Head of Driver Development & Assurance

HQ Milford House

At GWR, we're proud custodians of one of the UK's most iconic rail networks, enabling over 100 million journeys each year across London, the South West, and South Wales.

With a modern fleet and bold ambitions, we're driving transformation across our business. Join us in a role where your vision and impact will shape the future of rail.

About the team?

This role is part of the HQ Operations team, who are responsible for developing and maintaining the competence requirements of our operational colleagues against a robust set of operational procedures. The team's aim is to strive for continual improvement through development of people and processes.

About the role?

Reporting to the Head of Operations, the primary purpose of this role is to provide leadership and direction to the newly formed Driver Development and Assurance team. You will contribute to the strategic direction of the function as well as consistently deliver day to day compliance through your team. You will provide expert guidance and subject matter expertise in relation to driver training development, route learning, assessment and verification.

You will act as the key liaison point between HQ Operations and Driver function in relation to operational risk management and incident reduction plans.

The successful candidate, you will need to be able to build relationships within the function, working closely with the Operations Standards, Operational Investigation and ACMS teams. In the wider business a close working relationship with key stakeholders including the Driver function and trade unions will be essential.

Your main responsibilities will be:

• Providing effective management and leadership of the Driver Development and Assurance team as it takes shape, ensuring the highest levels of job performance and motivation. This new team combines elements of the Driver Competence, Operations Standards and Training Policy teams into a unified sub-department. Ensuring a successful transition and quickly improving resilience and flexibility of the team will be critical to success.
• Pro-actively engage with the driver function and trade unions to work in step and deliver continuous improvement in train driving standards.
• Develop and maintain strategies for verification, management assessment, and risk reduction in relation to train driving activities.
• Ensuring the development of relevant documentation in support of the company's operational activities that sit within the Driver Development and Assurance team, for example the Professional Driving Policy.
• Oversee existing validated driver training materials and route learning resources.
• Developing, implementing and maintaining a strategy that ensures the production and delivery of effective driver training materials, including basic trainee driver training, traction conversion courses and driver specific safety and business brief content.
• Represent HQ Operations in the Competence Review Process at agreed levels.
• Maintain and manage driver-specific Integrated Management System (IMS) procedures.
• Represent HQ Operations at key forums.
• Maintaining, and improving where necessary, the company's Competency Management Systems (including where relevant any associated processes for Competency Development Programmes) for train drivers ensuring these meet the requirements of relevant legislation and industry standards.
• Act as Designated Competent Person (DCP) for selected operational investigations.

You'll need to be?  

• Flexible and ready to respond to the demands of a changing business.
• Able to demonstrate experience of working with others to deliver results, through effective relationship-building and communication.
• Well-versed in GWR and industry operational procedures and processes.
• Experienced in leading, managing and developing teams within a unionised environment and building relationships with trade union representatives.
• Experienced in working to tight deadlines, whilst being an effective decision-maker.

As a minimum, you will need to have: 

• A minimum of three years' demonstratable experience of line management.
• Competent to drive trains and hold a current train driver licence, with a minimum of three years' train operation experience.
• Competent in rules and regulations with an excellent knowledge of rules and regulations, operating instructions, industry standards, statutory legislation and experience of developing standards, procedures and briefing documents.
• Strong interpersonal skills and relationship building abilities.

Relevant competencies including workplace health and safety (e.g. IOSH), assessor, verifier, trainer and investigator are desirable but training in some or all of these elements can be provided.

About the location?

The role is predominately office based in Milford House HQ, Swindon, but flexibility is required to travel across the GWR network, including ad-hoc lodgings where necessary. 

Working Pattern: 

Full time, 37 hours per week.

Additional Information:

There is a third line operations on-call requirement which will include weekend working.

There will be the opportunity for some remote working but this is variable and dependent on business requirements - every week in HQ Operations is different!

Application

Please apply online via our website https://careers.firstgroup.co.uk/brand-gwr

If you have any problems applying, please email gwrrecruitment@gwr.com

The Reward

As well as a great team environment and comprehensive training, all GWR colleagues enjoy a range of benefits including:

• on-going development,
• defined benefit pension scheme with the Railways Pension Scheme,
• free rail travel across the GWR network for you and your family,
• company-sponsored health care plan,
• discounted shopping and gym membership
• employee assistance programme and much more.

We all belong at GWR. This is our vision for providing an inclusive environment for all our colleagues, ensuring all candidates have an equal opportunity to access meaningful employment. 

We value our differences such as age, gender, LGBTQIA, ethnicity, religion and disability. We maintain zero tolerance towards any form of prejudice towards our colleagues, customers, and future talent.

We celebrate and encourage diversity of thought, progressive ways of working and seeing all our colleagues grow and thrive.

We review all roles and job descriptions to ensure they are accessible and, where possible, we support and provide flexible working options; we recommend that you refer to each vacancy description for further details.

If you require additional support to complete your application due to a disability or neurodivergent condition such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, or autism, please follow the links below. We encourage you to share any additional needs you may require so we can provide a fair and equal process for all who apply.

https://exceptionalindividuals.com/neurodiversity/

https://www.healthassured.org/blog/neurodiversity/

INGWR