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 improve quality of life, by bringing people together to get the most out of life.

SWR 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 job

The Senior KIM Manager is responsible for Information (structured & unstructured), Knowledge, AI and supporting data across SWR. This encompasses strategy, technology, process, education and adherence to policies and procedures.

SWR is reliant on its people using technology to bring together normal business activity including train operations, retail, commercial, finance, security etc. This role will bring colleagues together through improved knowledge sharing technology.

Your main responsibilities will be:

Information

• Manage the development of a suitable architecture for unstructured information to be used in SWR.
• Manage the re-implementation of SharePoint or a different Document Management System to store information in a structured way that is available to the SWR business; and can be used for Knowledge Management.
• Lead the KIM Team consisting of dedicated IT & Digital Services staff and a wider group of people in a federated manner across the SWR business.
• Ensure all negotiated solutions with 3rd parties provide correct levels of security, data access and ownership and performance KPIs
• Influence key internal stakeholders to develop their information sharing within their

AI and Data Warehouse

• Lead the architectural development for the SWR Data Lake.
• Work with internal staff and 3rd parties to develop the SWR data lake.
• Lead on the development of company wide data standards for reporting internally in SWR and to external parties.
• Work with the business to identify and develop AI initiatives to provide better insight and help drive down business costs.
• Develop and maintain data maps of systems in use in SWR.

Data Protection and Electronic Communications

• Working with the IT Security Manager and SWR business, ensure adequate information security standards are developed and implemented.
• To cooperate and work with the DPO /DCO and Senior Data Privacy & Security Manager in the fulfilment of their responsibilities regarding information and security.
• To champion and embed the Data Privacy Policy and accompanying standards in conjunction with the Senior Data Privacy & Security Manager.
• To act as a Subject Matter Expert for high-risk projects and transformational activities.
• Working with the Senior Data Privacy & Security Manager support SWR's cyber responsibilities within the NRSP.

Finance and budget planning

• Manage the KIM part of the IT & Digital Services budget and ensure spend is contained within this budget by working closely with the relevant finance budget holder.
• Work with all other functions to identify future change activity and ensure appropriate budgets are presented that include AI, Information and Data requirements
• Ensure all AI, Data and Information capex submissions and change notes are costed correctly.
• Comply with SWR financial processes at all times.

Stakeholder management

• Provide significant input into the KIM (Knowledge Information Management) Working Group and promote AI, Information & data initiatives where appropriate.
• Contribute to the IT & Data strategy for SWR, leading the KIM input
• Promotes the value of AI, Data and Knowledge Management to both internal and external stakeholders
• Attendance at relevant industry forums to both understand and influence industry behaviour and direction

You'll need to be:

A self-motivated, Senior Data and IT Professional with significant Information, Data and Data Lake experience, the post holder will be a dedicated and highly motivated individual having the ability to work under pressure, communicate with the wider business and manage The Technology Team. The role operates in a rapidly changing environment and the post holder will have experience of managing complex technical issues through to resolution and close. 

As a minimum, you will need to have:

• ITIL service management
• Implementation and management of Information and Data architecture and support within an organisation.
• Customer focused (both internal SWR users and the end customer)
• Excellent communication skills
• Significant Information and Data Strategy experience 

About the location

South Western Railways HQ is based on the 4th Floor at South Bank Central, a stone's throw from the River Thames and a 10 minute walk from our busiest station, Waterloo. It is local to many well-known attractions, restaurants and retail facilities and is easily accessible by public transport. 

Working pattern

On average, you will work 37 hours per week, typically across 5 days.

There is an on-call commitment with this role.

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
• Large range of exclusive retail offers
• Excellent pension scheme

We all belong at SWR. 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.

https://exceptionalindividuals.com/neurodiversity/

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