Network Rail
Programme Manager - GBR Programme - London Waterloo/Milton Keynes
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Who We Are
Shape the future of Britain's railway
We're looking for an experienced Programme Manager to join the GBR Design and Implementation Programme team during one of the most significant periods of transformation in the rail industry.
This role offers the opportunity to lead complex programmes and strategic change initiatives that will help define how the railway operates in the future. You'll work at the intersection of strategy, policy, transformation and delivery, bringing together senior stakeholders from across Network Rail, government and the wider industry to turn ambition into tangible outcomes.
We're seeking someone who is comfortable operating in evolving environments, defining scope where ambiguity exists and providing the structure needed to drive meaningful progress. You may currently be leading a programme of work, managing a portfolio of projects, or overseeing complex transformation initiatives within the public sector, infrastructure, transport, utilities, defence, healthcare or another large-scale organisation.
This opportunity is available as either a 12-month Fixed Term Contract or a secondment opportunity for candidates currently working elsewhere within the rail industry.
About The Role
Previous rail experience is welcome, but not essential.
As Programme Manager, you'll be responsible for leading the programme and project delivery within the PMO team, ensuring that strategic objectives are translated into clear plans, measurable benefits and successful outcomes.
You'll work closely with senior leaders and executive sponsors to shape programme scopes, establish delivery approaches and provide assurance that programmes remain aligned to organisational priorities.
This is a highly collaborative role requiring strong stakeholder management, analytical thinking and the ability to maintain momentum in a fast-moving environment where requirements and priorities may evolve.
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Key Responsibilities
- Leading the development and delivery of complex programmes and change initiatives within a PMO team.
- Working with senior stakeholders to define scope, objectives, outcomes and success criteria.
- Establishing robust programme governance, planning, risk and dependency management arrangements.
- Managing and maintaining programme controls, including RAID logs, reporting and delivery dashboards.
- Driving benefits realisation and ensuring intended outcomes are clearly defined, tracked and measured.
- Developing programme plans that balance strategic ambition with practical delivery considerations.
- Leading cross-functional teams and coordinating activity across multiple workstreams.
- Providing regular programme reporting and insightful updates to executive sponsors and governance forums.
- Supporting investment decisions through both qualitative and quantitative analysis.
- Identifying opportunities for continuous improvement and embedding lessons learned across programmes.
About You
Your experience and skills
You'll be a confident programme leader who combines strong delivery discipline with the ability to influence and navigate complex stakeholder environments.
You won't be fazed by uncertainty and will thrive when helping organisations move from vision to implementation. You'll be naturally curious, analytically strong and comfortable challenging assumptions to help shape the right outcomes.
We're Particularly Interested In Candidates Who Can Demonstrate:
- Experience successfully leading complex programmes, large-scale projects or transformation initiatives.
- Strong knowledge of programme and project management disciplines, including planning, governance, benefits management, risk and issue management, and dependency management.
- Experience establishing and maintaining effective RAID management processes.
- A track record of defining and driving benefits realisation and outcomes-focused delivery.
- Excellent stakeholder management skills, including experience working with senior executives and sponsors.
- The ability to operate effectively in environments where requirements are evolving and not always fully defined.
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret both qualitative and quantitative information to support decision-making.
- Commercial and financial awareness.
- Experience applying recognised programme or project management methodologies.
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Desirable
- Degree-level education or equivalent experience.
- Membership of a recognised project or programme management professional body.
- Experience of public sector transformation programmes.
- Knowledge of investment and business case development processes.
- Experience within the rail industry or a similar complex, regulated environment.
Why join us?
The GBR Programme is helping shape the future structure of Britain's railway. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to nationally significant change while working on complex and challenging programmes with high levels of visibility and impact.
You'll join a collaborative team focused on delivering meaningful outcomes and improving the experience of customers, colleagues and the wider industry.
If you're an experienced programme professional who enjoys bringing clarity to complexity, influencing senior stakeholders and delivering lasting change, we'd love to hear from you. Whether you're looking for your next transformation challenge on a fixed-term basis or are seeking a secondment opportunity from elsewhere in the rail industry, this is a chance to play a meaningful role in shaping the future of Britain's railway.
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