Transport plays an integral part of everyone’s daily lives and TfGM is on a journey to make this experience even better.
At the heart of this journey is the Bee Network, a high-quality, safe, efficient, and effective integrated transport network – and infrastructure – which will include integration of our buses and trams by early 2025; and our commuter trains by 2030.
Delivery of the Bee Network presents a once in a generation opportunity to transform the way that millions of people in Greater Manchester travel for work, leisure and other essential purposes. It will help to level up communities by providing more people with access to employment, education and opportunity, addressing many of the most pressing issues we face as a society.
The Bee Network means a transport system that is accessible to all, owned by, run for and accountable to Greater Manchester, that will better connect our people, our neighbourhoods, our towns and cities and will help people to travel sustainably to home, to school, to work and the many leisure and cultural destinations Greater Manchester has to offer.
We’re also focusing on making a greener Greater Manchester with long-term goals around health, air quality and cutting carbon. By 2030 we want a zero carbon ‘street level’ fleet; and by 2040 we want half of all journeys to be on public transport, by bike or on foot, and less people on the roads.
While we work to deliver the Bee Network, we remain steadfast in our commitment to continuously invest in and improve upon our existing transport services and facilities, to support the wider Greater Manchester Strategy and the 2040 Transport Strategy and the Local Transport Plan.
We work closely with bus, tram and train operators across Greater Manchester, managing ‘Key Routes’, and making walking and cycling safer. We’ve started to successfully roll out bus franchising, and this will continue over the next 12 months. Alongside this, we’re planning several billion pounds of infrastructure investment over the next decade, all aligned to deliver better integration, seamless connectivity, an internationally competitive economy and a great place to live.
Implementing a dynamic, integrated, world-class transport network that serves all of Greater Manchester that can adapt to changing economic, environmental and social expectations is our highest priority.
We’ve made a good start, but we need to push harder, faster and further. That’s where this role comes in.
The Chief Network Officer role
Our new Chief Network Officer must live and breathe transport regardless of modality, whilst passionately advocating that the system must serve and support greater economic and social prosperity.
This role balances development and implementation, the shaping and delivery of transformational change across the transport network, large-scale investment priorities and operational oversight of the whole system day to day, with a constant focus on customers big and small, local and national, organisational and individual.
The revenue budget is expected to grow from c£300m to around c£450m by 2025, with an annual capital programme of between £250-300m per year. This role will have an impact across the system and is so much more than a transport delivery role. This role is about system transformation, recognising the increasing focus on service delivery and constant adaptation, as Greater Manchester expands, changes and refocuses.
Our new Chief Network Officer will bring deep, high level experience of transport system design and delivery, with a strong focus on customers, and ensuring transport reality is connected to wider economic, social and community growth.
They’ll bring the expertise and leadership needed to shape and deliver an integrated system in one of the leading regions of the UK, with all the leadership, managerial, political and people skills expected at this level.
They’ll also understand what’s needed to deliver long-term infrastructure investment, and will encourage, develop and value the strengths that already exist within TfGM. They’ll get the best from people, creating a culture that delivers alongside and with our GMCA partners, politicians, businesses and communities.
In terms of priorities, these are set out in the role profile, however over the next three years, the key priorities include
- Phase 1 of the Bee Network: A fully integrated (bus, tram cycle hire) customer centric, high-quality, safe, efficient, effective and sustainable ‘London style’ public transport network by 2025.
- Local Rail: A roadmap towards the integration of local rail into the Bee Network by 2030.
- Net Zero: moving towards a zero carbon ‘street level’ fleet by 2030.
- Investment: Delivery of the CRSTS1 (to March 27) capital programme and an agreed pipeline of delivery for the subsequent 5 years.
- Culture: A culture of ‘commercial partnerships’ with suppliers and delivery partners, focused on customers, outcomes, demonstrating our values and behavioural framework and connected to the Transport Strategy and the wider GM Strategy.
Why you, why now?
You get transport but aren’t immersed in operational delivery.
You have a vision, see strategy, and understand customers. You get that effective transport underpins thriving communities, gives people what they want and need, changes lives and builds economies. You’ll yearn for the chance to shape a whole system, rather than simply tweaking something that already exists. You’re passionate about Place and want to create a legacy in Greater Manchester.
There is no other role within transport with the vision, the buy-in, the backing, or the opportunity. You’ll recognise this and want to act now to start this change.
** Learn more about the role, TfGM and the recruitment process? See the “Related Pages” menu to the right for a library of information, plus also application instructions. Then do get in touch to have a confidential discussion with Steve or Mark.
