Salary: Competitive Salary
Reference: JOB-12364
Opportunity Brief: Engineering Director
Ford & Stanley Executive Search (Part of the Ford & Stanley Group) are a leading Executive Search firm to the UK, North American and European Engineering, Technology, Sustainability & Heavy Manufacturing industries.
Our search directors, search consultants and research teams specialise in all horizontal functions of our clients’ organisation with expertise spanning engineering, commercial, procurement, HR, IT, finance, HSQE, sales, projects, operations and c-suite.
We are trusted by over 100 leading organisations when they seek to make a leadership appointment, be that a permanent appointment or an interim solution.
We have been retained and appointed by Northern on the search and selection for the appointment of an Engineering Director.
Below you will find an ‘opportunity brief’ developed from notes taken during the scoping meeting (Situational Discovery) held between the Search Director & Research Manager of Executive Seach and members of the senior leadership team of Northern, This brief is designed to give candidates a deeper insight into the opportunity inherent within the role, the challenges the role presents and provide access to the detail that sits behind the job specification.

ESSENTIAL HARD SKILLS (SKILLS & EXPERIENCE)

• Candidates must evidence and have a track record in leading a similar-sized business unit (1000+ employees) and come from a multi-site heavy production/manufacturing or engineering background.
• Live within a commutable distance of the Northern Network (Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle and York) or would relocate into the area. This role requires present leadership at multiple sites.
• Proven leadership and management experience / taking teams on a journey of positive change (in addition to building a team)
• Track record of being able to translate the ‘strategic picture’ into business cases and operational deliverables.
• Track record in delivering a portfolio of Transformation projects to achieve a 20%-25% increase in Quality.
• Need to understand the value of the £, maintain a cost base and how to do more with the money Northern has available.
• Candidates will come from a technical engineering or operations background either qualified by experience or via qualifications

ESSENTIAL SOFT SKILLS (ATTRIBUTES & BEHAVIOURS)

• The right candidate will be motivated by reasons beyond that of earning a salary and view this role as an opportunity, not a job. Passions could be that of trains or people, could be that of taking a business on a journey from good to great, could be that of relishing a challenge / making a name for themselves and viewing it as a platform for progression / further success beyond the role.
• Passionate, engaging, inspirational, and communicative with a track record of exceptional leadership skills.
• An individual capable of quickly building relationships with colleagues who may be resistant to change.
• Able to be ‘firm but fair’ and capable of standing their ground when needed / somewhat dogged determination but in a collaborative manner.
• They will have the resilience to implement the change needed but the patience to understand it may not happen straight away.

GOOD TO KNOW:

• This role is to replace a current incumbent, who is moving to a new opportunity, with this role now reporting to a new COO at Northern, it is his chance to bring in an ED who will work in partnership to implement his strategic vision for the function.
• The engineering Function is a £400m P&L
• This role is a ‘Field Marshall’ position that requires regular and present leadership
• Candidates must come from a heavy production, manufacturing or engineering industry background.
• Live within a commutable distance of the Northern Region or would relocate into the area. This role requires present leadership at multiple sites.
• Whilst there is a hybrid model adopted by the company it is expected that the right candidate will be passionate in present leadership and working from HQ and sites frequently.
• Track record of taking a strategy and driving it through to operational activity across an entire business unit.
• The role reports to the COO and has the following reports: 2 Fleet Directors (looking after West and East), Head of infrastructure, Transformation Lead, and Continuous improvement with a dotted line into Finance and People.
• The COO is already making good progress on business improvements, structural changes and recruiting / appointing high-calibre people into other areas of the business. The successful appointment of this role is a high priority for Q1 2025. Between now and then the business will continue to evolve process and break down barriers to progress to pave the way for the new Engineering Director to come and hit the ground running.
• The role will form 1 of 8 members of the Engineering Executive Leadership Board.
• Currently, there is a lot of positive change underway across Northern’s Railway network with the TransPennine route upgrade (TRU) which is a major, multi-billion-pound programme of railway improvements which will bring better journeys to passengers travelling across the Pennines between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York.
• This includes a new railway depot based out of Shipley which will be the 1st new depot in two generations for Northern. Due to the size of this project and other initiatives, there are lots of different stakeholders that want to touch the same geography.
• Currently Northern receives £50m-£60m annually for engineering upgrades and works which is one of the largest TOC improvement/engagement budgets in the country.
• Northern Trains Limited is owned by DfT Operator (formerly DOHL), which took on the operation of Northern Services on 1 March 2020. DfT Operator has responsibility for four rail companies, LNER, Northern Trains Limited, TransPennine Trains and SE Trains (’Southeastern’). DfT Operator is committed to working closely with all aspects of the rail industry to ensure the continued provision of critical passenger rail services.
• Standard working hours at 37 hours per week.
• The role sits under a 6-month notice period.

Please refer the Job description for details