Location
London Puddle Dock, Blackfriars

Hours
Full Time

Salary
£55,596 - £67,813 plus an Inner London allowance of £3,270

About the Role
At Network Rail, we keep Britain moving by maintaining and operating a safe, reliable railway for passengers and freight users. The Southern Region is one of the busiest and most complex parts of the railway, supporting millions of journeys daily. As part of the Governance, Risk, Assurance & Improvement (GRAI) team, you will play a critical role in enabling the Southern Railway System to operate with confidence by connecting governance, risk management, assurance, and improvement to support better outcomes.

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Functional Audit Manager to lead our regional audit team. You will contribute to the overall assurance strategy and efficiency of the Southern Rail System by leading and directing an audit team, overseeing internal controls, processes, and practices, and ensuring compliance with Health and Safety, Quality, Environment, and Asset Management Systems and technical standards.

Your team will provide valuable assurance insights through data analysis to the GRAI leadership, Southern Region senior management, and Integrated Business Units. You will also collaborate within a wider governance, risk, assurance, and improvement community to support data-informed decision-making and continuous improvement across the organisation.

Key responsibilities include leading the regional 3 Lines of Defence Integrated Assurance Plan, coordinating the Regional Annual Assurance Questionnaire process, developing a high-performing audit team, planning and delivering the audit programme, managing external audit providers, designing and managing audit services, defining audit scope and objectives, coordinating third-line assurance activities, supporting second-line and first-line assurance, overseeing audit reporting, strengthening governance, conducting detailed assurance and risk data analysis, preparing comprehensive audit reports, ensuring compliance with policies and regulations, collaborating with Integrated Business Units, sharing knowledge for cross-functional learning, and managing safety and competence arrangements for direct reports.

The role requires willingness to travel across the Southern region to support audit delivery.

Experience
- Lead Auditor qualification, preferably in ISO management system standards (e.g. ISO 9001, 45001, 14001, 55001)
- Excellent report writing and presentation skills
- Strong interpersonal, influencing, communication, and organisational skills at a senior level
- Demonstrable leadership skills with the ability to supervise and mentor a team effectively
- Experience integrating assurance activities into a coherent, risk-based Integrated Assurance Plan
- Ability to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary environment contributing to collaborative outcomes across assurance, risk, and improvement activities
- Strong communication skills, able to convey complex information clearly to different audiences

About you
- Committed to safety and continuous improvement
- Able to lead and develop a high-performing team
- Collaborative and able to work across functions and disciplines
- Willing to travel across the Southern region as required

Qualifications
- Desirable knowledge of maintenance or operations management, processes and techniques
- Good understanding of the railway industry
- Membership of a professional institute such as the Chartered Quality Institute (CQI) or Institution of Occupational Health and Safety (IOSH)
- Strong understanding of risk assessment and internal control frameworks