Head of Customer Experience (1114)

The Role:

We are seeking an exceptional Head of Customer Experience (General Manager) to lead the end-to-end delivery of our Customer Experience strategy across the Elizabeth line.

This is a senior leadership role with responsibility for shaping how customers experience our service every day — from information and accessibility to community engagement and service transformation. You will lead a large, multidisciplinary team and play a pivotal role in delivering our mission of “excellence every time.”

What you will do:

• Lead the development and delivery of the Customer Experience Plan, Annual Community Engagement Plan, and Accessibility Plan, ensuring alignment with concession obligations and strategic objectives.
• Act as the senior champion for customers across the organisation, embedding customer needs and lived experience into service design and operational decision-making.
• Provide strategic leadership across customer experience, customer information, accessibility and inclusion, customer insight, community engagement, publicity, rail replacement, and the Step-In Programme.
• Drive performance against customer-facing contractual regimes and KPIs, including CSS, QPR, TUAG, accessibility targets, station ambience, and stakeholder engagement measures.
• Oversee major transformation and improvement programmes such as the Customer Dashboard, Voice of the Customer, Customer Information Transformation, Step-In Programme, Try a Train, Aira app, and Access Advisory Panel.
• Establish and lead strong customer-centric governance, ensuring effective reporting, escalation, and data-led decision-making.
• Build and sustain a high-performing, inclusive leadership culture through coaching, development, and role modelling GTS values.
• Work collaboratively with operational and corporate teams to ensure seamless customer outcomes, particularly during disruption and service recovery.
• Deputise for the Customer Experience Director when required and represent GTS at senior internal and external forums.
• Participate in the senior on-call rota and step in during disruption to support customer-facing colleagues and customers across the network.
• Act as a senior ambassador for community engagement and social value, ensuring GTS remains responsive to the communities it serves.

What you will bring:

• A degree-level qualification (or equivalent experience), ideally in business, transport, public policy, or a related field; postgraduate qualification desirable.
• Proven experience leading large, multi-disciplinary teams and delivering complex strategic programmes in a regulated environment.
• Strong understanding of customer experience performance frameworks, including customer satisfaction and community engagement regimes.
• Demonstrated ability to design and implement customer-centric strategies, governance models, and continuous improvement programmes.
• High data literacy, with experience using customer insight, dashboards, and performance analytics to drive decision-making.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence at senior levels internally and externally.
• Knowledge of transport operations, public service delivery, accessibility, and social value frameworks.
• A collaborative, inclusive leadership style with outstanding communication skills.
• Resilience, adaptability, and the confidence to lead through change and ambiguity.
• A strong personal commitment to safety, environmental responsibility, inclusivity, and continuous improvement.

Benefits and Rewards

Travel Benefits (discretionary):

• Free zones 1-6 Oyster travel card, for you and another person who lives at the same address
• 75% discount on all UK rail travel, and some international services

Pension: You will be automatically enrolled into our excellent pension scheme. After two years, you will have the option of joining our defined benefits scheme

Star Hub: A dedicated online benefits platform for retail and entertainment discounts

About Us

GTS values its workforce, offers career progression and provides a platform to grow and develop.

We aspire to set a new transport standard for the UK, moving people and connecting communities better than anyone else. We are making long-term improvements to our network and creating a better service for our customers. We are a trusted operator with proven experience and have a mission to enable our employees to reach their full potential.

We welcome applications from a diverse range of candidates regardless of background, disability or gender and are committed to creating a workforce as diverse as the communities we serve.