trentbarton
Commercial Director
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A rare and exciting opportunity at the really good bus company
We’re looking for a commercially sharp, people-focused and brilliantly curious leader to join our Senior Leadership Team as Commercial Director - helping trentbarton, Kinchbus and businesses across the Wellglade Group make the most of opportunities across the East Midlands and South Yorkshire.
This is a role for someone who sees more than routes and timetables. You’ll see growing communities, changing travel habits, new developments, and ambitious local authority partners who want to make bus the natural choice. You’ll turn insight into action, ideas into sustainable growth, and opportunities into brands that customers genuinely love.
Working closely with our Managing Director and fellow directors, you’ll lead our commercial, marketing and customer services teams across the group. You’ll have the freedom and influence to shape strategy, grow revenue and develop a network that keeps us moving towards a simple ambition: the best bus services and the highest customer satisfaction in the UK.
The opportunity
Our region is changing - and that makes this a fantastic time to join us. New housing, jobs, education, leisure and regeneration projects are opening doors for better connections and bold new partnerships. You’ll be the person who spots those openings early, brings the right people together and builds a compelling commercial case for what comes next. You’ll balance big-picture thinking with real attention to detail: setting the revenue plan, understanding what customers and communities need, and making sure every service change, fare decision, campaign and partnership supports our purpose and performs commercially.
What you’ll lead
- Our group commercial strategy - turning our ambitions into clear priorities, smart decisions and measurable results.
- The commercial, marketing, communications and customer services teams - creating the conditions for talented people to do their best work.
- Network growth and development - using customer research, data, and local insight to create, improve and reshape services.
- Our revenue budget, fares and ticketing strategy - tracking performance closely and finding fresh ways to grow sustainable patronage and income.
- New business, bids and tenders - developing persuasive, evidence-led proposals for contracts, developments and partnership opportunities.
- Powerful regional relationships - working with local transport authorities, councils, developers, employers, education providers and other partners to unlock better bus travel.
- Customer-led marketing and research - making sure our brands stay distinctive, relevant, warm and market-leading.
- Commercial support across the Wellglade Group - sharing expertise and helping every business improve service delivery and performance.
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The individual
At trentbarton, Kinchbus and across Wellglade, we’re all about people. We’re looking for an energetic and generous leader who can set a clear direction, bring others with them and build trusted relationships inside and outside the business. You’ll combine commercial instinct with analytical rigour - and you’ll be every bit as comfortable exploring a new partnership as you are getting under the skin of a revenue line or route performance report.
You’ll have high standards, but no interest in ego. You’ll listen, challenge constructively and make things happen. Most importantly, you’ll share our belief that commercial success and brilliant customer service belong together: when we understand people, design the right services and deliver them consistently well, everybody wins.
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You’ll bring
- A strong track record of leading, motivating and developing high-performing teams.
- Commercial leadership experience, including setting and managing significant budgets and reporting clearly on performance.
- A sharp eye for markets, customer behaviour, competition and new growth opportunities.
- The ability to turn complex data into practical decisions, compelling business cases and confident recommendations.
- Experience of successful bids, tenders, contracts or partnership development.
- Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the confidence to represent our businesses at local, regional and national level.
- A collaborative, sleeves-rolled-up approach and the flexibility to work across different businesses, places and priorities.
- Bus industry and operational experience would be a real advantage, including knowledge of fares, ticketing, network planning and service delivery - but curiosity, judgement, values and leadership matter just as much.
The rewards
Our lean structure means your ideas will be heard and your decisions will make a visible difference. You’ll join a friendly, ambitious locally grounded business with much-loved local brands, talented people and the appetite to try new things. Alongside a competitive salary, you can expect a generous package including:
- Free bus travel for you and a partner across our network.
- Private medical healthcare.
- Pension contributions matched up to 5% of salary.
- 25 days’ holiday each year, plus statutory bank holidays.
- Flexible working
- Access to a range of employee discounts, including subsidised gym membership
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