Director of HS2 Delivery, Major Rail Projects Group

At the Department for Transport (DfT) we’re working to improve every kind of journey. We’re harnessing new technology to create safer, more sustainable transport and, by creating better connections between people and places, we’re enabling greater growth opportunities for communities UK-wide.

Our Major Rail Projects Group is responsible for the development and delivery of benefits from long term investment in strategic rail infrastructure. That encompasses HS2 between Birmingham and London, the Euston Project, and Northern Powerhouse Rail linking our northern cities. Once delivered these will join up our biggest cities fostering connectivity and faster growth.

We are open to a range of backgrounds for this role but the successful candidate will need to bring proven experience of sponsoring – as distinct from direct delivery - very large-scale projects including securing and sustaining support; defining scope; obtaining funding, setting delivery targets on cost and schedule; and monitoring, challenging and supporting delivery. This need not be in a rail or public sector context.

You will need to be commercially savvy, able to drive results from third parties, with the personal impact, credibility, and sensitivity to deliver results across organisational boundaries using soft power, influencing and contractual obligations where necessary, whilst always keeping the need for delivery to be collective endeavour front of mind.

The scrutiny and challenges attached to this programme means we also need an excellent leader of people who can inspire, develop and motivate their own team, whilst also contributing to a wider senior leadership team, providing support and challenge to colleagues in a complex operating environment.

DfT is fast paced, innovative and unique in the breadth of work we lead, making DfT a truly exciting and rewarding place to work and progress your career. Our work has a direct impact on communities, connects people and places and contributes to driving prosperity.

The Director of HS2 Delivery is responsible for sponsoring HS2 Ltd in the construction, systems integration, testing and handover of HS2 between Euston and the West Midlands.

Sponsorship means translating political direction and funding into delivery and benefits. That means the role holder will need to be able to work upwards and outwards to ministers, Parliament and other government departments; as well as challenging and supporting HS2 Ltd’s delivery in representing ministers as its sole customer, funder and owner.

Specifically, the role holder is responsible for:

• Assessing the performance of HS2 Ltd on behalf of ministers, the Permanent Secretary and Parliament for the delivery of delivery of HS2 against its schedule and budget.
• Working with HS2 Ltd’s Chief Executive and his leadership team to review the current programme status and develop, assure and win approval for revised schedule and cost ranges within which HMG can be confident of final delivery.
• Establishing effective management information, reporting and control mechanisms to allow the Department to assess delivery progress both for FY25/26 (whilst the re-set is undertaken) and for the remainder of the programme against the reset schedule and cost metrics.
• Supporting HS2 Ltd in reinstating incentives for its civil contractors to complete their work productively and efficiently.
• Sponsoring HS2 Ltd’s delivery of the new stations at Old Oak Common, Interchange (Solihull) and Birmingham Curzon Street, and working closely with the Euston Director on the HS2 component.
• Supporting HS2 Ltd in standing up its suite of systems contracts to ensure timely and efficient rollout and integration testing across light and heavy systems and rolling stock.
• Working with the Department’s Shareholding Team and the HS2 Ltd Chief Executive to ensure the right capability, capacity and governance of HS2 Ltd
• Driving delivery of early economic benefits on the land freed-up from construction around the new stations in close partnership with Birmingham City Council, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council and the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation.
• Overseeing the Group’s compliance with Parliamentary and environmental obligations, response to legal challenges, and input to cross-government work on planning reform.
• Identifying and sharing lessons from HS2 to deliver other infrastructure projects more effectively including Northern Powerhouse Rail, Euston, East West Rail, and the Lower Thames Crossing.
• Working as a collegiate part of the Group’s leadership team alongside the other Directors responsible for Euston, Benefits and Policy, Northern Powerhouse Rail and Portfolio Management.