Please note: The Department for Transport will undergo a period of change starting as early as January 2026, during which roles and responsibilities may be subject to adjustment within rail, including moving out of the Civil Service into DfT Operators, a preparatory step ahead of the establishment of Great British Railways. This role might be within scope of the move. Confirmation is likely to be after a successful candidate is offered the role. If you are successful you will be kept fully informed throughout the process regarding how these changes may impact your role. We expect that your benefits and terms and conditions would be carried across.

Are you a highly organised individual who can adapt to competing demands, ensuring plans suit changing circumstances?

Can you communicate clearly and effectively to colleagues and stakeholders at all levels?

Do you enjoy working as part of a team and consider yourself to have excellent people skills?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

The Rail Affordability team sits within the Investment and Portfolio Services division within the Strategy and Planning directorate.

Our team is the department’s primary interface with Network Rail on the negotiation of its five-year government funding settlement for management of its infrastructure. We work closely across a network of experts including Network Rail (soon to become Great British Railways) and its regulator, Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to allow the Secretary of State for Transport to set objectives for the rail infrastructure via a statutory process. This also involves leading budget negotiations with HM Treasury for a grant worth tens of billions of pounds, supporting the Secretary of State as they set their objectives for the infrastructure.

Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:

Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays and a privilege day for the King’s birthday
Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Read more in the Benefits section below!

Find out more about what it's like working at DfT: Rail - Department for Transport Careers

The successful candidate will be a highly organised collaborator with fantastic communication and drafting skills and sound judgement. They will have a keen understanding of how to operate effectively within complex structures: navigating complex governance processes and supporting colleagues to make the right contributions to secure the right outcomes. They will be able to juggle tasks and progress varied workstreams in parallel, meeting agreed deadlines without compromising their own wellbeing.

Your responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

Lead the team’s briefing and correspondence function, working across rail to ensure accuracy, alignment, and consistency of internal and public facing communications
Develop, embed, deliver, and continuously refine effective planning, governance, and secretariat systems including leading planning and day-to-day project management
Develop and deliver high quality written communications and presentations to colleagues across the department and rail industry;
Managing stakeholder relationships effectively
Line manager duties may be required

Great line management is important to us as an organisation and we will equip and support line managers to develop the skills they need. We aim to empower line managers to create teams where people can flourish and deliver excellent outcomes for the public.

For further information on the role, please read the role profile. Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only. Whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.