Senior Project Manager Job Birmingham area,England UK,Management

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. 7,000people 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, Trans Pennine Express (TPE), Southeast, 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 (G ).

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, , 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…