Senior Project Manager

Job Ref: DOH1245

Branch: DFT Operator

Location: London, Leeds or Birmingham

Salary/Benefits: Salary up to £70,000

Contract type: Fixed Term

Hours: Full Time

Hours per week: 37.5

Posted date: 08/07/2026

Closing date: 22/07/2026

About DFT Operator

Join Our Team at DFTO

DFTO is the government’s 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 30,000 employees, runs over 8,500 services a day and delivers over 640 million customer journeys across its networks every year. 7,000 people 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:

To lead the end-to-end delivery of major and complex projects within the DFTO portfolio, aligning delivery with the DFTO Business Plan, PMO governance, and strategic objectives, including transition to Great British Railways (GBR).

The role is accountable for delivering projects through the DFTO lifecycle, with accountability for defined outputs, outcomes and benefits. The post holder will work across DFTO, DfT and wider rail industry stakeholders to deliver complex, cross-functional change in a controlled and consistent manner including through mentoring/coaching project managers.

Operating Context (DFTO Way of Working)

The DFTO Enterprise PMO, provides a consistent framework for how projects are initiated, governed, delivered and reported across the organisation.

Projects are managed across DFTO as part of a central portfolio aligned to the DFTO Business Plan, with prioritisation, governance and reporting supported through a structured PMO framework.

All initiatives follow a common lifecycle (Identify, Define/Mobilise, Design/Plan, Deliver/Implement, Embed/Realise Benefits, Close), with proportionate controls applied at each stage.

Delivery approaches will vary (waterfall, agile or hybrid), but all projects must operate within defined governance, reporting and control expectations.

Key Responsibilities:

Deliver major/complex projects in line with the DFTO lifecycle, maintaining the required controls, documentation and approvals at each stage.

Own day-to-day delivery within agreed tolerances for scope, schedule, cost, quality, risk and benefits, escalating exceptions through defined governance routes.

Develop and maintain robust delivery plans, schedules and reporting, enabling there to be clear visibility of progress, dependencies and performance.

Adhere to DFTO PMO governance, including reporting cadence, financial management, change control, and assurance processes.

Manage senior stakeholder relationships across DFTO, NR, DfT, TOCs and industry partners to support alignment, engagement and effective decision-making.

Lead the identification and management of risks, issues, assumptions and dependencies, driving proactive mitigation and timely escalation.

Support the development of business cases, scope definition and requirements in collaboration with Business Analysts and subject matter experts.

Manage procurement activity and supplier delivery where required, holding suppliers to agreed outcomes and alignment with commercial frameworks.

Coordinate cross-functional delivery, maintaining alignment with wider portfolio priorities, interdependencies and strategic objectives.

Support change adoption and implementation, working with stakeholders to enable successful transition and embedding of outcomes and benefits.

Produce high-quality reporting and management information to support governance forums and senior decision-making.

Contribute to the continuous improvement of DFTO project management capability, standards and delivery practices.

Knowledge, Skills, Experience Technical Qualifications:

Member of a relevant professional body with chartered status.

Degree level qualification and membership of a relevant project professional body (e.g. APM, PMI).

Demonstrable experience delivering complex projects in multi-stakeholder environments and working with ambiguity

Experience delivering business change, transformation, or organisational projects

Strong understanding of structured project controls including planning, governance, RAID, reporting and benefits management

Experience operating within a PMO-led environment with defined governance and reporting frameworks

Experience managing suppliers and third parties

Proven experience in management of customer expectations, senior stakeholders and developing strong relationships across multiple functions and organisational boundaries, utilising excellent interpersonal, influencing and communication skills.

Experience of business requirements’ gathering

Strong financial management skills and commercial acumen

Desirable

Experience within the UK rail sector, public sector or regulated environments

Understanding of rail reform and/or GBR transition context

Experience working across policy, operational, digital or corporate transformation domains

Experience mentoring or developing junior project professionals

Additional Information

The Senior Project Manager will be part of a centrally coordinated pool of delivery professionals, deployed across DFTO functions to support priority initiatives aligned to the Business Plan and organisational transformation objectives.

Vacancy Details

Duration: FTC or Secondment until October 2027

Reports to: Head of Programmes

Location: Waterloo/Leeds/BirminghamHybrid

Salary: Up to £70,000

Closing Date: 22nd July 2026

We are planning to commence interviewing as soon as suitable candidates apply, we will not wait until the closing date to commence the recruitment. If you are interested in this opportunity please apply early and do not wait.

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 - We're an inclusive employer of choice and we welcome applications from everyone! We encourage our colleagues to work flexibly, as we know traditional working patterns don't always fit. If you want to consider working flexibly, just let us know and we'll 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 jason.blakemore@dftoperator.co.uk.

Please do not email any CV's to us, your application must be made by clicking the 'Apply' button.