Deputy Regional Customer Experience Manager

Deputy Regional Customer Experience Manager – North West and Yorkshire (Manchester / Huddersfield)

We're on the hunt for our next customer experience superstar to join our Stations team in the North West and Yorkshire supporting our Regional Managers and represent TransPennine Express (TPE) with all industry partners in the regions.

If you're passionate about customer experience, a natural people leader and would thrive in an environment where no two days are the same, then please read on - this could the opportunity for you!

In this essential role for our business, you'll support the Regional Mangers covering TPE and non-TPE stations in these regions, you will also be involved in working closely with other train companies and stakeholders representing TPE in a positive and professional manner.

These are busy and growing areas on our network with a high flow of commuters, leisure and tourist travellers.

Day-to-day, you'll display a visible, proactive, and motivational leadership style to your team and service partners, encouraging them to deliver an excellent service for customers.

You will directly manage our revenue protection gate-line teams at the three equipped stations ensuring resources meet demand including a focus on recruitment.

You'll support the service quality standards of the stations we operate at, working with TOCs and Network Rail to ensure they are clean and well-maintained, and managed safely.

You will play a lead role in driving our safeguarding plans to improve the rail network for all customers and colleagues.

At our out-based locations you will manage our customer experience and work alongside Network Rail and other operators to ensure seamless approach.

As you can imagine, people leadership is a big part of this role; as well as supporting the Regional Mangers and your immediate teams, you'll work with wider business teams to plan for a service-centric culture that is consistent with, and complimentary to, our retailing and customer experience strategies.

Above all else, this is a fantastic opportunity to play a central part in shaping the future of our railways, playing a central role in improvements to the rail network within the North of England and make your mark – you will cover for the Reginal Mangers as required and support the local leadership in the regions. This role is non-safety critical, but will work with the successful candidate if they wish to gain operational competency in train despatch, there is also an on-call requirement.

We're looking for someone with the following qualities:

Tenacity: we need you to be a “sleeves rolled up” type, someone unafraid to get stuck in and be proactive
Personality: having a friendly, approachable, personable, and “can-do” disposition will go a long, long way to being successful in this role!
Resilience: it goes without saying that anything can (and does!) happen at stations, and when times get tough we'll need you to remain cool, calm, and collected
Adaptability: our railways are changing, and you'll play a key part in this journey, so we need to be able to see the bigger picture and show adaptability along the way
Customer Focus: you put yourself in our customers' shoes and see things their way, and always consider how we can make their journey experience better
Operational Knowledge: desirable, experience in operational roles whilst not essential would be a benefit, but we will fully train and equip the successful candidate.

In terms of your experience, we'd be really keen to hear from you if you have:

Worked in a similar service environment previously, for example retail or transport
Provided leadership and line management to diverse teams

Do you have drive, enthusiasm and a passion to help take the North further? If yes, then come and be part of our amazing team here at TransPennine Express.

We are an intercity train company connecting people and communities across our cities and major towns in the North of England and Scotland. Together we will continue to transform rail travel with faster, easier journeys that offer a step change in services with our fleet of new high-tech trains.

The North is a vibrant place to live and work and here at TransPennine Express our services are helping to keep the country moving. If you want to be involved in something truly transformative, that will have a lasting impact on how we travel, then please join us and help us to take the North further.

We are strengthening our capability in the Business Assurance function and looking for an enthusiastic individual to cover a current secondment within the team on a 10 month fixed term contract.

The Strategic Planning Manager will implement a Business Planning Strategy for TPE and use all supporting procedures to lead the business through its annual business plan cycle. As Strategic Planning Manager, you will ensure the business plan aligns with and delivers on company, client and shareholder strategic priorities. You will ensure that our plans are compatible and deliverable, and as a team you will drive continuous improvement in the business planning process to ensure the output of high quality and effective business plans.

Key to this role will be to ensure that business plan actions are cascaded to responsible managers and that performance against business plan actions is monitored and reported accurately.

We are looking for our successful candidate to hold subject related qualifications and/or significant demonstratable subject related experience and a project/programme management qualification. You will also need to demonstrate the following:

Current knowledge of best practice in relation to business planning
Experienced manager with business planning/assurance experience in a service industry
Experience of developing and implementing company policies, procedures and systems
Experience of business process and change management
Experience of risk management
Experience of presentation and report writing at a senior level
Experience of leading teams and providing clear direction
Experience of project and programme management
Strategic thinker with strong organisational planning and project management skills
Highly effective communicator and team player
Ability to lead and motivate a team
Collaborator and influencer, skilled at building relationships and able to facilitate change
Writing and reporting skills, convincing, clear, well-structured to meet needs of the intended audience
Analytical and problem-solving skills, numerical and statistical analysis, attention to detail
An understanding and appreciation of the rail industry and the different work disciplines involved in train operations is desirable
Political awareness and understanding of transport policy are desirable.

If this sounds like the opportunity for you, then we'd love to hear from you! please visit FirstGroup Careers, complete an application form and upload a copy of your CV and a Covering Letter.

Help take the north further.

What we offer?

Excellent career prospects.
A personal development plan.
Fully funded structured training and development*.
Competitive salary paid on 4 weekly basis.
Generous annual leave entitlement.
Free TransPennine Express rail travel for you and your dependants*.
Travel discounts of up to 75% off other train operating companies, plus international rail travel after 1 years' service* for you and your dependants*.
Free & Confidential Employee Assistance Program and Wellbeing Portal 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to help you with any finance, family, health, or wellbeing issues you have. We make sure there's someone on-hand to offer guidance, advice, and useful information for our people when they are experiencing hardship at work or at home.
Option to join the Railway Pension Scheme with significant employer contributions.
Family friendly maternity and paternity benefits.

*Terms and conditions apply.

Why Work with us?

Our colleagues are from all walks of life with varied personal experiences and career journeys into rail. We want the best people for our roles. We are proud of our region and committed to connecting and reflecting the diverse communities that we serve across the North of England and Scotland. Our values are central to this, especially being ‘Supportive of each other'. As an inclusive employer we value individuals' contributions, regardless of their age, gender, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, social background, religion, or belief.