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Location

Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire | United Kingdom

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Job description

Executive Director- Programme

Application Deadline: 26 February 2024

Department: Delivery

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Milton Keynes

Description

Employer: East West Railway Company
Location: Milton Keynes
Basis: Permanent
Salary: £175,000 per annum

A little bit about us:
East West Rail is a new railway linking communities between Oxford and Cambridge. The area is currently let down by a lack of transport choices, and we have a once in a generation opportunity to fix that – improving prosperity for people and places along the way.

East West Railway Company (that’s us) was created by the Department for Transport (DfT) to oversee the delivery of East West Rail from construction through to wheels in motion, making sure the railway comes together in the right way.

 
Background

Unlike many other companies who have operational activities alongside large capital delivery projects, EWR Co is a ‘pop-up’ owner whose sole responsibility is the delivery of a new railway line from Oxford to Cambridge. Although the railway will be delivered in phases, many activities will only happen once within the project lifecycle. Therefore, in order to operate in an agile and cost-effective way as possible, EWR Co has organised itself as a programme and project-led organisation, in which cross-functional teams form to deliver programme and projects, and then disband when that phase is completed. Individuals are grouped into their professional disciplines (called Professional Homes, and several Professional Homes are grouped into Professional Communities) in order to ensure a consistent standard of capability and performance across all of the programmes and projects and for the purpose of support and professional development.

Role Summary:
It is critical that the delivery of all aspects of East West Rail – strategy, stakeholder engagement, technical and digital design, construction, digital delivery, and future operations -- are delivered to time, cost, and quality. The Executive Director – Programme (EDP) will have two sets of accountabilities:

First, to be accountable for ensuring that the EWR has the highest calibre delivery capability amongst its staff, recruiting and developing the team, and ensuring that sufficient processes and procedures and best practice are established to support the team members. The delivery capability will include planning/scheduling, cost, assurance, reporting, change control, and risk professionals. The programme delivery team members will be deployed on programmes and projects throughout the business, and the EDP will ensure that the team’s behaviours continually align with the EWR Co behaviours, ensuring high-functioning multi-disciplinary teams.

Second, to be the executive sponsor for the Delivery Strategy project and related pre-construction delivery projects and will be the ‘internal client’ for the construction and rolling stock procurement programme. Initially, the EDP will be the executive sponsor for the ‘Entry into Service’ programme for Connection Stage 1 (Bicester to Bletchley). Later in the EWR programme lifecycle, the EDP will be executive sponsor for the construction and rolling stock delivery programmes. 

Team dimensions:
East West Rail operates a matrix structure. Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer. Responsible for

currently, five Professional Homes (Cost Planning & Estimating; Programme Operations; Programme Assurance; Planning & Scheduling; Risk)

Part of EWR Co’s Executive Team, attending EWR Co. Board and committee meetings on a regular basis.

Key Responsibilities

Specific to the first set of accountabilities:

• As a member of the Executive team, hold ‘cabinet’ level responsibilities to ensure the delivery of the agreed EWR programmes and projects to time, cost and quality.
• As the representative of the programme and project management Professional Community, ensure that the voice of the programme and project managers are included in all strategic and tactical decisions.
• As the lead for the Programme and Project Management Professional Community ensure that the Professional Home leads are suitably capable to lead their groups, that the organisation structures are appropriate for each of the Professional Homes and its size, that the professional capabilities are consistent and to a high standard across the teams, and that performance management and professional development are core to the operations of the Professional Community.
• Ensure that the capability to establish the integrated delivery baseline is in place and that the teams are able to challenge and iterate the plans before establishing the baseline.
• As the most senior Programme and Project Management professional in the Company, ensure that the business processes required across the programme and project management activities are in place and fit for purpose, without being unnecessarily bureaucratic.
• Ensure that all governance processes are in place and being complied with as part of the accountabilities for the programme and project managers.
• Ensure that the reporting activities that are being developed for internal and external use are sufficiently transparent to be able to take action to address and resolve issues as they emerge (e.g. timely leading indicators).
• Represent the Programme and Project Management activities in interactions with the Board and Department for Transport.

Specific to the second set of accountabilities:

• Ensure that the outcomes from the programmes for which the EDP is the executive sponsor are sufficiently scoped and robust and are delivered to time, cost, and quality in equal measure
• Ensure that multi-disciplinary teams are appropriately resourced with the right colleagues from across the Professional Communities in order to achieve the ‘right’ outcomes from the programmes
• Ensure that the Delivery Strategy, procurement activities and construction programmes are considerate of Government policies and priorities and can deliver value for money to the taxpayer and future customers of the railway

General:

• Take responsibility for your own and others’ health and by adopting and working to the EWR Co. Health and Safety principles 
• Champion and act as a role model for EWR Co.’s vision and values, behaving in ways that are in alignment with EWR Co.’s ways of working, encouraging, and supporting others to do so too 
• Promote equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace and adopt appropriate behaviours when interacting with colleagues

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Experience in the management of multi-disciplinary infrastructure projects through design, construction, and handover into operation, including adequate consideration of the end-user / customer throughout. 
• Previously a member of an executive team in a complex infrastructure programme or construction business
• Strong business and commercial awareness including cash flow management, general business planning and budget management 
• The ability to effectively organize and staff a team, and complete work in a matrix organization 
• Experience in providing professional advice and assurance to delivery teams and 3rd party suppliers 
• Experience of resolving and escalating risks, issues, and conflicts as necessary 
• Excellent communication, relationship management and presentation skills 
• Strong leadership, people, and team management skills 
• The ability to work within a complex stakeholder environment

Benefits

What we offer:

• Competitive base salary 

• Up to 12% employer’s pension contribution 

• 36 days holiday a year (including bank holidays) + up to 2 days to buy 

• Life assurance 

• Employee Assistance Programme 

• Perks platform with hundreds of discounts and freebies 

• On-the-spot and annual awards 

• Advanced learning and development programmes 

• Great work-life balance and flexible working opportunities 

• Enhanced family-friendly policies 

• Exceptional IT tools

EWR Co strives to embrace a flexible working environment, where a degree of flexibility is maintained to accommodate both the needs and preferences of employees and what is required to achieve business objectives. EWR Co will always work with any individual to assess and accommodate an individual’s work life balance and style.

Diversity and inclusion:
To discover the best solutions, it’s important we embrace diversity of thought. That’s why we aim to ensure our colleagues feel included, engaged, and valued. Inclusiveness is not a buzzword, but a way of being. Our approach to diversity is simple – a workplace where everyone is welcome, and everyone is encouraged to be themselves. It helps fuel our innovation and connects us with the customers and communities we serve.

 
If you want to connect lives and unlock the future, then we’d love to hear from you.

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Salary