Project Manager - Fleet

Project Manager - Fleet

Organisation: Arriva Rail Services
Location: York/Hybrid with regular travel across Arriva Rail Services locations

Please note, this is a 24-month fixed term position.

About Us

Arriva Rail Services brings together a diverse portfolio of rail businesses, including Grand Central, Arriva TrainCare, Arriva Road Transport Services (ARTS) and RTS Infrastructure, delivering critical rail services across the UK.

As we continue to invest in the future of rail, we are embarking on one of our most significant programmes of change with the introduction of Grand Central's new fleet.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a high-profile transformation programme and play a key role in delivering a major fleet introduction that will shape the future of our business and customer experience.

The Role

We are seeking an experienced Project Manager to lead the delivery of one of Arriva Rail Services' most significant strategic programmes, the introduction of Grand Central's new fleet, while supporting wider business change and transformation initiatives across the Rail Services portfolio.

Responsible for coordinating activities from project initiation through to implementation, you will ensure the safe, timely and cost-effective delivery of complex projects and programmes. Working closely with operational, engineering, safety, commercial and business change teams, you will provide strong project leadership, governance and stakeholder management while coordinating suppliers and delivery partners to ensure programme objectives are achieved.

This role offers the opportunity to work at the centre of a complex, high-profile rail project with significant business impact while helping shape the future of Arriva Rail Services.

Principal Accountabilities

• Lead the planning, coordination and delivery of fleet introduction activities, ensuring the successful integration of new rolling stock into service through effective stakeholder engagement, supplier management and operational readiness planning.

• Deliver projects and programme workstreams from initiation through to implementation, ensuring delivery against agreed scope, timescales, budgets and quality standards.

• Develop and maintain integrated project and programme plans, identifying milestones, dependencies, critical paths, resource requirements and delivery risks.

• Establish and maintain effective project governance arrangements, including reporting structures, project boards, assurance activities, decision logs and programme controls.

• Manage project budgets, forecasts and expenditure, ensuring robust financial control and timely escalation of risks and variances.

• Identify, assess and manage programme and project risks, issues and opportunities, implementing appropriate mitigation strategies.

• Coordinate delivery activities across operational, engineering, safety, customer, commercial and finance functions to ensure successful implementation.

• Manage relationships with suppliers, contractors, manufacturers and delivery partners to ensure outputs are delivered in line with business requirements and agreed timescales.

• Produce accurate and insightful reporting, business cases, governance papers and executive updates to support informed decision making.

• Lead project change control processes, ensuring operational, financial, safety and delivery impacts are fully assessed and managed.

• Facilitate project boards, workshops and stakeholder forums, ensuring actions, decisions and dependencies are effectively coordinated and tracked.

• Work closely with Business Change Managers to ensure delivery activities align with business readiness, communications, training and implementation plans.

• Ensure all programme and project activities comply with company policies, rail industry standards, regulatory requirements and safety obligations.

• Capture lessons learned and promote continuous improvement across programme and project delivery activities within Rail Services.

Essential Requirements

• Degree-level qualification or equivalent experience in Project Management, Business Management or a related discipline.

• PRINCE2 Practitioner, APM PMQ, MSP or equivalent project or programme management qualification.

• Demonstrable experience delivering complex projects or programmes from inception through to implementation.

• Experience developing and maintaining project plans, budgets, governance frameworks and risk registers.

• Strong experience of programme governance, reporting and assurance frameworks.

• Experience managing project risks, assumptions, issues and dependencies.

• Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence at senior leadership level.

• Experience producing executive-level reports, dashboards and governance packs.

• Experience leading workshops, programme reviews and planning sessions.

• Strong supplier and third-party management experience.

• Excellent communication, facilitation and presentation skills.

• Strong analytical, organisational and problem-solving capability.

• Advanced Microsoft Office skills, including Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint and Teams.

Desirable Requirements

• Experience delivering rolling stock introduction programmes, major operational change initiatives or transport infrastructure projects.

• Experience working within the rail industry or another safety-critical environment.

• Experience supporting operational readiness and implementation activities.

• Experience working alongside Business Change, Transformation or Organisational Change teams.

Arriva Rail Services Benefits

• Contributory Pension Scheme: Arriva Workplace Pension Plan (AWPP) provided by Standard Life.

• Employee Assistance Programme provided by Health Assured, offering free confidential 24-hour counselling and information services.

• Career development opportunities across the wider Arriva Group.

Benefits available upon completion of probation period

• Health and Wellbeing Benefits Package.

• Cycle to Work Scheme.

• Arriva Village employee rewards and benefits platform.

• Additional travel-related benefits where applicable.

At Arriva we acknowledge the importance of our people's diverse experiences, talents and cultures. Embracing diversity and creating inclusion is a key component of our talent strategy.

The creation of a diverse, inclusive workforce is central to our ability to unlock potential and enhance our success.

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