Enhancement Projects Managers

OFFICE OF RAIL AND ROAD

Office of Rail and Road Grade C (Civil Service grade 7) Closing Date: 29 March 2020

ORR Candidate recruitment information pack Contents

OFFICE OF RAIL AND ROAD

Welcome 3 Who we are 4 Enhancement Projects at the ORR 5 Case study 1 6 Case study 2 7 About the job 8 Person specification 10 Benefits and training 12 Apply and further information 13

ORR Candidate recruitment information pack 2 Welcome

OFFICE OF RAIL AND ROAD

Protecting the interests of existing and future rail and road users is at the heart of what we do at the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). Getting this right is essential for the country’s safety, productivity and economic growth. Accountable to the UK and devolved parliaments, but independent of government and the industries we regulate, we play a vital role in protecting the interests of all rail and road users. At a time when the structure and operation of the rail network, and the funding of infrastructure more broadly, is under ever-closer scrutiny, this is crucial.

We are a high-performing regulator and operate with high standards of consistency and transparency in all our decisions. Our success depends on understanding the views of rail passengers, freight customers, road users, and their representatives – and engagement “This is an excellent with the industries we regulate and with governments. opportunity to influence We are a confident and supportive organisation, committed to developing our people. and shape the way ORR That’s because we rely on the professionalism, integrity and knowledge of our staff and develops its approach in their commitment to supporting a successful rail and road industry. Our staff survey rail and road, to deliver results consistently put us among top performers across the civil service. tangible benefits for customers, taxpayers John Larkinson and the economy.” ORR Chief Executive

ORR Candidate recruitment information pack 3 Who we are

OFFICE OF RAIL AND ROAD

Rail passengers and freight customers across Great Britain want a safe, reliable and efficient railway. Road users also want safe, good quality roads.

ORR’s role is to protect the interests of rail and road users, improving Our health, safety and economic regulatory functions overall are driven the safety, value and performance of railways and roads today and in by legislation. We are accountable directly to the UK and devolved the future. We help this happen by being a strong, independent parliaments and the public, with a clear remit to: regulator, protecting the interests of the travelling public and ensuring • Protect the people who use, interact with or work on the railway. We that every pound of the public’s money is well spent. have a responsibility to both ensure continuous improvement in Health and Safety and, on the economic side, to temper the Britain’s railways are a £20bn a year business. They are attracting monopoly power of and promote the broader interests record passenger numbers, which places pressure on the industry. of rail passengers; More than ever, travellers’ interests need to be protected and Network Rail, as the monopoly network operator, monitored accordingly. • Ensure fair access to the rail network, which is becoming increasingly congested; This means that we play a vital role in monitoring the rail industry for • Ensure Highways implements its current £15 billion the public’s benefit. Several high-level reviews into the funding and investment programme on England's strategic road network; and functioning of the railway have recognised or endorsed the value of • Protect the interests of current and future users by working with the independent regulation. industry and funders as they develop the network of tomorrow. Road traffic is also growing. is implementing a £15 Internally, we support collaborative, innovative and flexible working in billion investment programme in England’s strategic road network ORR. We have an open, friendly and high-performing culture. between 2015 and 2020. It is our job to report on Highways England’s progress in delivering this investment, on budget and to time. The investment programme should also reduce the number of people who ORR is a non-Ministerial Government Department. Its staff are are killed or seriously injured on the motorways and major A-roads. members of the UK Civil Service. More about ORR and its functions are on our website. ORR’s 2019-20 Business Plan is here.

ORR Candidate recruitment information pack 4 Enhancement Projects at ORR

OFFICE OF RAIL AND ROAD

“We are looking for enthusiastic and high-performing individuals to monitor large rail infrastructure projects and lead on improvements to how we regulate Network Rail.”

Protecting the interests of existing and future road and rail users is at the heart of what do at the Office of Rail and Road. Getting this right is essential for the country’s productivity and economic growth.

ORR’s enhancements team plays a key role, driving improvements in Network Rail’s delivery to it’s customers and passengers. Working in this team gives you the opportunity to monitor a portfolio of multi-million pound projects and understand their impact on passengers and freight customers. At a time when the rail network is transforming through further regional devolution and there is a multi billion plan of new infrastructure programmes to complete, this role is more important than ever.

ORR’s success depends on its’ engagement with train and freight operators, the industries we regulate and with governments. That’s why we are a confident and supportive organisation and we rely on the professionalism, integrity and knowledge of our staff. We are embarking on a recruitment campaign to sustain our diverse team of great people, distributed across the UK.

