Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer (CSTO)

The Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer (CSTO) plays a critical role in defining the future direction of the organisation. This executive is responsible for developing forward-thinking strategies that align with industry evolution and emerging trends to ensure the organisation meets its strategic objectives. Collaborating closely with the Senior Leadership Team, the role oversees the development and management of the corporate plan, monitoring organisational performance against key metrics and reporting to the CEO on progress.

A key focus of the role is driving operational excellence through process optimisation, improving efficiency across the organisation. The Chief Business, Strategy and Transformation Officer identifies innovation opportunities to maintain competitive advantage and deliver maximum value to the community, managing a diverse portfolio of strategic projects and ensuring alignment with corporate goals.

This role leads transformation initiatives, overseeing the execution of strategic change projects and monitoring corporate performance. Additionally, the role governs the organisational data strategy, collaborating with IT and the Senior Leadership Team to develop data frameworks and policies, and leading data analytics efforts to inform decision-making.

The CSTO also oversees corporate communications, marketing, and business development, ensuring message clarity and consistency with key stakeholders and maintaining the organisation’s brand integrity. The role drives customer experience design, leveraging data analytics and feedback mechanisms to enable continuous improvement.

As a key ambassador for the organisation, the CSTO will represent the company's values and interests, fostering strong relationships with stakeholders, and advocating for the brand at the highest levels of government, regulatory bodies and industry forums.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Thinking

·      Define long-term goals and strategies for the organisation, while understanding market trends, competition and industry changes.

·      Provide leadership and vision to ensure Bus Éireann meets its short- and long-term objectives, creating a company culture that strengthens operational efficiency and generates revenue.

·      Implement business strategies and plans that align with the short- and long-term objectives developed in tandem with the CEO and the Senior Leadership Team (SLT).

·      Ability to align company resources and teams with the overall mission, vision and values.

Strategy and Planning

·      Establish and lead development of the Chief Business, Strategy and Transformation Function.

·      Conduct horizon scanning to anticipate future trends and align organisational objectives and reflect this in organisation strategies.

·      Lead the development of the corporate plan with input from the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), data analytics and functional subject matter experts as required.

·      Work with the SLT and across functions to develop the corporate plan, prioritise strategic portfolio of projects and support project/change management activities for strategic projects and programmes.

Business Transformation

·      Drive operational excellence by implementing process optimisation strategies to enhance efficiency and streamline workflows across Bus Éireann.

·      Oversee portfolio management to prioritise and balance strategic projects and initiatives, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and optimal resource allocation.

·      Report on transformation progress to Bus Éireann SLT and adjust strategies as required.

·      Share research findings and horizon scanning insights with all functions to aid in strategic planning and innovation.

Customer and Communication

• Champion a customer-first culture across the organisation, implementing a comprehensive customer experience strategy aligned with the company strategy.

·      Lead corporate communications to ensure clear and consistent messaging externally and manage communication channels.

·      Ensuring brand consistency across all platforms and touchpoints to reinforce corporate identity

·      Develop and execute marketing strategies to promote services and enhance brand visibility for Bus Éireann.

·      Drive customer strategy and service design, engaging with customer information and community support operational teams on actionable insights and operational front-line delivery.

·      Implement customer feedback mechanisms to gather insights and drive continuous improvement

·      Facilitate the exchange of customer strategy, data & insights with all functions, in particular operational functions, to inform decision-making and improve service delivery

Organisational Performance, Data and Governance

·      Monitor and report on corporate performance against strategic goals and KPI’s, using data-driven insights to help inform decision making.

·      Develop and manage the organisation’s data strategy, frameworks and policies, with input from IT and the SLT.

·      Lead on data and analytics for the organisation and leverage data analytics to provide insights that inform decision-making and improve customer experience.

·      Provide performance reporting and data analytics to functions for enhanced visibility into operational effectiveness and identification of improvement areas.

Strategic Partnerships, Stakeholder Engagement and Representation

• Identify, develop and manage relationships with strategic partners to enhance service delivery and generate additional revenue.
• Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, including government departments, transport regulators, local authorities and industry groups, to advocate for the company in policy discussions, regulatory hearings and public consultations.
• Participate in high-level meetings, conferences, and industry forums to enhance the company’s reputation and influence in the public transport ecosystem.

Regulatory Compliance & Industry Leadership

• Ensure compliance with all local, regional and national transportation regulations.
• Maintain awareness of emerging trends and changes in public transportation policy and adapt strategies accordingly.
• Lead efforts to address regulatory challenges, representing the company’s interests in official engagements with government agencies and regulators.

