Commercial Risk Compliance & Assurance Manager

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Job Role = Commercial Risk, Compliance & Assurance Manager

Salary = Up to 70,000K

Reports To= Head of Commercial Governance and Assurance

Based Location = York, London or Manchester / Hybrid

Advert end date = Friday 11th July 2025

Role Type = 24 month FTC or secondment

DfT Operator Ltd (DFTO), is the public sector owning group behind four key train operators: LNER, Northern, Southeastern, and TransPennine Express. We’re here to make your rail journeys smoother, safer, and more reliable. Since taking on LNER in 2018, we've focused on delivering better train services, enhancing customer experiences, and boosting performance across the network. Today, DFTO helps 270 million passenger journeys happen each year, with a team of nearly 17,000 dedicated colleagues. We now manage 25% of Britain’s railway and are committed to shaping the future of train travel to better serve passengers.

We work closely with the DfT but operate independently with our own governance and leadership teams. Our priority is ensuring efficient, dependable rail services for everyone.

About the job:

This job focuses on the design, management and tracking of commercial governance, risks, compliance, and issues and ensures adherence to the latest commercial compliance, and assurance management process for all entities within DfT Operator DFTO(DFTO)

The role supports the Head of Commercial Governance and Assurance; and works with Train Operators (TOC) Procurement Departments and Supplier Management staff across DFTO and TOCs to evaluate risk in each entity and assesses that mitigation plans are developed and progressed.

This role supports both DFTO’s and the Procurement Directorate’s Business Plan. In addition to TOCs, the role will be required to work with and DfT, RNP, external stakeholders such as Network Rail, Crown Commercial Services, and other Government bodies.

Communicate & Influence:

• Communicate with others in a clear, honest, and enthusiastic way in order to build trust with TOCs, external stakeholders, DfT and other government bodies.
• Explain complex issues in a way that is easy to understand, considering people’s individual needs. Deliver difficult messages with clarity and sensitivity, being persuasive when required.
• Consider the impact of the language used. Remain open-minded and impartial in discussions, whilst respecting the diverse interests and opinions of others. Introduce different methods for communication, including making the most of digital resources whilst getting ‘value for money’. Monitor the effectiveness of own and team communications and take action to improve where necessary

Working Together:

• Encourage joined up teamwork within teams and other groups.
• Establish professional relationships with a range of stakeholders. Collaborate with these to share information, resources, and support. Invest time to develop a common focus and genuine positive team spirit where colleagues feel valued and respect one another.
• Put in place support for the wellbeing of individuals within the team, including consideration of your own needs.

Changing and Improving:

• Seek out opportunities for innovation and have the courage to take risks and make step changes to how things are done. Give feedback on changes in a constructive manner.
• Take a positive, open approach to the possibility of change and encourage others to do the same.

Key Responsibilities:

Typically, the key responsibilities in this role will include (but are not limited to):

• Work with the Head of Commercial Governance and Assurance to develop & maintain appropriate, process, practice, and governance to manage Procurement activities across TOCs, this will include the continuous improvement and maintenance of quality policies and controls that support DFTOs compliance with core legislative needs, whilst working to develop processes and practices to support the delivery of rail reform and the changing commercial landscape pre GBR.
• Support delivery of the Directorates Procurement Strategy.
• Lead training and developing knowledge of Procurement and Commercial risks across TOCs and DFTO.
• Work in conjunction with TOC Supplier Management, DFTO Legal and others to support the process to assess overarching key supplier risks and issues, understanding gaps and developing and leading risk management and assurance processes as required.
• Act as a subject matter expert and advisor to maintain ongoing compliance with public sector regulations and changing legislation across TOCs and DFTO.
• Support and work in conjunction with the Resilience and Mobilisation team to assist the reorganisation of other GB rail operators into DFTO, as required, leading procurement ways of working and governance transition activities alongside the TOCs and other DFTO teams as part of the public ownership transfer program.
• Support the development of the DFTO Procurement Risk and Assurance management process and procedures for implementation across TOC Procurement Departments that align with the ‘three lines of defence’ of operational delivery, functional policy areas and internal audit.
• Lead & support procurement and commercial supply chain assurance reviews of strategic critical contracts for DFTO and all DFTO Train operators, during the procurement lifecycle to identify risk and ensure compliance with processes and procedures; working across DFTO, Train Operators, and DFT to ensure compliance with Services Agreement obligations and strategic reserved matters and risk are managed.
• Ensure that documents and processes within each procurement and contract award are aligned with DFTOs and the Department’s published objectives and procurement process.
• Lead and maintain appropriate legislative and regulatory compliance management, ensuring processes and policies are up to date and aligned to latest public policy updates or changes.
• Maintain a Risk and Assurance reporting methodology for review at TOC level, with relevant escalations to Senior Leadership Team and the Commercial and Contract Management Governance Board (CCGB);
• Support the delivery of a systems-based risk monitoring approach in conjunction with TOC Procurement, wider DFTO teams and where appropriate Central Government Policy teams.
• Liaise with the DFTO Risk team to support the risk reporting process for escalation of Procurement and Commercial risks.
• Support Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) initiates lead by DFTO, including the identification and delivery of social value and sustainability opportunities and targets within DFTO and TOC supply chains.
• Maintain good procurement records, databases and reporting information to support the Senior Leadership Team.
• Management of external legal support and budgets as required.

Knowledge, Skills, Experience & Technical Qualifications

• The post holder must have a proven track-record of success as a procurement manager in a public sector procurement environment. Extensive experience is specifically required in:

Strategy and Policy Development:

• Has considerable experience in translating the needs of the business into policy objectives
• Has practical experience in the development and implementation of business unit strategies and processes through procurement and has the ability to challenge risk averse behaviours where appropriate.
• Has a deep understanding of and the ability to practically apply the procurement rules & associated legislation and link them to the implementation of policy objectives

Commercial Focus:

• Has strong commercial knowledge, understands the need for trade-offs in an area of responsibility, can apply the commercial principles within the boundaries of contract law
• Demonstrates the ability to lead on securing ‘value for money’ through achieving good return on investment on commercial projects

Risk and Assurance Management:

• Demonstrates the ability to analyse risks and understand margins of error in developing recommendations and making effective decisions
• Experience of successful working with a range of clients and stakeholders in an assurance capacity.

Commercial Ethics:

• Demonstrates the ability to communicate standards to eliminate corruption, fraud and unethical behaviour in supply chains, taking appropriate actions in the event of any alleged breach of standards

Build Relationships:

• Has strong stakeholder engagement skills and can present technical advice successfully in order to influence internal and external decision making
• Demonstrates the ability to articulate commercial motivations and expected behaviours of stakeholders, suppliers, and networks

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Mid-Senior level

Employment type

• Employment type

  Contract

Job function

• Job function

  Purchasing and Supply Chain

• Industries

  Rail Transportation

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