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Would you enjoy the challenge of leading a team that turns policies and strategies into actionable plans and deliverable schemes – to put new rapid transit lines on the map for Greater Manchester’s Bee Network?

Are you a leader who will inspire their team with clear thinking, courage and kindness?

If so, join us and shape an ambitious future for mass transit in our city-region.

Your Role

You will lead and manage a team of around ten permanent staff whose key purpose is the strategic planning and development of new lines and extensions for the Greater Manchester rapid transit system (e.g. busway, tram/tram-train and underground metro). It is a complex but exciting multi-disciplinary environment, with a significant development funding allocation as part of our current City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement.

Working with and motivating your team to meet committed milestones and budgets, you will:

* Ensure schemes are underpinned by sound strategic planning and have robust transport business cases – including suitable designs, relevant approvals & consents, sufficient funding & financing, and appropriate commercial & management arrangements.

* Shape schemes up to a point of handover to delivery teams for execution to time, cost and quality – and sponsor them through to ensure benefits are realised.

Working together with the head of service, the other leads and the wider team, you will:

* Develop and maintain an effective supply chain.

* Build strong and effective relationships to secure necessary input and support for schemes.

* Ensure the service area has the right overall balance of knowledge, skills and experience – and delivers value for money.

* Drive continuous improvement and embed a positive, supportive team culture that results in high performance.

Through this advertisement, TfGM may also establish a talent pool for the role of Lead Strategic Development Manager for any vacancies that may become available over the next six months, as we work towards delivering Greater Manchester’s transport priorities.

Who are we?

Rapid Transit Development is a service area within TfGM’s Transport Strategy Directorate. We lead on the early-stage development of rapid transit projects and programmes on behalf of Greater Manchester, by taking policies and strategies and developing them into actionable plans and deliverable schemes. We break our work into three broad areas, each with a Lead Strategic Development Manager:

* Interchanges, Stops and Hubs

* New Lines and Extensions

* Fleet and Tram-Train

Greater Manchester is entering a new phase of devolution. With this comes exciting new opportunities for growth, powered by the delivery of joined-up London-style transport system: the Bee Network. All the time we need to hold to the Greater Manchester 2040 Transport Strategy, and Greater Manchester’s target of being a carbon-neutral city-region by 2038. This role is a unique opportunity to make a real difference to the residents, businesses and visitors who use Greater Manchester’s rapid transit system on a daily basis.

What you’ll bring

What you do and how you do it is important – whatever type of role you work in at TfGM – and even small behaviours and actions can have a really big impact. At TfGM, our behaviours bring to life our values of Delivering , Adapting and Caring.

As the Lead Strategic Development Manager (New Lines and Extensions), you’ll have a background in scheme development toward the front end of the project management lifecycle – such as Strategic Planning / Study stage, Strategic Outline Business Case / Feasibility stage, and Outline Business Case / Concept stage – and the ability to shape rapid transit proposals that are robust value for money.

You’ll have experience of the promotion of statutory powers (for example Transport and Works Act Orders, Highways Act Orders, Development Consent Orders, or Hybrid Bill) and the production of compliant business cases – including the procurement, management and coordination of multi-disciplinary teams.

Your track record will be one of building productive working relationships and engaging with a diverse variety of professional, political and public stakeholders in pursuit of scheme development. With strong verbal and written presentation skills, you’ll be able to communicate transport solutions at all levels, working across technical and non-technical issues.

Working to tight deadlines and within funding and operational constraints, this role will involve day-to-day management and leadership of your team – and therefore you will have evidence of motivational people skills, and a commitment to developing the team and individuals.

What we can offer you

The role is a permanent position, leading a team with a high-profile agenda of developing new lines and extensions for the Greater Manchester rapid transit system – and working as part of a supportive service area and directorate, across TfGM, and with wider partners.

Our benefits include:

* A salary of £69,312 – £78,011 per annum depending on skills and experience

* 28 days holiday per annum (plus bank holidays)

* Flexible and hybrid working options to promote and support a good work/life balance

* Free bus, rail or Metrolink travel to and from work within the Greater Manchester boundary

* Local Government Defined Benefit Pension Scheme which includes life cover of 3x your salary and options to increase your pension contributions

* Commitment to learning and personal development and upskilling with reimbursement of professional fees, where essential to the role

* We promote good physical and mental health and can provide additional support to staff via our employee assistance programme when required

What's next?

To apply please submit your CV and also provide a covering letter providing clear examples of how your experience meets the requirements of the role, all appointments will be based on merit. Our short-listing process is anonymised, so please do not include your name or contact details on either of these documents. If any personal details are included these will be visible to the hiring manager.

TfGM is proud to be an equal opportunities employer that encourages and celebrates diversity. We want to recruit and retain a workforce that reflects the communities we serve and welcome individuals from all backgrounds by committing to providing a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process. We will offer support and reasonable adjustments if required and we also have a Guaranteed Assessment Scheme which you can find out more information on here.

For this opportunity, you must be able to prove you have the right to work in the UK. Please note we are not a licensed sponsor.

Please note we may close the advert early if we receive a high volume of applications