Planning & Performance Director

GTR Railway; Greater London; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Govia Thameslink Railway Ltd. is seeking an exceptional Planning & Performance Director to join the senior leadership team and drive an integrated approach to planning and performance across GTR, Network Rail Sussex, and the wider network.

You will lead a large function with significant budget accountability and a focus on delivering safety, reliability, and value for customers. You will establish the strategic direction for planning and performance, influencing infrastructure access, rolling

Qualifications

• Experience leading large and complex functions or programmes.
• Track record of improving performance and delivering change in matrix/partner models.
• Ability to translate complex information into clear decisions.

Responsibilities

• Lead planning and performance across multiple organisations to deliver integrated railway outcomes.
• Set strategic direction for short/medium/long-term service planning and performance improvement.
• Build a data-led performance capability and turn insights into action.
• Govern decisions across infrastructure, access, rolling stock, and train services.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Stakeholder management

Job description

Shape the future performance of an integrated railway.

We are bringing GTR and Network Rail Sussex Route closer together to create a more integrated railway, connecting infrastructure and train operations around a shared purpose: delivering a safer, simpler, and better-performing railway for our customers.

We are looking for anexceptional Planning & Performance Director to join our senior leadership team and lead the development of an integrated approach to planning and performance across GTR, Network Rail Sussex and the wider network on which we operate.

You will have 1 million reasons to deliver outstanding results, because that is how many customers travel onour railway on our busiest days.

This is a significant leadership role with responsibility spanning train and operational planning, engineering access, performance, operational readiness, contingency planning, and service development. You will lead a combined function of approximately over 300 colleagues with significant budget accountability.

At its heart, the role is about bringing together the different components of the railway to deliver better outcomes. You will establish the strategic direction for planning and performance, ensuring that decisions about infrastructure, engineering access, rolling stock, and train services come together as a coherent operational plan.

What you’ll be doing

• Lead the joint Planning & Performance function across GTR and Network Rail Sussex, creating an increasingly integrated approach to how we plan and operate the railway.
• Work closely to influence and partner other Business Units to deliver the outcomes required forour customers.
• Support the expansion plans required to meet the extraordinary demand on the Thameslink Growth Corridor.
• Set the strategic direction for short, medium, and long-term service planning, performance improvement, operational readiness, engineering access, and contingency planning.
• Lead the development of future train services, balancing operational performance and customer experience with capacity, affordability, and value for taxpayers.
• Oversee timetable and train-plan development, including major operational change, new and refurbished rolling stock, and improvements to journey times and service frequency.
• Build a strong, data-led performance capability, turning complex operational information into clear insight and action.
• Work closely with Engineering, Operations and Service Delivery to ensure infrastructure access, maintenance and train operations are planned effectively together.
• Establish effective governance and decision-making across the integrated railway, enabling issues to be resolved quickly and at the appropriate level.
• Build influential relationships across government, regulators, industry partners, and other senior stakeholders.
• Develop constructive relationships with our trade union partners and lead an inclusive, high-performing leadership culture across the function.

About you

This is a role requiring both strategic leadership and significant operational credibility.

Youwill have experience leading large and complex functions or programmes, with a track record of improving performance and delivering change across matrix, alliance, or partner-organisational models. You will be comfortable operating at Executive, Board, or Industry leadership level and influencing senior stakeholders where priorities and accountabilities may not always naturally align.

Youwill bring strong commercial and financial judgement, excellent analytical capability, and the ability to translate complex information into clear decisions.

Experience within rail, transport, infrastructure, or another highly regulated operational environment would be valuable. For candidates from rail, knowledge of areas such as operational planning, performance regimes, Network Code, track access, and timetable development will be particularly relevant,

Experience of integrated, alliance, or partnership-based operating models, major operational change, or service recovery would also be advantageous

Importantly, you will be an inclusive and collaborative leader who can bring people together across organisational boundaries create clarity from complexity and build a shared focus on delivering for passengers and the railway.

Theopportunity

This is an opportunity to influence how Britain's largest and most complex rail operations evolves at a pivotal point for the industry.

Youwill have the scope to move beyond separate infrastructure and operator planning processes and help create a genuinely integrated approach that connects workforce planning, access and train planning, performance, infrastructure, and train operations around critical outcomes: safety, reliability, customer experience, and value for money.

