Director of East West Rail

The Rail Group is responsible for delivering the Government’s vision of a unified and simplified rail system, improving services for passengers and better value for money for taxpayers. We will deliver a once in a generation change to the UK railways by bringing them into public ownership, including the creation of Great British Railways (GBR).

The Director of East West Rail (EWR) will be the Department’s Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) for a nationally significant transport and growth programme. EWR will improve east-west connectivity between Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge, linking communities to jobs, education, services and each other, supporting faster and more direct journeys, easing pressure on local roads and providing more sustainable travel choices.

The programme represents a multi-billion pound investment in the Oxford-Cambridge corridor, a nationally important area for science, technology, education and innovation which already makes a major contribution to the UK economy but is constrained by poor east-west links. EWR is intended to help support the corridor’s long term growth potential by improving connectivity and supporting planned housing and employment growth, investment and productivity.

This is a high-profile programme with significant public, Ministerial and cross-government interest. The role requires visible senior leadership that can build confidence in EWR’s purpose, direction and delivery; engage credibly with communities and regional partners, and provide assurance to inform choices on scope, affordability, delivery confidence and the benefits EWR is expected to realise.

As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, you will play a central role in the collective leadership of the Group and Department, shaping strategy, resolving cross-cutting issues and ensuring delivery remains aligned to Government priorities.

We will be hosting a Microsoft Teams Information session on 26th August 1pm – 1:30pm to give you the opportunity to learn more about the role and ask any questions you may have.

Please contact our search partners devon.coates-leaning@gatenbysanderson.com to ask for the invite.

Key Responsibilities

You will:

• Act as Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) for East West Rail, providing clear leadership of the Department’s sponsorship role and maintaining confidence in outcomes, affordability, value for money, benefits and delivery confidence.
• Own the Department’s business case, funding and investment position for EWR, ensuring decisions on scope, cost, schedule, commercial strategy and benefits are coherent, evidence-based and focused on public value.
• Lead the Department’s sponsor relationship with EWR Co, setting clear requirements, providing effective challenge, and keeping decisions focused on the programme’s intended benefits for passengers, communities, housing, regional growth, sustainability and public value.
• Act as the senior interface with Ministers, HM Treasury, National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority, delivery partners, local and regional leaders, communities, businesses and other government departments, building trusted relationships and providing clear advice and assurance.
• Provide leadership across the multi-party delivery model involving EWR Co, Network Rail and DFTO, ensuring the Department can support integration, resolve cross-cutting issues and maintain effective governance and assurance.
• Contribute to the collective leadership of the Rail Group, ensuring EWR remains aligned with wider rail reform, future network development, sponsorship arrangements and the Department’s evolving role with the rail industry.
• Build and lead a strong, senior sponsorship function, with the right mix of public sector, commercial, delivery, governance and programme sponsorship capability to support the Department’s role as an effective client and sponsor.
• Develop and lead a high-performing, multidisciplinary directorate, setting clear expectations, building capability and maintaining delivery focus through a significant period of organisational and sector change.

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Application

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online form via https://www.gatenbysanderson.com/job/GSe135539

This should be completed no later than 23:55 on 13/09/2026

The application will include:

A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years. Your CV should be no longer than two A4 pages at font size 12.

A Statement of Suitability (no longer than 1000 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the criteria in the person specification.

Failure to submit both documents will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification.

As part of the online application process, you will be asked a number of diversity-related questions. If you do not wish to provide a declaration on any of the particular characteristics, you will have the option to select 'prefer not to say’.

All monitoring data will be treated in the strictest confidence and will not be provided to the selection panel.

Should you encounter any issues with your application please get in touch with us via devon.coates-leaning@gatenbysanderson.com

Your application will be acknowledged when it is received.