Matt Wikeley Head of Planning and Enhancements

ORR Candidate recruitment information pack 5 Case study 1

OFFICE OF RAIL AND ROAD

Lisa Scott, Enhancement Projects Manager

I joined ORR almost two years ago after spending over seventeen years working for Network Rail in a variety of project management roles. I am an Enhancements Project Manager, currently working predominantly on the North of England programmes.

My main responsibilities are to monitor Network Rail enhancement programmes and projects (including Transpennine Route Upgrade, North West & Central programmes and strategic freight projects) in the context of the delivery of wider industry outputs such as new rolling stock and new service patterns. I have also had the opportunity to: • contribute to the ORR’s inquiry into the May 2018 timetable issues;

• work on a project to develop the efficient cost benchmark; and

• develop a framework to assess Network Rails capability to specify and deliver enhancements projects and meet its regulated outputs. “ I can assure you that Our team is diverse both geographically and in the roles that we fulfil. As a new recruit you can you will be fully expect to be involved in assessing whether Network Rail is on course to deliver its obligations supported by the team for its committed enhancements, challenge costs for programmes, work with stakeholders to around you at all times” reach resolution over emerging regulatory issues, attend senior board meetings plus a wide ranging number of other projects. As a relative newcomer to the ORR, I can assure you that at all times you will be fully supported by the team around you.

ORR Candidate recruitment information pack 6 Case study 2

OFFICEOFFICE OF OF RAIL RAIL AND AND RROOAD

Peter Findlay, Enhancement Projects Manager

I joined the ORR in 2019 as the Enhancement Projects Manager covering . Previously, I worked in commercial and project management roles within the utility industry.

In my current role, I monitor and report on Network Rails enhancement programmes and projects within Scotland, this includes projects at every stage in the project lifecycle from early development through to construction. As part of my role, I work closely with Transport Scotland and a wide range of industry stakeholders, which includes attending senior board meetings, to ensure that Network Rail is delivering efficiently. Along with my main focus on enhancement projects, I am also involved in work on monitoring Networks Rails delivery of renewals projects and financial performance.

Joining from outside of the rail industry I was surprised at the wide variety of work the ORR “The diverse and vibrant and especially the Enhancements team undertake. This diverse and vibrant working environment has provided a wealth of opportunity for development and stimulating challenge. working environment has provided a wealth of Throughout my career, I have been fortunate enough to work in some great teams and the opportunity for ORR is no exception. I have felt fully supported in my time here, especially by the team around me and given the challenge of coming from outside of the rail industry this has been development and invaluable. challenge”

ORR Candidate recruitment information pack 7 About the job

OFFICEOFFICE OF OF RAIL RAIL AND AND RROOAD

Job title: Enhancement Projects Manager x 2 Grade: ORR Grade C Salary: The salary range is : £53,815 - £63,606 pa, Regional: £49,814 - £59,716 pa Location: Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow, London, Manchester, or York Contract type: Permanent Hours: 37 per week Business Area: Railway Performance and Planning Type of role: Project Delivery Working arrangements: Full-time, part-time or flexible working arrangements (including job share arrangements).

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of the planning and enhancements team, monitoring and reporting on the progress of Network Rail’s portfolio of enhancements, holding them to account for delivery and liaising with key stakeholders to ensure that their requirements are met.

The planning and enhancements team is part of the Railway Planning and Performance (RPP) directorate and leads on ORR’s activities for rail enhancement programmes and projects, including:

• monitoring and publicly reporting if Network Rail is delivering its obligations for enhancement projects; and

• assessing if Network Rail’s capability to manage capital projects is improving in-line with good practice.

ORR Candidate recruitment information pack 8 About the job

OFFICE OF RAIL AND ROAD

The post-holder will be responsible for monitoring a defined set of programmes and projects, and will meet regularly with project directors and sponsors to understand the likelihood that Network Rail will deliver on time, to budget and to the right quality. The role will be focused on programmes, projects and stakeholders in one of Network Rail’s new operating regions and mirrors activities done by other members of the team, currently based primarily in London, York and Glasgow. Therefore, close working and co-ordination with the team is essential to ensure a common approach is adopted wherever necessary.

