Roster Clerk

Network Rail; Manchester; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

28-day annual leave (contract dep.)

Volunteer or carers leave

National/local discounts

Rail season ticket subsidies

Contributory pension schemes

Job summary

Network Rail is recruiting a Roster Clerk to ensure rosters are created and published in line with Maintenance Rostering Principles, with sickness and leave planning by line managers weekly. You’ll handle last-minute changes, coordinate with staff and managers, and manage scheduling for medicals, interviews and training, ensuring qualified coverage and up-to-date competency records.

This role is based in North West England.

Qualifications

• Excellent knowledge of national rostering principles.
• Ability to prioritise workloads and meet deadlines.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Experience in analysing data and producing reports.
• Understanding of roster systems and conditions of service.
• Team player with experience working in virtual teams.

Responsibilities

• Create and publish rosters using the corporate tool in line with policies.
• Plan ahead for sickness, leave, and training weekly.
• Manage last-minute changes and communicate with staff and managers.
• Schedule medicals, interviews, and training sessions ensuring qualified coverage.
• Maintain competency data and liaise with the Competency Delivery Specialist.
• Analyse fatigue data to flag concerns and support decisions.

Skills

Rostering principles

Workload prioritisation

Interpersonal skills

Data analysis

Roster systems

Team collaboration

Communication skills

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

Job description

Network Rail operates and maintains the railway infrastructure 24/7 365 days a year. Our purpose is to connect people and goods with where they need to be and our vision is for a simpler, better, greener railway.

Our North West route covers Cheshire to Cumbria, including key cities like Liverpool and Manchester, and destinations such as Blackpool and the Lake District. Major stations include Crewe, Liverpool Lime Street, Preston, and Manchester Piccadilly and Victoria

This busy region sees 1.3 million daily passengers and moves 700,000 tonnes of freight weekly, with 571 stations making up a quarter of Britain's rail network.

In the North West & Central Region, we're proud to be building a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve. We know that inclusive teams make better decisions, drive innovation, and help us create a safer, more accessible railway for everyone. Even if you don't meet every single requirement, we encourage you to apply.

If you're passionate about making a difference and believe you have the skills or potential to thrive in this role, we'd love to hear from you. We're committed to creating an open, supportive environment where everyone feels they belong. Your unique perspective and experience could be exactly what we need to keep Britain moving safely and sustainably. Discover more about our commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at Network Rail Equity, diversity and inclusion - Network Rail.

About the role

As a Roster Clerk, you'll make sure that our Signaller colleagues are in the right place at the right time completing essential activities so that we can continue to deliver a safe, efficient service for our passengers and freight customers. You will be placed on a training course to ensure you have all the skills needed to excel in the role.

You will maintain effective and efficient rosters for employees compliant with the relevant company standards in line with current National rostering principles, competency requirements and agreed Terms and Conditions.

Whilst it would be great to have applicants who have experience of rostering staff, we're happy to consider applications from candidates with the right mix of skills including:

• Fantastic attention to detail
• Determination and curiosity to solve problems or puzzles
• Ability to plan, yet just as comfortable responding to last minute changes
• Happy to manage lots of different things at one time and knowing how to prioritise and get them all done
• Confident in using IT especially excel and word and ability to learn the bespoke roster system

Every day will be different, but you can expect to be involved in the following activities:

You will take charge of creating and publishing rosters using our corporate tool, making sure they align with company policies and the Maintenance Rostering Principles. Every week, you'll plan ahead to cover sickness, leave, training, and more-working closely with line managers to get it right.

When things change last minute (and they often do!), you'll be the go-to person. You'll manage short-notice adjustments, speak directly with staff and managers, and make sure everyone's in the loop. Your quick thinking and clear communication will keep operations on track.

You'll also handle scheduling for medicals, interviews, training sessions, and safety briefings. It's your job to make sure every shift is covered by someone fully qualified and ready to go. That means keeping a close eye on competency data and working with the Competency Delivery Specialist to keep records up to date.

Fatigue and performance matter too. You'll gather and analyse fatigue data, flagging any concerns to managers. And when it comes to reporting, you'll provide the accurate, timely data that helps the wider team make smart decisions.

What's in it for you:

Here are a few of the benefits we offer

Salary: Band 5 £31,264

• 28-day annual leave with the option to buy and sell days (contract dependant)
• 5 days paid volunteer or carers leave
• My Benefits platform- giving national and local retail discount
• A range of discounted offers including, childcare vouchers, healthcare offers - cycle to work, healthcare club discounted membership and other benefits
• Subsidies of up to 75% on rail and underground season tickets
• A choice of contributory pension schemes

Network Rail adheres to a structured pay framework, any salary offered will be within the pay range advertised.

We are a Disability Confident Leader and want to make the most of the skills and talents disabled people bring to the workplace - skills and talents we need in our business.

Closing date:22 September 2026. Late applications will not be accepted.

Safe behaviour is a requirement of working for Network Rail.Applicants should be able to demonstrate their awareness of our safety vision

Your experience and skills

In order to be successful in this role, we would like you to have/to be:

Excellent knowledge of national rostering principles

Previous successful experience in prioritising workloads and delivering to deadlines

Ability to demonstrate excellent interpersonal and communication skills

Previous successful experience of analysing data and producing reports

Understanding of conditions of service applicable to rostering

Understanding of roster systems

Demonstrable ability to accurately manage data and attention to detail

Previous successful experience of working in a team and engaging with virtual team members

We would also like but it isn't crucial to have/to be:

• Understanding of pay arrangements for rostered staff
• Geographical knowledge of the route
• Knowledge of the UK rail industry

Key Information

Number of Positions:

1

Contract Type:

Permanent

Hours:

Full Time

Location:

Geographical Area:

North West England

Closing Date:

22-SEP-2026

Job Category:

Operations

Function:

North West & Central Region

Organisation: