive outcomes for rail passengers.
• You will also support the team to work collaboratively with senior level members of the rail operators and infrastructure managers as our delivery partners.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage the day-to-day contractual relationship between the internal experts and train operators and DfTO ensuring that the delivery of business plan commitments and contractual obligations is monitored through to completion and that appropriate auditability is in place.
• Develop a collaborative working relationship with the operator to ensure that the interests of passengers and taxpayers are protected.
• Build up an expert knowledge of the National Rail Contract (NRC) and subsequent Services Agreement (SA) relevant processes. Using this knowledge to effectively manage the contract on a day-to-day basis.
• Proactively address day-to-day issues as they arise and provide advice to senior colleagues on emerging risks.
• Work in partnership with colleagues to manage contractual changes and approvals ensuring proper and accurate records of these are maintained.
• Lead and support operator negotiations variations and enforcement procedures as required.
• Support colleagues with periodic updates of Dashboards Milestones and Risk Registers as required.
• Develop and present evidenced-based recommendations to the Deputy Director or other DfTO and DfT approval bodies.
• Provide advice and briefing including dealing with correspondence from external stakeholders and the public sometimes within challenging timescales.
• Work closely with the Public Ownership Transition (POTP) team.
• Build knowledge and contribute to the transfer and bedding into the new public ownership Services Agreement when required.

Knowledge Skills Experience & Technical Qualifications:

We are looking for candidates with:

• Excellent planning and organisation skills
• Effective communication skills both orally and in writing and able to collaborate with team members and stakeholders at all levels.
• A proactive approach to delivering results in a fast-paced environment and ability to take own initiative managing their own time and priorities effectively.
• Ability to work under pressure supporting large projects and able to adopt to ever changing demands.
• Close attention to detail good organisational skills and the ability to solve problems to meet deadlines and deliver agreed outputs.
• Interest in commercial or contract management to ensure decision-making is consistent with affordability constraints represent value for money and are in the best interests of taxpayers and passengers.
• Openness to developing own knowledge and skills.

Vacancy Details:

Duration: Permanent/secondment
Location:London Waterloo Leeds orBirmingham
Salary:up to 42596
Closing date: 13th May 2026

DFTO Benefits:

Annual Leave: Starting at 25 days and rising to an additional day per year of service completed within the first 5 completed years up to a maximum of 5 additional (30 days)

DC Pension Scheme: 10% Employer contribution 5% Employee contribution

Opportunities to learn and network across the wider industry

Additional Information

Disclaimer: Candidates applying for this position on a secondment basis must inform their line manager prior to submitting their application. This is to ensure transparency and facilitate any necessary discussions regarding workload and responsibilities.

About our people and the recruitment process - Were an inclusive employer of choice and we welcome applications from everyone! We encourage our colleagues to work flexibly as we know traditional working patterns dont always fit. If you want to consider working flexibly just let us know and well do our best to help and invest in your career with us whilst you have a healthy work life balance.

Contact: If you have any questions or reasonable adjustments please contact Amra

Please do not email any CVs to us your application must be made by clicking the Apply button.