We are looking for a Chief Executive Officer to be based out of our London office.
This is an exceptional opportunity to lead a nationally significant regulator at a moment of real change for the rail and road sectors. As Chief Executive, you will help shape the next chapter of ORR’s impact – guiding the organisation through ongoing transformation and sector reform, and ensuring our work continues to deliver for passengers, freight users, taxpayers and road users.
You will play a central leadership role as a member of the Board and as ORR’s Accounting Officer. While previous Accounting Officer experience is not essential, the role demands someone who brings sound judgement, confident stewardship of resources and a commitment to high‑quality governance. What matters most is your ability to lead with clarity, integrity and ambition in a complex and high‑profile environment.
Representing ORR with credibility and independence, you will engage across government, industry and the public, and be accountable to Parliament for key regulatory decisions taken through the Board. With Great British Railways and the new Passenger Watchdog being established, the role requires an exceptional leader who can navigate complexity, build confidence and deliver meaningful change across the rail and road sectors.
As Chief Executive, you will balance a clear strategic outlook while ensuring the organisation’s regulatory work – from safety and compliance to performance monitoring and enforcement – remains robust and timely. You will operate in an environment characterised by scrutiny, diverse interests and continuing reform, requiring strong judgement, evidence‑based decision‑making and excellent stakeholder leadership across government, industry and devolved administrations.
At ORR we have adopted hybrid working and are currently expected to work from a workplace location for a minimum of two days per week or 40%.
Please refer to the attached candidate Information Pack for further details.
Find out what our colleagues have to say about their ORR careers at Our people | Office of Rail and Road (orr.gov.uk).
We have partnered with Saxton Bampfylde to recruit for this role. To apply, please visit roles.saxbam.com. To arrange a confidential discussion, please contact Ellie Dugdale at ellie.dugdale@saxbam.com