Key Skills & Knowledge:

·      Experience: At least 15 years’ professional experience, including at senior executive level in a large commercial organisation, is required. Experience in a safety critical and regulated environments such as bus/rail/metro, is desirable.

·      Change Management: Leads large, complex, multi-disciplinary programmes and PMO initiatives, driving solution development, implementing major change programmes in operational environments, and embedding strategy, planning, and risk management across the organisation.

·      Ethical Leadership: Upholds ethical standards, fosters a culture of integrity, ensures compliance with regulatory standards, and maintains corporate social responsibility and reputation.

·      Strategic Leadership: Proven track record of building, leading, developing and driving high-performing teams to achieve exceptional results while delivering impactful change.

·      Commercial Acumen: Strong understanding of revenue generation, partnership development and business growth.

·      Financial Acumen: Understanding of financial analysis, forecasting and strategic budgeting, with a strong ability to drive profitability and optimise resource allocation to ensure value for money while aligning financial goals with organisational strategy.

·      Customer-Centric Mindset: Ability to develop marketing, corporate PR and communications and customer experience strategies aligning with company goals.

·      Decision Making: Analysing operational performance and identifying opportunities, using evidenced based decision making underpinned by data and analytics.

·      Stakeholder Management: Exceptional relationship-building and communication skills, with the ability to influence key stakeholders and policymakers.

·      Government Relations & Advocacy: Proven experience working with government bodies, regulatory agencies and other high-level stakeholders.

·      Regulatory Expertise: In-depth knowledge of public transportation regulations, policy frameworks and compliance requirements.

·      Resilience and Adaptability: Navigates crises, adapts to change and maintains focus under pressure while leading through challenges.

·      Qualification:

o  BA / BSc (Engineering, Business, Marketing, Communications or related discipline) preferred

o  MSc / MA (Engineering, Business, Marketing, Communications or related discipline) beneficial

o  Certification in PMP / PRINCE2 / APM / MSP / LEAN beneficial

Bus Éireann Leadership Behavioural Competencies

1. Customer Focus

Actively listens to customers and other stakeholders to understand their needs and concerns. Demonstrates proactive problem-solving and a commitment to timely responses, enhancing the transportation experience at Bus Éireann. Collaborates across departments, measures performance metrics, advocating for customers and stakeholders to drive continuous service improvement.

2. Safety

Demonstrates an unwavering commitment to safeguarding the well-being of all customers, employees, and the public by strictly adhering to industry regulations and standards. Champions proactive risk assessment, preventive maintenance practices, and comprehensive emergency preparedness, while cultivating a safety-focused organisational culture and establishing clear lines of accountability to prioritise safety in all transport operations.

3. Collaboration

Committed to developing a cooperative environment that values diverse perspectives, encourages active listening and promotes open and inclusive decision-making processes. Demonstrates openness to feedback and proactively seeks opportunities for teamwork and cross-functional collaboration. Builds trust among team members and stakeholders, creating a culture where everyone's input is valued, leading to more effective and inclusive decision-making within Bus Éireann to achieve exceptional results.

4. Versatility

Exhibits the capacity to navigate complex and ever-changing environments through resilience and innovation, driving creative problem-solving and continuous improvement. Demonstrates a proactive approach to enhancing processes and practices, embracing new ways of working and methods. Shows openness to change, a calculated approach to risks, tech-savvy proficiency, adaptability and resourcefulness, enabling effective leadership and optimisation of resources in a rapidly evolving industry landscape.

5. Driving Results

Maintains an intentional focus on achieving set objectives and performance targets through systematic measurement and a commitment to continuous improvement. Demonstrates a goal-oriented mindset, meticulous planning and precise execution to address challenges with effective problem-solving. Takes ownership of responsibilities and fosters accountability within the organisation.

6. Sustainable Practice

Demonstrates a strong commitment to environmental and social responsibility, with a personal and professional dedication to ethical practices. Sets the highest standards to deliver a truly professional service and consistently fulfils promises. Incorporates sustainable practices into daily operations and long-term strategies, while maintaining a conscientious awareness of industry trends and best practices. Champions a strong social purpose to serve the greater good, actively seeks sustainable solutions, and builds holistic growth and improvement within Bus Éireann to reduce the industry's environmental impact.

Why Join Bus Éireann?

At Bus Éireann, you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping our operations that impact millions of passengers and our employees across Ireland. Join us and make your mark.