Head of Telecoms Service Strategy

Job Introduction
The railway has seen nearly 200 years of technology and innovation that has transformed how we provide services to passengers and freight customers.

Technology is continuing to transform the railway industry. Imagine an exciting environment where Digital, Data, and Technology (DDaT) are not just buzzwords but the driving force behind every operation, every decision, and every solution.

As part of the DDaT directorate, you have a unique opportunity to enable our customers and industry partner with modern and transformative technology. From the day-to-day IT operations that keeps a national railway running, to the extensive delivery programmes that our helping to reshape the railway - we are at the forefront of all of it. We operate with a talented and passionate workforce, fostering empowered individuals and teams who understand that technology is not just a tool - it's the catalyst for progress, especially in an ever-demanding industry where change is a constant.

Get ready to embark on a journey where your skills will not just be utilised; they'll be honed and expanded. You're not just joining a team; you're becoming part of a collective force helping to build and operate a railway fit for the next 200 years

Main Responsibilities

You will lead the Telecom service strategy, engaging with the business leaders, including at an Executive level, managing ongoing service performance and service transition and installation activities across all Telecom’s infrastructure, including defining, leading and managing relationships with suppliers.

**What will you be doing?**
- Lead, interpret and influence the future requirements for services strategy, design and service transition with senior business stakeholders, to Improve business value.
- Provide thought leadership for future requirements of availability, capacity and continuity, in order to improve the business value delivered from new and existing services and adapting to ever changing global delivery mechanisms.
- Define and direct the function, establishing formal policies and frameworks, working with a wide range of stakeholders and customers to define service offerings and capabilities to enable and drive consistent but adaptable Telecom service strategy across Network Rail.
- Set the direction and leadership of the function to deliver high levels of service outcomes to telecoms and the regions for a national, installation, network provisioning and service integration capability in a safe, sustainable and cost-efficient manner.
- Define and own the strategy for maintaining and enforcing compliance to an ‘acceptance into service’ framework, whilst supporting the achievement of telecom delivery targets, in order to protect the live network from unnecessary risk.
- Drive and lead the management and delivery of all aspects of Service Design & Transition in accordance with Network Rail’s requirements to support the needs of the business at agreed service levels.
- Collaborate with key stakeholders, across all Delivery Portfolios as well as the routes and business functions to input into the Work Demand Pipeline, providing expertise on IT transition, advising on the impact on the Telecoms Operational organisation to provide a sound understanding for all parties of capacity relating to the existing Service Catalogue, people, process, tools, and suppliers.
- Manage, maintain, and proactively communicate the Telecom services catalogue across Network Rail, providing governance and direction to meet evolving service requirements and the definition of the appropriate service levels and key performance indicators to measure success.
- Maintain appropriate levels of service, as defined in the agreed service levels, creating improvement plans for failing or changed services, liaising with IT and Telecoms leaders to drive continuous service improvements where needed.
- Establish a Vendor Management strategy, developing management, contractual and operational relationships at all levels as well as designing frameworks to monitor the services provided to establish collaborative supplier partnerships that reduce costs and risks and create opportunities for innovation and value creation.
- Lead the development of demand management capabilities so that decision making leads to an effective service organisation, delivering services/resources in line with current and planned demand.
- Proven track record in managing Service Strategy, enabling the delivery of effective and reliable services in large and complex organisations.
- Detailed understanding and experience of telecoms architecture and IP Technologies
- Demonstrable experience of successfully managing large budgets, as well as displaying commercial acumen and building successful commercial relationships with suppliers.
- Service Strategy leadership experience
- Professional qualification(s) such as Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) v3 or v4 Manager/Expert qualification.
- Dem