BUSINESS FUNCTION: Customer & Commercial
SALARY: Competitive / Grade: Executive
ROLE TYPE: Permanent
LOCATION: Manchester / York/Leeds
HOURS: 37 per week
Customer experience is about much more than what happens when someone boards a train or buys a ticket. It’s every interaction, every channel and every moment that shapes how people feel about Northern.
As Head of Customer Experience, you’ll be passionate about shaping that experience at scale. You’ll create and lead our customer agenda and our newly launched Creating Customer Confidence programme that brings consistency, trust and quality to the way we serve our customers across Northern. Your work will have a direct impact on customer satisfaction, our growth and the experience of millions of people who rely on us every year. With the rail industry entering an exciting period of change through Great British Railways, you’ll have a unique opportunity to help shape what great customer experience looks like for the future. It’s a time of significant opportunity, challenge and transformation.
This is a senior leadership role with real influence. You’ll lead a team covering areas such as customer insight and voice of the customer, service design and quality, customer products, accessibility and our regional Customer Experience Centre while working closely with regional leaders externally and internally across the business. You’ll help us turn insight into action, set the standards for great customer service and make sure the customer voice is heard loud and clear when important decisions are made.
What you’ll be doing
You’ll put customers at the heart of how Northern works, you’ll turn customer insight into action, set clear performance measures and build the frameworks, governance and improvement plans that help us grow satisfaction, trust and advocacy.
- Own our customer insight capability, giving the business a clear Voice of the Customer and turning insight into practical, prioritised improvements.
- Set the measures and standards that keep us focused on customer outcomes, using performance data, insight and strong business partnerships to drive accountability and continuous improvement.
- Champion customer-led service design, using journey mapping, behavioural insight and co-creation to improve existing experiences and shape new services.
- Develop and maintain service quality frameworks across stations and onboard, making sure we meet industry standards while continually raising the bar.
- Lead the development and delivery of our Accessible Travel Policy, keeping us compliant while making journeys more inclusive and accessible for everyone.
- Lead our customer contact strategy and Customer Experience Centre, improving support across every channel through automation, self-service and digital innovation. You’ll reduce customer effort while improving satisfaction, resolution and efficiency.
- Lead our customer product function, setting a digital product strategy and roadmap that uses technology, innovation and data to improve experiences, increase digital adoption and support wider transformation.
- Shape our customer communications strategy with Marketing and Communications, helping build trust and confidence in Northern across every channel.
- Build strong relationships with regulators and industry partners, including the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), Transport Focus, Mayoral Strategic Authorities, the Institute of Customer Service, other train operators and Network Rail. You’ll use insight and benchmarking to help Northern perform at its best.
- Own our customer-related regulatory obligations, including relevant ORR licence conditions and Customer Service Agreement requirements, making sure we have the right governance, compliance and assurance in place.
- Lead, develop and inspire a high-performing team, creating a culture where people take ownership, make improvements and put customers first.
- Manage budgets, contracts, suppliers and investment plans, making sure our resources are focused on the things that matter most to customers and the business.
Success will be visible in the numbers, but it won’t stop there. You’ll help deliver continuous improvement in our Northern Customer Experience Survey (NCES) and Rail Customer Experience Survey RCXS) results, alongside the projects, commitments and external recognition that demonstrate Northern is raising the bar for customer service.
About you
You’ll be an experienced customer experience leader who knows how to turn a clear vision into meaningful change in a complex, real-time environment.
You’ll bring:
- Significant senior leadership -level customer experience expertise, form a large, complex organization, ideally in a retail, transport or regulated environment.
- A strong track record of driving change and growth by improving customer experience and satisfaction through insight, strategy and practical delivery.
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to turn customer data and feedback into clear priorities and decisions.
- Significant team leadership and development experience with robust stakeholder engagement skills
- The communication skills and credibility to explain a customer vision in a way that gets people behind it, from frontline colleagues to senior stakeholders.
- The emotional intelligence to build trust, influence others and navigate a complex organisation with confidence.
- Experience owning budgets, contracts and major customer improvement programmes.
- Excellent communication skills, tenacity and resilience with passion for influencing real change.
Rail or transport experience would be useful, but it’s not essential. What matters most is that you understand what it takes to improve customer experience at scale and can bring people with you.
What’s in it for you?
At Northern, we don’t just value our people - we go the extra mile to support them. Here’s a taste of what you can look forward to:
Free Travel: Unlimited free travel for you, your partner, and your dependents on Northern services. Plus up to 75% discount on other networks in the UK and Europe.
Generous Pension Scheme: We top up your contributions by 1.5 times.
Enhanced Family Benefits: We offer 9 months of full pay for maternity leave and 2 weeks for paternity leave.
Cycle to Work Scheme: Save up to 42% on a bike and spread the cost.
Electric Car Scheme: Lease a brand new electric or plugin hybrid car.
Exclusive Discounts: From shopping to wellbeing, Northern Perks has you covered.
Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 support for family, lifestyle, and more.
Training and Career Development: We offer tailored training to our colleagues and opportunities to gain recognised qualifications. Plus enhanced career pathways no matter what part of the business you’re in.
Recognition: We know how important it is to show how much we appreciate our people. That’s why we have our Northern Lights and Northern Sparks Awards, recognising and celebrating brilliance every day.
Why Northern?
We’re more than just a train operator. We’re the heartbeat of the North - connecting communities, creating opportunities, and driving sustainable growth. With 2,500 trains running daily, we’re on a mission to improve rail travel and enhance the customer experience while protecting the environment.
Back in 1825, the first passenger train set off in the North of England, after which rail quickly spread across the globe - and this year, we’re celebrating 200 years of the modern railway. As we look back on the historic events that led us here, we also look towards the future as we move into the era of Great British Rail. Join us at this pivotal moment in rail history and play your part in our journey.
A place for everyone
The best journeys happen when everyone feels welcome on board.
At Northern, we don’t just move people from A to B - we’re building a team where everyone feels they belong. Our talent team can make reasonable adjustments to the process if that’s something you need. We're also a Level 2 Disability Confident employer, so if you meet the minimum criteria for the role, we’ll always offer an interview.
We automate parts of our screening process to remove any unconscious bias and to make sure every application is treated fairly. All successful offers will be subject to a DBS check and a medical assessment.
No matter your background, experience, or whether you call it a bap, barm, or cob… there’s a place for you here in the railway.
Northern reserves the right to close this advertisement early if application volumes become exceptionally high.
