About DFT Operator
Join Our Team at DFTO
DFTO is the government’s public sector rail owning group. Its purpose is to bring all currently privately-owned train operators into public ownership in advance of the creation of Great British Railways in 2027 – and deliver improvements in the here and now by unifying and integrating train operations under common public ownership.
DFTO has over 30,000 employees, runs over 8,500 services a day and delivers over 640 million customer journeys across its networks every year. 7,000 people joined the railway family in the last year
Major improvements are being delivered by DFTO train operators (TOCs) that are already under public ownership – these are LNER, Northern, TransPennine Express (TPE), Southeast, South Western Railway (SWR), c2c, Greater Anglia and WM Trains.
We work closely with the DfT but operate independently with our own governance and leadership teams. Our priority is ensuring efficient, dependable rail services for everyone.
Head of Revenue Opportunity
Customer & Revenue Growth (CRG) | DfTO
Contract Type: Secondmentor Fixed Term, initially nine months
Location: Hybrid with at least one day a week in London Waterloo Station
Application Deadline: Monday 13th July
In simple terms, this role is about helping DFTO and operators find, prioritise and deliver the commercial opportunities that can grow revenue and reduce subsidy during the transition to GBR.
This is an opportunity for a commercially minded rail leader to work at the centre of industry reform. You will help DFTO, the organisation bringing train operators into public ownership ahead of the creation of Great British Railways, work with train operators to identify, prioritise and deliver the revenue opportunities that will matter most as the railway moves towards GBR.
This is a secondmentor fixed term contract (depending on your preference and situation), initially for nine months, with the chance to make a real mark during a critical period of change.
The Role
The Head of Revenue Opportunity is the link between commercial and customer directors across operators, and the point of connection for the emerging GBR approach to growing revenue. Working alongside the rest of the Customer & Revenue Growth team, you will join the dots across operators, build trusted relationships, and keep commercial initiatives aligned and moving at a time when the revenue trading environment is challenging.
In practice you will help shape the practical path towards GBR, testing the relationships between different parts of the industry ahead of time and ensuring major commercial priorities are aligned before formal structures are in place.
Reporting to the Head of Revenue Analysis in the Customer & Revenue Growth team, you will work across DFTO teams including Revenue Strategy and Finance, while building key relationships with train operator Commercial Directors.
What you will do
- Take an active role in specific projects, including the revenue management system procurement, making sure they are joined up rather than running in isolation.
- Integrate fares, ticketing and retail priorities into the wider commercial agenda as they become part of the Customer & Commercial Directors Group.
- Accelerate the transition by ensuring commercial initiatives get the right priority across operators, sharing what works, and giving a tough revenue environment the best possible chance of hitting its targets.
- Lead the forward agenda for the Customer & Commercial Directors Group, ensuring the right issues are escalated, decisions are prepared properly, and supporting groups are aligned behind shared commercial priorities.
- Keep regular reporting consistent and connect activity on forecasts, working with the forecasting leads in CRG so operators take a common approach.
- Drive benchmarking against industry models, and bring commercial insight from across operators into the rail services teams as they grow.
- Use your influence with operators and across DFTO to keep everyone focused on the things that matter most: reducing subsidy and growing revenue.
About you
- An outgoing relationship builder, ready to win the confidence of senior commercial teams across operators.
- Strong commercially, with a real grasp of how rail revenue is grown and the constraints, opportunities and risks involved, ideally with experience inside an operator.
- Comfortable working at pace in a setting where things are still taking shape and it is not always clear where accountability sits.
- Able to adapt as the picture around GBR develops, and energised rather than unsettled by that uncertainty.
- A natural connector who enjoys working across organisational boundaries, sharing what works, and bringing people together around a common goal.
Why this role
You will be at the centre of one of the biggest reforms the railway has seen in a generation, helping a new organisation find its shape and paving the way towards GBR. If you want commercial impact, visibility across the industry and the chance to influence how the future railway grows its revenue, this is the role for you. The fixed nine‑month term gives you a focused opportunity to make a visible contribution during a critical period of change.
Vacancy Details
Duration: 9 month Fixed Term contract/secondmentLocation: London WaterlooSalary: TBC
Closing date: 13th July 2026
DFTO Benefits
Annual Leave: Starting at 25 days and rising to an additional day per year of service completed within the first 5 completed years up to a maximum of 5 additional (30 days)
DC Pension Scheme: 10% Employer contribution, 5% Employee contribution
Opportunities to learn and network across the wider industry
Additional Information
Disclaimer: Candidates applying for this position on a secondment basis must inform their line manager prior to submitting their application. This is to ensure transparency and facilitate any necessary discussions regarding workload and responsibilities.
Contact
If you have any questions or reasonable adjustments, please contact Jason.blakemore@dftoperator.co.uk
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