Regional Competency Manager
GTR
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Benefits offered by this job
Job summary
Govia Thameslink Railway Ltd. is seeking a senior leader to head the Competency Development Managers and Driver Instructor Development Managers across 13 depots.
Based in Selhurst, you will travel regularly to support drivers and their managers, prioritising performance and development. This role requires proven rail-driver development experience, strong people management, and familiarity with Electrostar fleets.
Qualifications
- Qualified train drivers with a minimum of four years' driving experience on the mainline railway network.
- Experience in people development, ideally of managers.
- Knowledge of Electrostar fleets and valid route competency on the Southern network.
- Competence as an A1 assessor is essential and competence as a V1 verifier is highly advantageous, training could be supplied.
Responsibilities
- Lead and manage Competency Development Managers and Driver Instructor Development Managers across the area.
- Ensure all managers are competent to undertake required activities through regular audits, quality assurance and observation.
- Proactively manage absence within the direct team and arrange deputy coverage.
- Develop direct team's continuous professional development and engagement with business objectives.
- Report on safety performance and identify trends to support improvement plans.
Skills
Job description
Greater Thameslink Railway (GTR) is the UK's largest rail operator, connecting millions of people through Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern and Gatwick Express services. Through our vision of Creating Great Journeys, we are committed to delivering safe, reliable and customer-focused travel, supporting local communities, and fostering a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and can thrive.
At GTR, your career is a journey. We offer clear development pathways, progression opportunities and support to help you grow, whether you are starting out or taking the next step in your railway career.
We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve, creating a culture where everyone feels welcome, respected, safe and able to be themselves at work.
We have re-evaluated how we can best support our drivers' competency management here at Southern and Gatwick Express. To deliver our best possible service, we need to maximise the availability of competent, safe, engaged and productive train drivers. We will support our drivers by ensuring our management teams are proactive and focused on their development and performance. To do this, our Competency Development Managers and Driver Instructor Development Managers need talented people managers to lead and inspire them. The two Regional Competency Managers hold substantial areas of responsibility across wide geographical areas. You will be based in your own office at Selhurst, but your teams will be located across the 13 driver depots, and you'll ensure that you travel regularly to support all drivers and their managers, within your area. You'll therefore need to proactively manage and engage your CDM/DIDM team across the business by being a visible leader and prioritising the performance of your direct team, so they in turn can drive the performance of their driver teams. Achieving a high degree of personal reputation and engagement with the driver community across Southern is essential to the success of you and your team.
This is a significant leadership role, suitable for a conventional working week and not suitable for remote working, as physical availability to drivers and managers is essential. There is a requirement to act as senior second line on-call on a roster for operations.
- Accountable for the safety performance of all Southern and Gatwick Express drivers in the area team, by leading and managing the allocated Competency Development Managers.
- Ensure all Competency Development Managers and Driver Instructor Development Managers are in competence to undertake all required activities, through regular audit, quality assurance and observation.
- Proactively manage absence within direct team by ensuring deputy arrangements are in place.
- Lead and develop direct team's personal continuous professional development and ensure high standards of engagement with local and business objectives.
- Report on the performance of safety within direct team on a regular basis, identifying operational trends and developing improvement plans.
- This role is suitable for qualified train drivers with a minimum of four years' driving experience on the mainline railway network. This does not include driving experience on Metro, light rail or preserved railways.
- Previous demonstrable experience in people development, ideally of managers, is essential.
- Knowledge of Electrostar fleets and valid route competency on the Southern network is highly advantageous.
- Competence as an A1 assessor is essential and competence as a V1 verifier is highly advantageous, although training could be supplied to the right candidate.
At GTR, we are committed to supporting our colleagues both professionally and personally. In return for your skills and dedication, we offer a competitive benefits package including:
- Final salary pension
- Free travel on GTR and sister groups for you and your family
- 75% off travel on other train operating companies for you, and leisure for your family
- Discounted Oyster Card
- Family-friendly policies, including maternity, paternity, adoption, and shared parental leave
- Access to StarHub – our employee benefits platform offering discounts with a wide range of retailers and services
- Career development and progression opportunities across the UK's largest rail networks
- The opportunity to make a real difference to millions of customer journeys every year.
We will keep candidates informed throughout the process and aim to complete hiring decisions in a timely manner. Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are unfortunately unable to provide individual feedback at the application stage. Please refer to the ‘Recruitment Process and Timelines' document attached to this role.
Please note that we reserve the right to close this vacancy earlier than the advertised closing date if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.
“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 sh 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 sh said I’d be perfect for it and I haven’t looked back since!”
Zoey Hudson
Head of Talent, Diversity and Inclusion
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