Train Planner

Ford & Stanley Talentwise; Swindon; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

Ford & Stanley Talent Services Group is seeking a Train Planner in Swindon to join a growing rail operation and help shape a newly established planning function from day one.

You will plan freight services across the South region, develop train paths and timetables, coordinate with Control and depots, and contribute to new processes as the function matures. This office-based role offers Monday‑Friday hours with flexible start and finish times and a clear path to evolving responsibilities.

Qualifications

• Ideal candidate has scheduling and planning experience in a complex environment.
• Ability to work with cross-functional teams and manage constraints.
• Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
• Experience coordinating with operational and depot teams.
• Understanding of safety-critical environments and compliance.

Responsibilities

• Train Planning: Developing safe, compliant, and efficient operational plans for freight services across the South region.
• Timetabling & Pathing: Constructing workable train paths and schedules balancing customer needs and capacity.
• Engineering Integration: Considering possessions and network constraints to keep plans achievable.
• Operational Coordination: Aligning with Control, Rostering, depots, and teams to ensure reliable delivery.
• Plan Validation & Compliance: Ensuring accuracy and adherence to procedures.

Skills

Scheduling & Planning

Stakeholder Collaboration

Constraint-Based Planning

Sequencing & Problem Solving

Compliance Awareness

Job description

Train Planner | Swindon | £25,500-£34,328 | Permanent

The Opportunity

If you're looking for an opportunity to play a key role in a growing rail operation while helping shape a newly established planning function, this is the kind of position that offers genuine influence from day one.

As part of a new regional Service Delivery Centre, you'll join a team responsible for planning and coordinating freight operations across the South region. Bringing together planning, control, and rostering activities under one roof, the new operation is designed to deliver faster decision-making, greater operational oversight, and improved service performance.

This is more than a traditional planning role. You'll help build the foundation that supports safe, efficient, and reliable freight services while contributing to the development of new processes and ways of working as the function evolves.

You'll be part of a newly created operation where planning processes, standards, and best practice are still being established, giving you the opportunity to influence how the function develops from the outset. At the same time, you'll gain specialist rail planning expertise within a business investing in growth, operational excellence, and long-term capability.

Whether you have existing rail planning experience or a transferable background in aviation, logistics, manufacturing, transport, or another scheduling-intensive environment, this role offers an excellent opportunity to build a rewarding career within freight operations.

Train Planner Responsibilities

• Train Planning: Developing safe, compliant, and efficient operational plans that support the successful delivery of freight services across the South region.
• Timetabling & Pathing: Constructing workable train paths and schedules that balance customer requirements, network capacity, operational resources, and service commitments.
• Engineering Integration: Accounting for possessions, engineering works, access restrictions, and network constraints to ensure plans remain achievable and compliant.
• Operational Coordination: Working closely with Control, Rostering, depots, and operational teams to ensure services are planned realistically and can be delivered reliably on the day.
• Plan Validation & Compliance: Reviewing and validating plans to ensure accuracy, operational robustness, and adherence to industry and business requirements.

Ideal Train Planner

• Scheduling & Planning Experience: Experience producing structured schedules, timetables, route plans, or operational programmes within a complex environment.
• Constraint-Based Planning: Exposure to planning within resource limitations, engineering restrictions, access windows, or other operational constraints.
• Sequencing & Problem Solving: Ability to resolve timing conflicts, prioritise competing demands, and develop practical, deliverable plans.
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Experience working with operational, depot, resource, or delivery teams to coordinate planning activities effectively.
• Compliance Awareness: Understanding of structured, regulated, or safety-critical environments where accuracy and adherence to procedures are essential.
• Transferable Industry Experience: Relevant backgrounds may include rail, aviation scheduling, logistics planning, bus or tram timetabling, manufacturing production planning, or port and terminal operations.

Location & Working Arrangements

Location: Swindon

Working Pattern: Monday-Friday office-based with flexible start and finish times.

Train Planner Salary

Training Salary: £25,500

Qualified Salary: £34,328

About Ford & Stanley Group

Ford & Stanley Talent Services Group are in the business of people and performance. Our mission is to create one million better workdays through facilitating great recruitment, leadership and occupational mental fitness. We support our clients in their most challenging business areas - recruiting, developing and retaining the best talent from shop floorto boardroom.

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Ford & Stanley Talent Services Group Ltd is a Disability Confident employer that is committed to a policy of equal opportunities for all opportunity seekers. We shall adhere to such a policy at all times and will review on an on-going basis all aspects of recruitment to avoid unlawful or undesirable discrimination. We will treat everyone equally irrespective sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civilpartnership status, age, disability, colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief or political beliefs and we place an obligation upon all staff to respect and act in accordance with the policy.

Ref: Train Planner