“It was my brother’s suggestion to join the railway. He was already working in the industry and knew I had some university bills to pay off so told me to give it a go, get out of debt and see what I wanted to do next. After a while, it just felt like actually – this is exactly where I’m meant to be. I’m part of a great team and the on-board department as a whole are brilliant to work with. I feel at home here.”

Tonderai Matizha-Johnson
Area Operations Manager

“When I saw that GTR was advertising places for its apprenticeship scheme I looked into it straight away because I thought it was a great opportunity to learn whilst getting real life experience in a 9-5 job. I applied for a level three business administration apprenticeship and was thrilled to find out I had a place on the course! I was so excited that I didn’t even mind it was based 250 miles away from where I lived.”

“Working for GTR is very rewarding and fulfilling. You really feel like you're making a difference to customers, no matter what role you're in as at the end of the day they're the heart of our business. I’ve had lots of opportunities to explore other aspects of the business including supporting our station staff and gaining my Train Dispatch Licence which has been enriching for my experience here.”

“If you’ve always had an interest in rail, or maybe you’re just curious to find out what working in the railway might look like, GTR is the operator to go for. Not many companies do an official work experience program and this unique opportunity will give you a good grounding with varied activities to help you find the best place in the railway for you. It certainly did it for me.”

Nathaniel Owen
Station Manager

“I work as part of the Fleet Infrastructure team, which means ensuring our 18 Engineering locations operate safely and efficiently. We oversee all building and track maintenance works as well as various minor and major projects across the network.”

“I started in a small ticket office back in 1996 and have continued to work my way up ever since. A previous manager told me about a job he’d seen advertised for a trainer. ’d never considered a job in HR or mentoring before then, but he said I’d be perfect for it and I haven’t looked back since!”

Zoey Hudson
Head of Talent, Diversity and Inclusion

“Since April, I’ve helped to support our Kickstart Scheme. It’s been a really rewarding process to be part of because I know first‑hand how tough it can be to find work once you’re out of it.”

“I’m a Thameslink passenger host and team leader based at Luton station and I’m currently doing a Level 3 Supervisor apprenticeship so that I can improve my skills even further. I was hesitant to do the apprenticeship at first because of my age – I left school over 60 years ago without any qualifications! It’s been hard to get back into the routine of learning again.”

“It was my brother’s suggestion to join the railway. He was already working in the industry and knew I had some university bills to pay off so told me to give it a go, get out of debt and see what I wanted to do next. After a while, it just felt like actually – this is exactly where I’m meant to be. I’m part of a great team and the on-board department as a whole are brilliant to work with. I feel at home here.”

Tonderai Matizha-Johnson
Area Operations Manager

“When I saw that GTR was advertising places for its apprenticeship scheme I looked into it straight away because I thought it was a great opportunity to learn whilst getting real life experience in a 9-5 job. I applied for a level three business administration apprenticeship and was thrilled to find out I had a place on the course! I was so excited that I didn’t even mind it was based 250 miles away from where I lived.”

“Working for GTR is very rewarding and fulfilling. You really feel like you're making a difference to customers, no matter what role you're in as at the end of the day they're the heart of our business. I’ve had lots of opportunities to explore other aspects of the business including supporting our station staff and gaining my Train Dispatch Licence which has been enriching for my experience here.”

“If you’ve always had an interest in rail, or maybe you’re just curious to find out what working in the railway might look like, GTR is the operator to go for. Not many companies do an official work experience program and this unique opportunity will give you a good grounding with varied activities to help you find the best place in the railway for you. It certainly did it for me.”

Nathaniel Owen
Station Manager

“I work as part of the Fleet Infrastructure team, which means ensuring our 18 Engineering locations operate safely and efficiently. We oversee all building and track maintenance works as well as various minor and major projects across the network.”

“I started in a small ticket office back in 1996 and have continued to work my way up ever since. A previous manager told me about a job he’d seen advertised for a trainer. ’d never considered a job in HR or mentoring before then, but he said I’d be perfect for it and I haven’t looked back since!”

Zoey Hudson
Head of Talent, Diversity and Inclusion

“Since April, I’ve helped to support our Kickstart Scheme. It’s been a really rewarding process to be part of because I know first‑hand how tough it can be to find work once you’re out of it.”

“I’m a Thameslink passenger host and team leader based at Luton station and I’m currently doing a Level 3 Supervisor apprenticeship so that I can improve my skills even further. I was hesitant to do the apprenticeship at first because of my age – I left school over 60 years ago without any qualifications! It’s been hard to get back into the routine of learning again.”