Strategic Service Development Manager

Swindon

£45k-50k
Who are we?

GWR is the proud custodian of Brunel's railway - one of the most prestigious networks in the world.  We have some of the newest trains in the country and exciting plans to extend our services.   With more than one hundred million passenger journeys each year, we carry people to over 275 stations in the South West, from Cornwall and South Wales to London, passing through beautiful country and some of the UK's top tourist destinations. 

We are transforming the way people think about train travel, empowering our team of over 6,000 people from all different backgrounds to make it a great experience for our customers.  Together, we will revalue rail as a very special way to travel – relaxing, fast, efficient and friendly.

About the team:

At GWR we're custodians of Brunel's railway.  As part of this legacy its vital that we listen to our communities and look to improve our services.  Our work is to understand needs, build relationships and develop plans for the future of our services creating the atmosphere for investment and change. 

The Strategic Service Development Manager role is part of the Business Development department, a small, collaborative and flexible business unit that prides itself on working with key stakeholders to do this, creating opportunities to develop the business and grow revenue for the company.

We work closely with all other business functions, notably the train planning unit in this case, to ensure that GWR explores all opportunities for external funding to improve the service we provide passengers.

About the job:

Reporting to the Head of Strategic Service Development, you will be working with colleagues across the business, notably the Regional Development Managers and Train Planning team, to develop long term train service, infrastructure and fleet plans to grow revenue or support major projects. 

Your main responsibilities will be:

• Providing proactive advice and support to GWR, Network Rail and other industry stakeholders on timetable issues and associated rolling stock and infrastructure schemes.
• Developing service proposals to grow revenue, reduce cost or realise stakeholder aspirations
• Assessing the feasibility of timetable, rolling stock and infrastructure options working with stakeholders across GWR and the rail industry
• Supporting development and delivery of key stakeholder service and infrastructure aspirations, working in partnership with the Regional Development Managers
• Developing strategic plans and business cases and undertaking supporting commercial, economic and operational appraisals
• Supporting development and delivery of fleet and depot strategy

You'll need to be:

• An experienced Transport or Train Planner experienced at delivering significant service changes and assessing commercial impacts.
• Able to build and maintain great relationships with a range of stakeholders.
• Passionate about developing and enhancing the rail network.
• Driven and determined to meet projects and deliver betterment.
• Numerate, logical and have excellent attention to detail.
• Personable, approachable and able to lead internal and external presentations to secure support.
• Able to skilfully balance priorities and solve problems efficiently.
• Able to travel within GWR region notably spending time in Exeter and London as well as office location
• Able to work additional / flexible hours at short notice

As a minimum you'll need to have:

• Knowledge of railway commercial and operational / timetable planning and resourcing principles
• Ability to use key rail software packages including MOIRA, VoyagerPlan, ATTUNE and TRUST
• Knowledge of GWR operation and geography
• Experience of strategic planning
• Experience of working with rail industry framework
• A commercially astute, persuasive, and customer focused attitude.
• Highly developed collaboration skills.
• Strong problem solving skills.
• The ability to effectively communicate to all levels inside and outside the business.

About the location:

The role is based in our main head office near Swindon station, which is linked by GWR high speed services to London and many other locations on the GWR network. The role will also spend time in Exeter, which may be reached from Swindon via Reading or Bristol.

Working Pattern:

The role will follow normal office hours but you will be expected to work additional or flexible hours if required.

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, free rail travel across the GWR network for you and your family, company-sponsored health care plan, discounted shopping and an employee assistance programme.

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/