Lead Portfolio Manager

Join Network Rail ! Where People and Connections Matter

At Network Rail, we're dedicated to keeping passengers and freight moving safely and efficiently across the country. When you join us, you're not just part of a team- you're part of something that matters to millions. We believe that our people are at the heart of what we do, and every role plays a vital part in building a better, more connected railway.

We're committed to creating a diverse, inclusive workplace that reflects the communities we serve. We value flexibility and understand the importance of a healthy work-life balance. As a Disability Confident Leader, we'll do everything we can to accommodate any needs throughout the recruitment process.

Safe behaviour is a requirement of working for Network Rail. Applicants should be able to demonstrate their awareness of our safety vision .

Eastern Routes Capital Programmes sits at the heart of Network Rail's ambition to deliver a simpler, better, greener railway. We are responsible for developing, planning and delivering major investment across the Eastern Region, one of the UK's busiest and most complex rail networks, covering key routes from London across the East and into the most northern areas of England.

We turn strategic investment into tangible outcomes. Modernising infrastructure, improving reliability, and supporting passenger growth and freight capability. Our work directly impacts millions of journeys every year and plays a critical role in supporting economic growth across the region.

We manage and deliver a multi-billion-pound portfolio of investment, spanning renewals and enhancements across track, structures, signalling, electrification and major station programmes. Our teams work closely with route businesses, integrated railways, suppliers, and government to ensure that investment delivers safely, efficiently, and with long-term value for the railway.

Our people are based across the Eastern Region footprint, with offices in London, Derby and York, as well as key delivery locations across the entire patch. We operate in a client model, providing clear governance, financial and delivery oversight while working in partnership with our supply chain.

What makes us unique is the scale, complexity and visibility of the work. You'll be part of a team that:

• Delivers some of the most high-profile and technically challenging projects in the UK rail industry
• Influences how billions of pounds of public investment are spent
• Works at the interface between strategy, policy, and delivery
• Plays a critical role in improving safety, reliability and customer experience across the network

Above all, this is a place where you can see the real-world impact of what you do, from safer infrastructure to improving performance. As we transition into Great British Railways, we play a key part in supporting the integrated railway across the region, being a more joined up system led team for passengers and freight.

The Leeds Existing Station Programme (LESP) sits within Network Rail's Eastern Region Capital Delivery portfolio and is one of the most strategically important rail enhancement programmes currently being developed in the North of England.

The team is responsible for developing and delivering transformational improvements to Leeds Station, one of the busiest and most operationally complex stations on the UK rail network. Working closely with the Department for Transport, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Train Operating Companies, freight operators and industry partners, the team is shaping how Leeds Station supports passenger growth, economic development and rail connectivity for the next 20 years.

The programme manages significant public investment and operates at the centre of wider rail…