Duty Operations Manager

Our Opportunity

We are looking for a Duty Operations Manager to join the Services team at Hitachi Rail.

In this role, you will oversee live Network Operations, ensuring continuity of service for Connect contract end users. Leading a team of Network Analysts, Rapid Response Technicians, and Service Desk Operators, you will be responsible for driving day-to-day operational performance, incident management, and fault resolution activities.

Success in the role will be driven by your ability to proactively manage incidents in real time, minimise service disruption, and deliver effective fault mitigation across the network, delighting our customer and leading with safety at all times

This position is based at our London office.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as Incident Manager, as required by internal and customer delivery plans, liaising with the nominated customer point of contact to ensure adequate and competent resources are deployed.
• Outside normal working hours, act as the senior manager on call on behalf of the Services Team.
• Lead and manage a multifunctional technical workforce on a day-to-day basis, ensuring service delivery is professional, comprehensive, safe, and cost-effective.
• Promote the consistent application of best practices, company policies, and operational standards across all service delivery activities.
• Lead a team of Rapid Response Engineers and Network Technicians, overseeing the diagnosis, scheduling, and management of operational works.
• Ensure robust operational plans are in place to meet both internal performance targets and customer service level agreements (SLAs).
• Take ownership of SLA performance managed by the Service Centre.
• Proactively manage and escalate incidents before SLA thresholds are breached, ensuring timely resolution and effective communication.
• Document escalations, coordinate reviews with key stakeholders, and communicate findings and lessons learned back to operational teams.
• Attend regular service review meetings with managers and supervisors to discuss performance, issues, and operational updates.
• Identify and recommend improvements to support and delivery procedures, driving continuous improvement within the fault management process.
• Ensure best-practice initiatives are implemented effectively and delivered within agreed timescales.
• Escalate non-conformities and operational concerns to the Head of Service Operations where appropriate.
• Review and approve safe systems of work documentation and dynamic risk assessments to ensure risks are effectively managed.
• Support the safe and efficient operation of the Connect network through strong governance and compliance practices.
• Drive positive behavioural change within the team by leading by example and promoting accountability.
• Take ownership of operational issues, collaborating with colleagues and stakeholders to achieve swift and effective resolutions.
• Set clear, achievable objectives for team members and monitor performance against agreed targets.
• Identify competency gaps, develop training plans, and maintain training matrices to support team development.
• Regularly review team capability and performance to support continuous improvement and evolving customer requirements.
• Build and maintain effective relationships with customers and senior management teams through regular engagement and review meetings.
• Support senior leaders with requirements analysis, resource planning, and cost estimates for new works, projects, and contracts.

Technical Skills and Experience

• Incident and major incident management
• Service restoration, business continuity, and risk management
• Team leadership, coaching, and performance management
• Customer, supplier, and stakeholder engagement
• ITIL, SLA, and service management expertise
• Incident, problem, and change management
• Operational decision-making and escalation management
• Incident communications, reporting, and operational reviews
• Resource planning, workload prioritisation, and resilience planning
• Health & Safety compliance, audit readiness, and continuous improvement

Human Skills

• Self-motivated, organised, and committed to continuous improvement in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong stakeholder management, negotiation, and influencing skills.
• Able to perform effectively under pressure and manage complex, sensitive issues.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to engage confidently at all levels, including senior leadership.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build effective relationships across teams and customers.
• Customer-focused, proactive, and solutions-driven.
• Experience of working using own initiative and within a team environment

What We Can Offer

We’re committed to helping you be at your best. At Hitachi Rail, we believe in developing our people and offer access to market‑leading training, development opportunities and the chance to be mentored by industry experts. We prioritise internal progression, providing a wide range of career opportunities across our global organisation.

Flexibility

Your health and wellbeing matter to us. Where possible, we support flexible working arrangements, including hybrid working, flexible start and finish times, part‑time hours or job sharing—helping you balance your lifestyle while achieving your ambitions.