Specification Managers - Rail North Partnership

Transport for the North (TfN) is England’s first Sub-National Transport Body. We were formed to transform the transport system across the North of England, providing the infrastructure needed to drive economic growth.

TfN is looking to recruit two Specification Managers to work within its Rail North Partnership team on a permanent basis.

The Rail North Partnership (RNP) is a partnership representing the Department for Transport (DfT) and TfN as clients, working together to transform rail services across the north of England through joint management of rail passenger service contracts.

You will be a member of a team responsible for managing the real time interface, commercial, financial, business planning and contractual relationship with one or more passenger Train Operating Companies (TOC), liaising with internal/external stakeholders and partners to ensure needs are met.

Key competencies for this role will see the ideal candidate being proactive in nature, a capable communicator and an enthusiastic team-member with an ability to prioritise tasks and manage own workloads to meet the demands of varying stakeholders.

What we’re looking for:

The ideal candidate will be responsible for supporting one or more programmes or projects in the development and delivery TOC business plans and service specifications.

Key activities include:

• Establishing positive and effective relationships with clients, stakeholders and TOCs
• Developing a continuous pipeline of recommendations for the design and improvement, quality, and delivery of TOC business plans and passenger service specifications
• Leading on collaborative dialogue and negotiation discussions, including the setting up and chairing of specification workstream working groups
• Managing processes to ensure the analysis, evaluation and testing of options, including assessment and validation of proposals
In addition, the Specification Manager will be expected to work flexibly to support the delivery of business requirements.

A quality competency we are looking for from the appointed candidate is demonstrable credibility, complemented by sound understanding of contract management and/or procurement principles.

To demonstrate the competence and essential role specifications, the ideal candidate must be degree qualified, and / or have substantial relevant experience, ideally with specialist knowledge in rail.


Provisional Interview Date: TBC
Provisional Interview Location: Leeds

In return, as well as a competitive salary, our other benefits include:

• 28 days holiday per annum (Pro-Rata for part time employees)
• Access to the local government pension scheme
• Access to various salary sacrifice benefits, including Travel Pass purchase scheme.
• Access to TfN’s Flexi-Time Scheme – allowing accrual of up to 18 additional days leave per year
• Hybrid working in an agile environment, to suit both personal and business needs


For more information on the role and the kind of person we’re looking for please refer to the role profile and person specification.

If you believe you have the skills and experience we’re looking for please apply online at transportforthenorth.com/vacancies ensuring that in your application you provide evidence in the form of specific examples of how you meet the essential criteria in the role profile.

At TfN, we welcome and encourage applications from everyone regardless of age, disability, gender, ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation. We are particularly keen to encourage applications from women, members of ethnic minority groups and people with disabilities who are currently under-represented.

As part of our commitment to diversity and inclusion, all applications will be considered on their merit.

Want to know more about Transport for The North, then visit us on www.transportforthenorth.com, or look at our twitter page or find us on LinkedIn

Role Profile