Workforce Planning & Development Manager

Govia Thameslink Railway; Croydon; Hybrid; GBP 48,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Govia Thameslink Railway in Croydon is recruiting a Workforce Planning & Development Manager to design and implement a workforce plan for the Customer Service Directorate, ensuring recruitment and training align with strategic objectives.

You will own initiatives from the Annual Business Plan, collaborate with stakeholders and draft submissions to secure the right people in the right roles at the right time.

Qualifications

• Experience in workforce planning or strategic resourcing.
• Strong data analytics and ability to translate insights into action.
• Excellent written and verbal communication for submissions.
• Stakeholder engagement and project management skills.

Responsibilities

• Join the Customer Service Directorate's on-call frontline management structure.
• Analyse finance, rostering, accessibility and other data to optimise workforce design.
• Report on key initiatives across recruitment and workforce aligned with the Annual Business Plan.
• Produce well-written submissions and presentations for stakeholders.
• Collaborate with the finance team to ensure KPIs are met.

Job description

£48,000 - £52,000 along with great benefits

Job Title:- Workforce Planning & Development Manager
Salary: - £48,000 - £52,000 depending on experience
Location:- Croydon along with hybrid working
Contract Type:- Permanent
Closing date: 17th September 2026

This is a great opportunity for those looking to challenge themselves as we design and implement a workforce plan come and j oin the customer service directorate's on-call frontline management structure

What You’ll Do

Taking responsibility for creating the Customer Service Directorate's workforce plan, the role holder will produce and deliver plans which ensure we recruit and train colleagues efficiently and effectively to meet strategic objectives and KPI deliverables.

The role holder will implement initiatives outlined in our Annual Business Plan, and work with GTR stakeholders, senior leaders, DfTO and other parties to draft submissions and present ideas to ensure we have the right people, in the right roles, with the right skills, at the right time.

The role holder will own the customer service directorate's strategic resourcing relationship, reporting on existing service level agreements and acting as a key conduit between the customer service directorate and GTR's people function.

The role holder will use data and insights to seek opportunities to optimise our frontline workforce design, building compelling local and directorate change proposals that supports our strategy to work smarter, spend wisely; and win customers.

The role holder will project manage approved changes, in turn developing a sustainable and effective railway.

Key Responsibilities include

• Join the customer service directorate's on-call frontline management structure
• Analyse finance, rostering,accessibility and other data to optimise our workforce design.
• Report on key initiatives across recruitment and workforce, ensuring we are meeting our Annual Business Plan commitment
• Producing excellently written submissions and presentations for a variety of stakeholders.
• Work closely with GTR's finance team to ensure we're meeting KPIs.

What We Can Offer You

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.

Please note that we reserve theright 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 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.”