CEC Workforce Planner

Northern; Sheffield; On-site; GBP 29,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free travel

Generous pension

Enhanced family benefits

Cycle to work

Exclusive discounts

Employee assistance programme

Training and career development

Recognition

Job summary

Northern Trains Limited is seeking a CEC Workforce Planner at the Sheffield Contact Centre. You will forecast call volumes, create multi-skilled schedules and align plans with targets and budgets, ensuring optimal staffing for around 100 colleagues.

You’ll monitor real-time performance and drive data-driven decisions to deliver high customer service levels. Key requirements include experience in contact centre planning, proficiency with PeopleWare, strong Excel skills, and the ability to

Qualifications

• Experience in forecasting, scheduling, capacity planning and real-time workforce management.
• Contact centre experience including service levels, demand patterns, shrinkage, occupancy and resource requirements.
• Experience with PeopleWare or a similar workforce management platform.
• Strong Excel skills; Power BI or other data visualisation experience is an advantage.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and organisational skills, with ability to spot trends and risks.
• Ability to turn complex data into clear, actionable insight.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder-management skills; confident to challenge and influence.
• Continuous-improvement mindset and interest in technology, automation and data.

Responsibilities

• Forecast customer contact volumes across multiple channels and translate demand into workforce requirements.
• Create efficient, multi-skilled schedules that balance customer service and colleague availability.
• Align workforce plans with service targets, budgets and operational priorities.
• Monitor real-time performance and adjust plans to maintain service levels.
• Manage holidays, training, coaching and other activities to minimise operational impact.
• Analyse trends and performance data to identify risks, opportunities and planning challenges.
• Provide clear, data-driven insight for operational and strategic decisions.
• Improve workforce planning processes through technology, automation and smarter ways of working.
• Work closely with operational leaders to respond to changing customer demand and business priorities.

Skills

Forecasting

Scheduling

Capacity planning

Real-time WFM

Data analysis

Excel

Power BI

Stakeholder management

Communication

Tools

PeopleWare

Power BI

Job description

ROLE: CEC Workforce Planner

BUSINESS FUNCTION: Customer and Commercial

SALARY: £32,543

CONTRACT: Full Time

LOCATION: Sheffield Contact Centre

HOURS: 37 per week

At Northern Trains Limited, we keep people connected by ensuring customers receive the right support at the right time.

As a Workforce Planner, you’ll play a key role in planning and performance for our Customer Experience Centre (CEC), supporting around 100 colleagues. Using data, insight and contact centre planning expertise, you’ll ensure we have the right people, skills and capacity at the right time.

Using PeopleWare, you’ll:

• Forecast customer contact volumes across multiple channels and translate demand into workforce requirements.
• Create efficient, multi-skilled schedules that balance customer service and colleague availability.
• Align workforce plans with service targets, budgets and operational priorities.
• Monitor real-time performance and adjust plans to maintain service levels.
• Manage holidays, training, coaching and other activities to minimise operational impact.
• Analyse trends and performance data to identify risks, opportunities and planning challenges.
• Provide clear, data-driven insight for operational and strategic decisions.
• Improve workforce planning processes through technology, automation and smarter ways of working.
• Work closely with operational leaders to respond to changing customer demand and business priorities.

Essentials of the Role

You’ll have a strong experience of contact centre workforce planning and be confident turning data into practical action.

• Experience in forecasting, scheduling, capacity planning and real-time workforce management.
• Contact centre experience, including service levels, demand patterns, shrinkage, occupancy and resource requirements.
• Experience with PeopleWare or a similar workforce management platform.
• Strong Excel skills; Power BI or other data visualisation experience is an advantage.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and organisational skills, with an ability to spot trends and risks.
• The ability to turn complex data into clear, actionable insight.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder-management skills, including the confidence to challenge and influence.
• A continuous-improvement mindset and an interest in technology, automation and data.

Most importantly, you’ll understand that workforce planning is more than creating schedules—it’s about ensuring the contact centre has the capacity and capability to deliver an excellent customer experience every day.

What’s in it for you?

At Northern, we don’t just value our people - we go the extra mile to support them. Here’s a taste of what you can look forward to:

• Free Travel: Unlimited free travel for you, your partner, and your dependents on Northern services. Plus up to 75% discount on other networks in the UK and Europe.
• Generous Pension Scheme: We top up your contributions by 1.5 times.
• Enhanced Family Benefits: We offer 9 months of full pay for maternity leave and 2 weeks for paternity leave.
• Cycle to Work Scheme: Save up to 42% on a bike and spread the cost.
• Exclusive Discounts: From shopping to wellbeing, Northern Perks has you covered.
• Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 support for family, lifestyle, and more.
• Training and Career Development: We offer tailored training to our colleagues and opportunities to gain recognised qualifications. Plus enhanced career pathways no matter what part of the business you’re in.
• Recognition: We know how important it is to show how much we appreciate our people. That’s why we have our Northern Lights and Northern Sparks Awards, recognising and celebrating brilliance every day.

Why Northern?

We’re more than just a train operator. We’re the heartbeat of the North – connecting communities, creating opportunities, and driving sustainable growth. With 2,500 trains running daily, we’re on a mission to improve rail travel and enhance the customer experience while protecting the environment.

Back in 1825, the first passenger train set off in the North of England, after which rail quickly spread across the globe – and this year, we’re celebrating 200 years of the modern railway. As we look back on the historic events that led us here, we also look towards the future as we move into the era of Great British Rail. Join us at this pivotal moment in rail history and play your part in our journey.

A place for everyone

The best journeys happen when everyone feels welcome on board.

At Northern, we don’t just move people from A to B – we’re building a team where everyone feels they belong. Our talent team can make reasonable adjustments to the process if that’s something you need. We’re also a Level 2 Disability Confident employer, so if you meet the minimum criteria for the role, we’ll always offer an interview.

We automate parts of our screening process to remove any unconscious bias and to make sure every application is treated fairly. All successful offers will be subject to a DBS check and a medical assessment.

No matter your background, experience, or whether you call it a bap, barm, or cob… there’s a place for you here in the railway.