Director of policy and communications, Community Rail Network

Director of policy and communications, Community Rail Network

Location:

Remote. Home based/ flexibleor Huddersfield
Full time, permanent
Salary: £43,000 – £51,500 per year
Closing date: 11pm, 8 January 2026

We are seeking a dynamic director of policy and communications, to lead and develop our increasingly impactful external affairs activity.

You’ll be sharing community insights and evidence with policy and decision-makers at national and devolved level, supporting a shift towards more inclusive and sustainable transport and mobility, while overseeing high-quality, inspiring member communications and thought‑leadership, drawing on grassroots experiences.

Community Rail Network is a national not-for-profit organisation supporting a growing ‘community rail’ movement, which helps communities get the most from their railways, promotes sustainable and inclusive travel, coordinates volunteering and place‑making, and brings people together.

Community rail is made up of 76 community‑based partnership organisations, and c. 1,300 station friends volunteer groups and other community‑led initiatives around Britain. Their activities range from creative projects for young people, to advising train operators on service improvements, to building travel confidence among marginalised groups, to biodiversity projects at stations, to promoting greener tourism by rail.

Our enthusiastic team of 24 works from home in different locations, but we come together regularly in person and online. We work collaboratively to support our members, provide training, events and resources, run campaigns, and champion community rail and its insights. We believe in developing our team and helping everyone reach their potential while having a good work‑life balance.

This role is crucial for us, our members and their communities, especially at the current time, with our need to seize on the opportunities of rail reform and devolution, promote wider use of sustainable transport, and bring communities together. You will spearhead our external affairs strategy and plans, building political relationships, influencing decision‑making and raising awareness of community rail and its insights, while ensuring effective communications with our members and helping them to have a voice locally and regionally.

You’ll be striving to put community rail at the forefront of a shift towards more inclusive and sustainable mobility.

As a member of our senior leadership team, reporting to and working closely with our chief executive, you will manage a passionate team of four, ensuring collaboration with our other teams, partners and funders, and drawing on members’ insights.

• Lead the review, development and delivery of our communications, policy and insights strategy, working to position the community rail movement effectively, use its insights to influence policy change, and ensure our members are well‑informed and have a voice;
• Further strengthen our advisory and influencing work with national, devolved and regional government, transport bodies, parliamentarians and other decision‑makers, especially around rail reform, transport devolution and integrated, inclusive, sustainable transport;
• Ensure we’re engaging effectively with policy developments and opportunities, taking forward a programme of relationship‑building, and identifying and engaging in relevant consultations, events and speaking opportunities, enabling community rail’s insights and experiences to be shared;
• Collaborate with partners in rail, government and the third sector to feed in our expertise on community engagement with rail, amplify our campaigns, and build opportunities for joined‑up communications and policy work;
• Continually develop and disseminate our evidence base and insights on the social, environmental and economic value community rail delivers, and opportunities to create greater benefits for communities from rail and transport;
• Oversee high‑quality, coherent and inspiring communications with our members and partners, promoting our work, and sharing news, opportunities and good practice across the movement;
• Manage production of high‑quality…