Operational & Customer Standards Manager

• Lead the development and embedding of operational standards for service delivery, station management and frontline conduct

• Act as Professional Head of Operational Standards

• Support continuous improvement in operational safety and customer experience

• Collaborate with Operations, Control, Fleet, Safety, HR and Learning & Development

• Use audits, performance measures, service quality reviews and customer feedback to identify improvement opportunities

• Apply whole-system safety thinking to operational performance and risk

• Champion pragmatic, innovative and simpler ways of working

• Prepare dashboards, reports and trend reviews that turn data into actionable insight

• Lead through people by setting direction, creating shared ownership and supporting colleagues

• Represent Cross Country in forums focused on operational excellence, service quality, customer experience and passenger rights

• Relevant railway operations experience
• Credibility, practical judgement and ability to build trust with operational colleagues
• Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills across frontline, technical, management, trade union, accessibility and senior stakeholder groups
• Ability to turn complex requirements into clear, usable standards and guidance
• Analytical, objective mindset using data, feedback and evidence
• Whole-system safety thinking and awareness of wider operational risk
• Collaborative, inclusive and people-focused leadership style
• Willingness to bring fresh perspective and champion innovative, practical ways of working
• Experience in customer service, safety, service quality, performance improvement or standards management within a railway or closely related operational environment

Demonstrates expertise in railway operations, focusing on operational standards, safety, and customer experience. Capable of leading teams through effective communication, collaboration, and innovative problem-solving.

• Railway Operations Experience
• Operational Standards Development
• Whole-System Safety Thinking
• Stakeholder Engagement Skills
• Performance Improvement

• Operational Standards
• Service Quality Reviews
• Data Analysis
• Performance Measures
• Dashboards Preparation

• Strong Communication
• Collaborative Leadership
• Practical Judgement
• Trust Building
• Innovative Thinking

• Operational Safety
• Customer Experience
• Frontline Conduct
• Service Delivery
• Standards Management