Head of Franchised Bus Fleet - Sheffield

Job Description

Hours: 37 hours per week
Contract: Permanent
Salary: £65,966 – £71,091
Location: Sheffield (This is a hybrid role with a minimum of 3 days per week in the office)

The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) brings together the local authorities of Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield and to serve the communities and businesses of South Yorkshire. From transport to housing, from business growth to skills, the MCA has a great story to tell. We have ambitions to deliver recovery and renewal for people, businesses and places across South Yorkshire.

Please note that SYMCA follows a structured salary grading system for all roles, and the offered salary for each post will be at the starting point within the specified grade. We value the skills and experience of potential candidates, and there will be opportunities for salary enhancements as you grow within South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority.

South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) is currently in the process of reviewing its terms and conditions of employment including pay and grading. As part of this project, the post advertised may be subject to changes in the near future. All changes and any impact on individual posts will be discussed further should you be successfully appointed to the position you have applied for.

Please note South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority does not hold a sponsorship licence and cannot provide Skilled Worker sponsorship for any roles advertised. Applications must be accompanied by a cover letter to detail how you meet the essential criteria for the role (please see role profile attached).

Key Responsibilities

We are seeking a visionary Head of Franchised Bus Fleet to shape and deliver a modern, low-emission, customer-focused bus fleet that supports our bus franchising ambitions and climate goals.

This is a rare opportunity to lead a flagship programme that will shape the future of public transport in South Yorkshire. You’ll be part of a passionate team committed to delivering real change and improvement for South Yorkshire.

This is a strategic leadership role at the heart of our Bus Reform programme. You’ll be responsible for fleet planning, fleet procurement, mobilisation, and the transition to zero-emission fleet technologies. You’ll define vehicle requirements, lead supplier engagement, and ensure high standards of safety, accessibility, and passenger experience across the South Yorkshire bus fleet.

You’ll also play a key role in financial oversight, contract governance, and stakeholder management, while deputising for the Assistant Director of Bus Reform – Operations when required.

Key responsibilities include:

Fleet Strategy & Planning: Lead the development of SYMCA’s franchised fleet strategy, defining vehicle requirements and shaping a preferred fleet profile that ensures day 1 operational readiness and supports longer-term franchising transformation.
Procurement & Supplier Engagement: Oversee acquisition of new and existing buses, manage supplier relationships, and support commercial and legal negotiations.
Team Leadership: Build and lead a high-performing team aligned with transport policies and national priorities.
Zero-Emission Transition: Drive the delivery of the Zero-Emission Bus strategy, including infrastructure planning and feasibility assessments.
Maintenance & Compliance: Develop maintenance frameworks and auditing programmes to ensure operator compliance and fleet cleanliness.
Financial Oversight: Lead financial planning and budget management for fleet activities, ensuring value for money and robust contract governance.
Stakeholder Management: Foster strong strategic relationships with operators, suppliers, and local authorities to ensure delivery reliability and risk mitigation.
Engineering & Legal Compliance: Provide leadership on vehicle engineering and ensure adherence to transport legislation and safety standards.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

We are looking for an experienced leader with:

A degree or equivalent in Transport, Engineering, Logistics, or related fields.
Extensive strategic experience in fleet management, procurement, technical specification design, maintenance, compliance, and zero-emission technology.
Proven success managing high-value projects and contracts.
Strong commercial acumen and financial oversight skills – including development of compelling business cases, contract negotiation and effective budget management
Proven capability of robust management of contracts, multi-million-pound budgets and business cases in complex delivery environments.
Proven ability to lead and develop high performing teams, both directly and across cross-functional groups, fostering a culture of accountability, innovation and continuous improvement.
Proven ability to build and sustain effective partnerships and collaborative working relationships with key internal and external stakeholders to deliver transformational change at scale.
A collaborative, ambitious, and accountable approach aligned with SYMCA’s values.

Benefits

All colleagues have access to a local Government Pension Scheme and the chance to be part of an organisation where you can really make a difference. Located in Sheffield City Centre, we are well-placed for transport links and encourage employees to take advantage of the active travel facilities. Work/life balance is extremely important to us here at SYMCA with our recognised family/friendly policies, genuine work flexibility, recognition, and shared success.

In addition to the above, some of benefits include –

Annual Leave Purchase Scheme – The ability to purchase up to a further 15 days per year in additional to your normal annual leave

Hybrid working – Our offices are a space where we come together and collaborate. Most of our roles are offered on a hybrid basis with the exception of some support roles being onsite full time.

Rewarding You – Reducing everyday expenses through discounts, benefits, financial advice, wellbeing solutions and more with Reward Gateway!

Training on the job – Support with upskilling skills through on the job training and qualifications

Holiday – Up to 36 days annual leave (depending on length of service). Pro-rata for part time colleagues.

Diversity at South Yorkshire Combined Mayoral Authority

Our workforce is made up of a diverse community, where we all belong and feel part of something bigger. We are committed to equality of opportunity and welcome applications from individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief. We will consider flexible working requests for all roles unless operational requirements prevent otherwise.

About South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority

The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) brings together the local authorities of Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield and to serve the communities and businesses of South Yorkshire. From transport to housing, from business growth to skills, the SYMCA has a great story to tell. We have ambitions to deliver recovery and renewal for people, businesses and places across South Yorkshire.

In recent years significant funding has been secured through the Transforming Cities Fund and a devolution deal, and further funding has recently been secured through the region’s City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement. As result we have a large and growing capital programme to deliver in support of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority Mayor’s 2040 vision for transport. Join our workforce of talented people who love working together – and are proud of the work they do. Progression here can take you in all kinds of directions.

This is what a career at South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority is like, and this is where yours starts.

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