Consultancy Manager

Who are we?

First Rail Consultancy is part of FirstGroup, the largest rail operator in the UK and second largest bus operator in the UK outside London. FirstGroup operates services throughout the UK and Ireland, with over 30,000 employees providing services that make travel smoother and life easier. FirstGroup works hard to reduce its impact on the environment, introducing cleaner and more environmentally responsible methods of transport.

About the team

First Rail Consultancy provides specialist services across the public transport sector, nationally and internationally. We work closely with other FirstGroup plc businesses, including operators Avanti West Coast, Great Western Railway, South Western Railway, Hull Trains, and or all-electric Edinburgh to London service, Lumo. We are part of the team advising the DfT on the future operation of HS2. We also provide consultancy services for First Bus, London Trams and external clients. 

About the job

The Consultancy Manager leads on the operational, day to day management of First Rail Consultancy. The role is vital to the effective running of the business, ensuring our clients receive services which meet their time, cost and quality requirements. The role achieves this by planning and monitoring the effective resourcing of our consultants on client assignments. Looking at our entire consultancy workforce, this role ensures optimised utilisation in both current and projected assignments to meet our revenue targets. Additionally, the role engages with clients, suppliers and senior stakeholders as well as providing financial planning and analysis

Your main responsibilities will be:

• Resourcing Assignments: Optimise resourcing of assignments in liaison with clients and Managing Consultants. Work with business development information to give visibility to pipeline opportunities and plan potential resourcing scenarios lined to proposals.
• Resourcing Best Practice: Taking a quality management approach, embed structured processes to support quality of assignments and client feedback. Identify systems and processes which continually improve and innovate consultancy resource and assignment management
• Billing and Compliance: Manage billing process on periodic basis and ensure accuracy of billing and minimise outstanding debts. Liaison with finance business partners as required.
• Stakeholder Management: Ensure regular stakeholder meetings with clients and work on business development opportunities as well as assignment feedback. Grow stakeholder reporting where possible.
• Data and Reporting: Design and build reporting for teams, Senior Team, Exec and Board Levels. Focussing on, but not limited to, KPI areas such as utilisation, revenue, timesheet accuracy and client feedback.
• Process Improvement: Identify evaluate and gain support to address opportunities to increase efficiency and robustness in all areas of FRC operational processes.
• Strategy: Input and help shape the FRC growth strategy.
• Comply with company policies and role-model the principles and behaviours of our Be Safe programme.
• Possess a comprehensive knowledge of the Group’s objectives and business plans.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with all clients and colleagues.
• Behave in line with our values including Committed to Customers, Supportive of Each Other, Accountable for Performance and Setting the Highest Standard

You’ll need to be:

Experience and Qualifications:

• Excellent analytical and presentation skills
• Excellent people skills with the ability to negotiate difficult conversations.
• Strategic thinker with good eye for opportunity
• Eye for detail and good numerical understanding

Personal Attributes:

• Strong leadership and people management skills.
• Good decision-making and problem-solving abilities.
• Highly organised and detail-oriented.
• Ability to handle confidential information.
• Strong ethical standards and integrity

We all belong at First Rail Consultancy. FirstGroup’s vision is to provide an inclusive environment for all colleagues, across its group of businesses, ensuring all candidates have an equal opportunity to access meaningful employment.

We value our differences such as age, gender, LGBTQIA+, ethnicity, religion, and disability. We maintain a zero tolerance towards any form of prejudice towards our colleagues, customers, and future talent.

We celebrate and encourage diversity of thought, progressive ways of working and seeing all our colleagues grow and thrive.

We review all roles and job descriptions to ensure they are accessible and, where possible, we support and provide flexible working options; we recommend that you refer to each vacancy description for further details.

If you require additional support to complete your application due to a disability or neurodivergent condition, for example, dyslexia, dyspraxia, or autism, please follow the links below. We encourage you to share any additional needs you may require so we can provide a fair and equal process for all who apply.

Neurodiversity Definitions and Different Types

https://www.healthassured.org/blog/neurodiversity/

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