Commercial Director - Arriva London

Lead the commercial strategy for Arriva London to secure, retain and maximise route contracts with Transport for London, ensuring the business maintains a strong and sustainable pipeline of work.

As a member of the Arriva London Senior Leadership Team, the role shapes commercial direction, oversees scheduling and iBus performance, and ensures the organisation is positioned to deliver operational excellence and commercial growth.

The role also carries Statutory Director responsibilities for the areas within its remit.

Key Accountabilities

• Define and deliver the commercial strategy for Arriva London, aligned to the broader UK Bus and Group strategy.
• Lead the identification, development and delivery of new tender opportunities, contract renewals and contract optimisation initiatives.
• Maintain a strong pipeline of TfL route opportunities and ensure the business is positioned competitively in the London market.
• Build and maintain the senior relationship with Transport for London, ensuring effective engagement and strong contractual performance.
• Maximise revenue through strong operational performance, including Quality Incentive Contract (QIC) performance and rail replacement opportunities.
• Ensure data, insight and operational performance metrics inform commercial strategy and decision making.

Operational & Commercial Leadership

• Lead the Commercial, Scheduling and iBus teams, ensuring strong performance, clear accountability and alignment to business objectives.
• Ensure the full capability of scheduling systems such as Optibus is utilised to deliver efficient and commercially effective network plans.
• Oversee the delivery of key commercial projects and initiatives aligned to strategic priorities.
• Work closely with Operations, Engineering and Resourcing teams to ensure the organisation can deliver future commercial commitments.

Leadership & Culture

• Contribute to the overall leadership and strategic direction of Arriva London as a member of the Senior Leadership Team.
• Lead, develop and motivate high-performing teams that deliver strong commercial outcomes.
• Foster strong cross-functional collaboration across operational and support functions.
• Champion a culture of accountability, continuous improvement and commercial awareness across the business.
• Demonstrate visible leadership in relation to health, safety and operational standards.
• Promote equality, diversity and inclusion across the organisation.

Industrial relations

• Arriva London operates in a highly unionised environment.
• The role requires the development and maintenance of strong, constructive relationships with Unite the Union to support effective partnership working, including consultation, negotiation and the management of complex industrial relations matters.

Knowledge, skills and experience

• Senior commercial leader with significant experience in complex, regulated environments.
• Proven track record of securing and retaining major contracts or tenders.
• Experience operating at executive or board level and contributing to strategic decision making.
• Strong experience managing complex industrial relations environments.
• Proven leadership capability, including developing and leading high-performing teams.
• Excellent influencing, negotiation and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen with the ability to translate strategy into delivery.
• Strong analytical and decision-making capability.

Stakeholder relationships

• Arriva London Senior Leadership team
• Arriva UK Bus Executive leadership team
• Arriva Group M&A team
• Operational & Engineering teams 
• Scheduling & commercial teams
• Transport for London (TfL)
• Unite - Trade Union