For a confidential discussion to help inform your application, please contact our recruitment advisors at Gatenby Sanderson:

Khadeeja.Khalid@gatenbysanderson.com

Olivia.Robinson@gatenbysanderson.com

Selection Process and Shortlist

Stephen Cohen, Civil Service Commissioner, will chair the process. More detailed information can be found at the Civil Service Commission website: Civil Service Commission

Stephen will be joined by:

• Richard Goodman, Director General, Rail Group
• Barbara Bennett, Director General, Corporate Delivery Group
• A member of the HR leadership team, DfT

The panel will select a shortlist of candidates whose applications best demonstrate suitability for the role, by considering the evidence provided against the essential criteria set out in the Person Specification.

Candidates applying under the Disability Confident Scheme who meet the minimum selection criteria in the job specification are guaranteed an interview.

Assessment

Shortlisted candidates will be asked to take part in a series of assessments which will include:

• Staff Engagement Exercise – A presentation and Q&A

These assessments will not result in a pass or fail decision. Rather, they are designed to support the panel’s decision making and highlight areas for the panel to explore further at interview.

Stakeholder Conversation

Shortlisted candidates will also have an opportunity to meet with David Hughes, CEO East West Rail ahead of their interview. Feedback from these discussions will be shared with the interview panel

Informal Discussions

Shortlisted candidates will have the opportunity to speak to Richard Goodman prior to the final interview. This is an informal discussion to allow candidates to learn more about the role and is not part of the assessment process.

Interview

You will be asked to attend a panel interview to have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the criteria set out in the Person Specification.

Interviews are expected to take place face to face in our London office, all shortlisted candidates will be asked to prepare a 5- minute presentation.

Offer and Feedback

Unfortunately, due to the anticipated number of applicants for this role, we are unable to provide feedback to those not successful at shortlist stage. Candidates who are shortlisted and attend an interview will be offered verbal feedback from a member of the interview panel.

The timeline later in this pack indicates the date by which decisions are expected to be made, all candidates will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible thereafter, and we will advise on any delays.

Expected Timeline

We will try and offer as much flexibility as we can, but it may not be possible to offer alternative dates for assessments or interviews. You are therefore asked to note the below timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process, in order to meet the dates given. Please note that these dates may be subject to change.

The anticipated timetable is as follows:

Advert Closing Date: 23:55 Sunday 13th September

Longlist: w/c 21st September

Shortlist: Monday 5th October

Assessments & Stakeholder Conversations: w/c 5th & 12th October

Panel Interviews: w/c 19th October

We will be hosting a Microsoft Teams Information session on 26th August 1pm – 1:30pm to give you the opportunity to learn more about the role and ask any questions you may have.

Please contact our search partners devon.coates-leaning@gatenbysanderson.com to ask for the invite.

Reasonable Adjustments

We are committed to making reasonable adjustments in order to support disabled job applicants and ensure that you are not disadvantaged in the recruitment and assessment process.

If you feel that you may need a reasonable adjustment to be made, or you would like to discuss your requirements in more detail, please contact:

olivia.robinson@gatenbysanderson.com in the first instance.

Further Information

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

If your application is successful but you have been dismissed from the Civil Service within the last 12 months, your application could be removed at the pre-employment checking stage.

All External applicants and current employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) will be required to undergo a Social Media Check. A Social Media Check is a review of your publicly available online activity, typically across platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and others. The purpose is to identify any public posts or content that could raise concerns for employers, such as:

Hate speech or discriminatory behaviour

Threats or acts of violence

Illegal activity or substance misuse

Sexually explicit material

Extremist views or affiliations

Importantly, this check does not involve hacking into your accounts or accessing private messages. It only considers content you have chosen to make public.

Employers use this kind of screening to help ensure their workplace remains safe, inclusive, and aligned with company values. It’s not about judging your personality or lifestyle—it’s about checking for potential red flags that might affect the role or company culture.

If you have questions or concerns about the social media check, we would be happy to explain in more detail what’s being looked at and how your data is handled securely and fairly.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.