Specifically the jobholder will:

• Assess whether Network Rail is on course to deliver its obligations for its committed enhancements; • Challenge emerging costs for programmes and projects at an early stage of development to guard against slippage or unjustified cost escalation; • Assist to resolve disputes between Network Rail and its stakeholders when changes to scope outputs or milestones are proposed; • Escalate concerns in the event of serious regulatory issues, potentially to the level of licence breaches; • Investigate problem areas, with emphasis on the impact on rail users; • Ensure Network Rail adhere to the change control process for the Network Rail Delivery Plan; and • Ensure checks on the quality of work carried out in enhancement programmes and projects to ensure it meets best practice.

This description of the job may be subject to review, and is to provide you with guidelines within which you would work. Other duties appropriate to the grade may be assigned from time to time.

At least one of the roles being advertised will need to be based in our London office, the other can be located in any of our offices.

ORR Candidate recruitment information pack 9 Person specification

OFFICE OF RAIL AND ROAD

About you

To be successful in this role, you will need to be able to demonstrate experience of managing projects throughout their lifecycle, a thorough understanding of the challenges, risks and issues associated with project planning and delivery and the ability to analyse and interpret project data.

One of the post-holders will be required to be based in our London office. The other post-holder can be located in any of our offices across the UK.

Behaviours:

You will be assessed against the following behaviours at interview stage: Communicating and Influencing Delivering at Pace • Strong influencing skills and the ability to represent the • Confident, highly motivated and capable of working well under organisation at senior level meetings both internally and pressure, with an excellent record for meeting demanding externally deadlines • First class oral and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate ideas and • Please refer to the Civil Service Success Profile arguments in a constructive and persuasive way behaviours for full details.

Working Together • A strong team player with a flexible approach

ORR Candidate recruitment information pack 10 Person specification

OFFICE OF RAIL AND ROAD

Essential Experience Technical Elements The following experience is essential: You will be assessed against the below Technical elements at application and interview stage: • Experience of working with large infrastructure projects and the ability to interpret project reporting information on cost, • Ability to understand and challenge cost estimates for large schedule and risk infrastructure projects

• Proven ability to interpret project reporting information with • Able to collate and interpret project data effectively and an aptitude for analysing and distilling information to present suggest appropriate new sources and use of data key facts and messages clearly and persuasively

• Proven ability to initiate and build constructive relationships with new stakeholders at a senior level

Desirable Experience The following experience is desirable:

• Experience of working in rail industry infrastructure projects;

• Knowledge of Network Rail’s project management processes and systems;

• A good understanding of rail regulatory issues

ORR Candidate recruitment information pack 11 Benefits and training

OFFICE OF RAIL AND ROAD

Benefits Whatever your role, we take your career and development seriously, and want to enable you to build a really successful career with ORR and the wider Civil Service. It is crucial that our employees have the right skills to develop their careers and meet the challenges ahead, and you’ll benefit from regular performance and development reviews to ensure this development is ongoing. As a Civil Service employee, you’ll be entitled to a large range of benefits.

This includes: • 25 days annual leave on entry, increasing on a sliding scale to 30 days after 5 years’ service; • this is in addition to 8 public holidays; • this will be complemented by one further day of paid privilege entitlement to mark the Queen’s Birthday; • a competitive contributory pension scheme that you can enter as soon as you join where we will make a significant contribution to the cost of your pension; where your contributions come out of your salary before any tax is taken; and where your pension will continue to provide valuable benefits for you and your family if you are too ill to continue to work or die before you retire; and • flexible working patterns, including part-time or term-time working and access to Flexible Working Schemes allowing you to vary your working day as long as you work your total hours.

Training We have a strong interest in developing our policy professionals. You will have the opportunity to join a network of our policy professionals and have access to a structured learning and development Programme.

ORR Candidate recruitment information pack 12 Apply and further information

OFFICE OF RAIL AND ROAD

To apply, please submit a CV and application explaining how you meet the Person Specification, including evidence against the specific requirements within: • Technical • Behaviours • Experience

Please apply through the Civil Service Jobs website

We will assess all applications against the essential experience and technical elements listed within your application. Candidates who are successful following this ‘sift’ process will be invited to an interview where the requirements will be tested further, alongside other elements of the post.

At interview, you will be assessed against the behaviours, essential experience and technical elements listed in the person specification. Should you encounter any issues with your online application please get in touch with us on: [email protected].

Contacts For further information contact: [email protected] or for an informal chat about this role, please contact Nicola Machado on 020 7282 2027or 07718 588653, or James Dunshea on 0207 282 2064 or 07736 148 613

Interview dates and location The closing date for this vacancy is 23:55pm on Sunday 29th March 2020. Sifting and interviews will follow shortly after, with interviews likely to take place in the week commencing mid-April.

ORR Candidate recruitment information pack 13