Job Description

Who are we?

South Western Railway (SWR) operates over 1,500 services each weekday across the network and employs more than 5,000 people. We provide easy and convenient mobility, connecting people and communities in South West London, southern counties of England, and the Isle of Wight.

Join our team and help us continue to bring people together to get the most out of life.

About the job

We are looking for a dynamic Customer Experience Improvement Lead to drive a step-change in how SWR delivers for its customers. Sitting at the heart of our Customer Strategy team, this is a high-impact leadership role responsible for embedding a customer-first mindset across the business and delivering against key customer KPIs.



You will lead the development and implementation of customer experience initiatives, challenge decisions that aren't customer-centric, and work collaboratively with functional teams to raise standards, close service gaps, and improve satisfaction scores. You'll also line-manage a small team of Customer Experience Managers, empowering them to deliver meaningful improvements across SWR.



This role directly supports SWR's strategic vision by ensuring our internal teams are aligned behind what matters most to our customers - creating journeys that are smooth, consistent, and grounded in understanding real customer needs.

Key Responsibilities:

Lead and deliver the internal customer experience strategy, driving improvements across functional teams. Shape and annually update the Customer Experience Plan, focusing on cross-departmental delivery and performance. Use research and insight to identify and close customer experience gaps, holding internal stakeholders accountable. Set and track customer satisfaction KPIs, challenge underperformance and drive action. Lead cross-functional working groups in Guards, Fleet and On-board Environment aligned to the strategy. Support culture change initiatives to embed a customer-first approach across all SWR functions. Collaborate closely with senior leaders to ensure customer improvements are prioritised in annual business planning.

About You:

Essential

Degree-level education or equivalent experience. Proven experience in customer experience leadership roles, ideally within a rail or transport environment. Customer-first mindset with the ability to view the business through the lens of the customer. Strong analytical ability -- confident interpreting complex data to inform decisions. Proven ability to lead strategic change initiatives and influence across teams. Experience managing performance improvement and supporting your team to succeed. A motivated self-starter with excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Desirable

Previous experience managing a customer experience improvement team. Experience leading change management in large or regulated organisations.

Working pattern

You will work an average of 37 hours across 5 days per week, typically office hours.

The Reward

In return we offer a competitive salary and a variety of valuable benefits, including:


Free duty and leisure travel on SWR services for employees Free leisure travel for spouse/partner and dependants (criteria dependent) 75% discount on many other train operating companies Full training and support with development Excellent pension scheme

We all belong at SWR.

Our vision is to provide an inclusive environment for all colleagues, 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.



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.



https://exceptionalindividuals.com/neurodiversity/



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