Railway Operating Plan Programme Lead - Travel Perks

FirstGroup; Greater London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free Travel for you and a nominated if

75% discount off season tickets

Discounts on European rail services

First Xclusives – benefits portal

Employee Assistance Programme

Job summary

First Rail London is seeking a senior strategist to lead end-to-end reviews of key railway routes, coordinating across operations, engineering, fleet and planning to identify performance drivers and constraints. You will develop future operating plans to improve reliability and resilience, working with cross-functional teams and TfL-aligned goals.

The role focuses on challenging assumptions, analysing long-term performance trends and shaping timetable and capacity strategies for the London

Qualifications

• Experience in railway operations, performance, timetable planning or operational strategy.
• Strong analytical, stakeholder management and report writing skills.
• Ability to challenge existing assumptions and develop evidence-based solutions.
• Experience using performance modelling, simulation or operational planning tools.
• Desirable knowledge of timetable development and service specifications.

Responsibilities

• Conduct end-to-end reviews of key lines of route to assess whether current operating plans remain fit for purpose.
• Bring together operational, engineering, infrastructure, fleet and planning stakeholders to develop a single view of performance drivers.
• Identify systemic issues that cannot be resolved through conventional performance management activity alone.
• Develop a shared understanding of constraints, dependencies and opportunities across the railway system.
• Analyse long-term performance trends and recurring causes of delay and disruption.
• Assess the contribution of timetable design, infrastructure constraints, resource models and operational processes to performance outcomes.
• Challenge assumptions regarding current operating arrangements and identify areas where accepted practices may no longer support future performance requirements.
• Highlight areas of organisational 'TEPID OIL' where historic constraints have become normalised.
• Evaluate alternative approaches to stabling, fleet deployment, depot structures and driver resource models.
• Assess infrastructure requirements and dependencies needed to support improved performance outcomes.
• Develop recommendations for future operating plans that deliver measurable improvements in reliability and resilience.

Skills

Railway operations

Performance analysis

Stakeholder management

Report writing

Strategic thinking

Data-driven decision making

Education

Degree in transport/engineering/planning

Tools

Performance modelling

Simulation tools

Job description

First Rail London is seeking a senior strategist to lead end-to-end reviews of key railway routes, coordinating across operations, engineering, fleet and planning to identify performance drivers and constraints. You will develop future operating plans to improve reliability and resilience, working with cross-functional teams and TfL-aligned goals.

The role focuses on challenging assumptions, analysing long-term performance trends and shaping timetable and capacity strategies for the London