Candidates are being sought for three of the most senior positions in the Scottish transport sector, with vacancies advertised this week for a Transport for Edinburgh Chief Executive, Managing Director of Lothian Buses and General Manager for Edinburgh Trams.
The successful applicants will be expected to build on the performance of existing award-winning and highly rated services, while also contributing to the city’s ambition to have one of the greenest, healthiest and most accessible transport systems in northern Europe by 2030.
Lesley Hinds, Chair of Transport for Edinburgh and Transport Convenor for the City of Edinburgh Council, said:“Transport for Edinburgh is central to the exciting developments that are taking place in and around the city. As we look to its future we are considering a long-term plan, in partnership with businesses and other key stakeholders that will continue to satisfy and service residents and visitors, improve transport links to the city centre and boost the local economy. To achieve this we require outstanding leaders who will take public transport in Edinburgh to the next level, and I’m very confident that these positions will attract the exceptional candidates that the city merits.”
Jim McFarlane, Chair of Lothian Buses and Transport for Edinburgh Board Member, said: “Lothian Buses move hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors around the city every day, helping to grow Edinburgh’s economy. We can confidently say that we are operating at the highest levels of performance as the UK’s most successful publicly-owned bus company. We’re very proud of our record, which is thanks to the passion, professionalism and determination of our talented team. We also know that we need an ongoing commitment to excellence and innovation, and we are looking for a leader who can drive us to further success.”
Charles Monheim, Chair of Edinburgh Trams and Transport for Edinburgh Board Member, said: “We’re looking for a General Manager with lots of energy who can build on a successful first year at Edinburgh Trams. The company is establishing itself as a valued part of city life and we’re playing a central role in the delivery of the Council’s transport vision. Alongside sister company Lothian Buses, we provide a high quality integrated transport network that allows everyone to take full advantage of what this great city has to offer. The successful candidate will lead and inspire our team to even more success and ensure that our customers get the best possible service.”
Each of the positions will report to the chair of their respective board, with the Managing Director of Lothian Buses and the General Manager of Edinburgh Trams also having ‘dotted line’ accountability to the Chief Executive of Transport for Edinburgh. The Managing Director of Lothian Buses and the General Manager of Edinburgh Trams will sit on the respective boards and the Chief Executive of TfE will sit on all three boards.
The salaries and packages offered will be competitive and structured in an appropriate way, reflecting the appointed candidates’ experience, background and circumstances.
Edinburgh and the surrounding area is currently host to a range of significant transport infrastructure projects and passenger growth. The new Borders Rail link opens to the public on 6 September, Edinburgh Airport is undergoing significant expansion, construction on the Queensferry Crossing across the Forth is progressing, and work is underway on the new Edinburgh Gateway station at Gogar that will link passengers from Fife and North-east Scotland to the airport.
The most recent set of annual accounts show that more passengers than ever before travelled on Lothian Buses services in 2014, helping to increase the company’s revenue by £3m and generating a dividend to its public sector owners of £5.5m. An extra three million passenger journeys were undertaken, taking the total for the year to 118m, while the firm maintained industry-leading customer satisfaction ratings.
Three million passengers travelled on Edinburgh Trams, generating revenue of £6.4m in its first seven months of operation, around 3% higher than projected. Over the first 12 months of service, there were 4.92 million passengers, around 370,000 ahead of the target set before launch. A budget to support the initial years of the tram service was agreed before launch by the Council. This budget was expected to be £0.6m in 2014 however, as a result of strong performance, the final figure was £0.45m.
Research by Passenger Focus showed that Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams are among the highest achieving UK public transport operators in terms of customer satisfaction with a rating of around 95%.
The recruitment for this position is being managed by advising consultants Livingston James. More information can be found on the following microsites:
http://www.ljg-jobs.com/lothianbuses/
http://www.ljg-jobs.com/transport-for-edinburgh/
http://www.ljg-jobs.com/edinburgh-trams/
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