Engineering Works Planning Manager

South Western Railway; Greater London; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free duty and leisure travel on SWR

Free leisure travel for spouse/partner

75% discount on other train operators

Full training and development support

Job summary

South Western Railway in England is recruiting an Engineering Timetable Planner to lead the production of SWR timetable and bus timetables, optimizing commercial opportunities while controlling costs and maintaining a high-performing service for customers.

You will work closely with Network Rail and planning TOCs/FOCs, manage a small team, and contribute to long-term access strategies, ensuring safety, efficiency, and minimal customer disruption.

Qualifications

• Extensive knowledge of train planning, timetabling and crew planning.
• Experience with NR/Network Rail possession planning.
• Strong relationship-building and influencing skills across multiple units.
• Ability to lead a small team and manage deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Produce SWR timetable and bus timetables maximizing commercial opportunities while controlling costs.
• Support NR track access strategy and Annual Plans to optimise renewals with minimal disruption.
• Coordinate engineering access possessions with track access and train service implications.
• Ensure compliance with Network Rail Operations Planning requirements.
• Act as a role model for Health and Safety.
• Manage performance of three team members and ensure deadlines are met.
• Collaborate with Network Rail engineers and planning TOCs/FOCs on route planning.

Skills

Timetabling & train planning

Stakeholder management

Railway operations knowledge

Decision making

Team leadership

Education

Relevant degree or equivalent experience

Job description

*Please note this is an 18 month fixed-term contract.

Who are we?

South Western Railway (SWR) operates over 1,500 services each weekday across the network and employs more than 5,000 people. We provide easy and convenient mobility, connecting people and communities in South West London, southern counties of England, and the Isle of Wight.

Join our team and help us continue to bring people together to get the most out of life.

About the job

This role is primarily focused on the revisions required to standard engineering work plans driven by planned changes to the base South Western Railway at upcoming timetable changes.

You will:

• Responsible for the production of all SWR Engineering Work timetables, ensuring they meet our business needs whilst ensuring optimum efficiency and are robust to meet train performance.
• Assist with developing engineering possession plans that provide Network Rail with sufficient access to their infrastructure whilst allowing SWR to operate a commercially acceptable level of train service. Also work closely with NR Access planning and engineers to ensure optimum maintenance and renewal with the least impact on our customers.
• Responsible for agreeing our Engineering Access plans with Network Rail and liaison with their engineers to ensure optimum maintenance and renewal with the least impact on our customers.
• Assist the Engineering Works Strategy & Planning Manager for long term engineering access strategies to improve or reduce access based on engineering need and actively encourage Network Rail to plan further in advance to achieve the most efficient and productive use of engineering possessions.
• As an integral part of the Alliance work to improve working Relationship with engineers across the Wessex Route.
• Responsible for production of SWR engineering timetables
• 1 x CO direct reports.

Your main responsibilities will be:

• Overall responsibility for the production of all SWR timetable and bus, timetables which maximise our commercial opportunities, but minimizing our costs whilst ensuring we deliver a robust and high performing timetable to our customers.
• Assist the Engineering Works Strategy & Planning Manager with NR track access strategy and Annual Plans to ensure our Infrastructure is renewed and maintained in the optimum way that ensures lowest cost for how work is done, whilst minimising customer disruption therefore maximising revenue.
• Ensure all implications are considered for all engineering access possessions agreed throughout the network with regards to train service provision, crew provision, bus provision and special events taking place.
• Ensuring compliance with Network Rail's Operations Planning requirements.
• Act as a positive role model at all times in all matters relating to Health and Safety.
• Responsible for performance management of three team members and setting deadlines and ensuring they are met.
• Ensure good working relationships with Network Rail engineers also all Planning TOC's and FOC's and Network Rail's Engineering Access Planning and route-based Network Operations.
• To agree all short-term engineering access changes and proposals between NR & SWR whilst balancing engineering need against short notice impact on passengers and office workload.
• To agree all SWR engineering timetable plans are robust, efficient and give our customers the best service possible.

You'll need to be:

• Thorough knowledge of all aspects of Train Planning including timetabling, rolling stock and traincrew diagramming.
• Knowledge of rail replacement operations.
• Ability to make decisions whilst understanding the impact on all parts of the business such as traincrew resource planning, fleet mileage and commercial repercussions.
• Knowledge of how decisions would impact on engineers during the possession planning process and be able to make a balanced decision based on information from all parties.
• Experience in building good working relationships and influencing teams within NR Train and Engineering Planning, infrastructure, signalling and major projects plus all delivery units and all TOC's and FOC's which inter-work with the Wessex area.
• Knowledge of working practices within the NR and Network Rail.
• Educated to a high standard or significant proven experience in a related work environment.
• Line management and influencing others

Working pattern

You will be working 37 hours across 5 days per week - Monday to Friday.

The Reward

In return we offer a competitive salary and a variety of valuable benefits, including

• Free duty and leisure travel on SWR services for employee
• Free leisure travel for spouse/partner and dependants (criteria dependent)
• 75% discount on many other train operating companies
• Full training and support with development

Applicants who require a visa, must have at least 6 months remaining at the time of their appointment.