Head of Competition

Office of Rail and Road
Regulatory Body

About Our Client

Michael Page have partnered with The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to recruit a Head of Competition to lead their specialist team within the Economics, Finance and Markets (EFM) Directorate. The ORR is the independent safety and economic regulator for Britain's railways.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities

Set the competition strategy, integrating competition policy with safety and economic regulation.
Drive complex projects, including market studies and enforcement cases, maximising the ORR's impact with finite resources.
Build and lead a highly skilled team, fostering a culture of analytical excellence.
Lead engagement with the CMA, concurrent regulators, and senior industry figures to build the ORR's reputation.
Anticipate long-term market impacts (economic, environmental, technological) to advise the Board on future strategy.

*Further responsibilities are in the Job Description

ORR Head of Competition JD

The Successful Applicant

Essential Criteria

To apply, you must provide clear evidence in your CV and Personal Statement demonstrating how you meet the following essential criteria.

Technical Skills

(Lead Criteria) Working autonomously and at pace to lead complex competition or regulatory projects (such as enforcement of competition law, market studies, or sector-specific regulatory projects) and present clear advice to support effective decision-making.
Ability to analyse complex and voluminous evidence and materials.

Experience

Managing teams, including direct reports and cross-functional teams.
Leading engagement, influencing, and establishing credibility with industry stakeholders, government (UK and devolved), other regulators, and the wider competition community.

Behaviours

Leadership: Inspiring a diverse workforce and creating a culture where everyone feels valued.
Making Effective Decisions: Using evidence and knowledge to support accurate, expert decisions and advice.
Changing and Improving: Seeking out opportunities to create effective change and suggesting innovative ideas for improvement.

What's on Offer

Job Title: Head of Competition
Organisation: Office of Rail and Road (ORR)
Grade: Grade A
Salary: London: £78,032 - £82,855 Regional (Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow, Manchester, York): £73,421 - £78,420
Contract: Permanent, Full-Time
Working Pattern: Hybrid (40% on-site)

Full Candidate Information Pack: ORR Candidate Information Pack

How to Apply

This campaign is being managed exclusively by Michael Page. To apply, please submit:

A comprehensive CV setting out your career history.
A Personal Statement explicitly addressing how you meet the Essential Criteria listed above.
You can either send your applications directly with the Subject Line ORR Head of Competition Application
Or collate your personal statement and CV in one document and apply via our website.

The Assessment Process

Longlisting/Pre-Sift: If we receive a high volume of applications, your application will be pre-sifted against the Lead Criteria only. You must demonstrate strong evidence of leading complex competition/regulatory projects to pass this stage.
Shortlisting: Candidates who pass the pre-sift will be assessed against all essential criteria (Technical, Experience, and Behaviours).
Interview: Shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview w/c 26th January 2026.

For a confidential discussion about the role or the application process, please contact:

Mohammad Jameul - Consultant

Email: mohammadjameulatmichaelpage.co.uk

Telephone : 02072692127

Contact

Mohammad Jameul

Quote job ref

JN-112025-6884573

Phone number

+442072692127