Who are we

First Rail London (FRL) is the train operating company responsible for running the London Overground network under a concession agreement with Transport for London (TfL). The concession began in May 2026.

First Rail London is part of FirstGroup, one of the leading rail operators and one of the largest bus operators in the UK.  FirstGroup operates services throughout the UK and Ireland, with over 30,000 employees providing services that make travel smoother and life easier.  FirstGroup works hard to reduce its impact on the environment, introducing cleaner and more environmentally responsible methods of transport.

About the job

• This role leads all key planning aspects for train planning with regards to timetable change and short term timetable planning team line management (STP)
• Leadership of the train planning and diagramming specialists with a focus on the people and their development
• Creating a culture of positive stakeholder engagement by both anticipating and enabling business needs
• Leading on workload allocation, resource management and workload forecast planning for the short term planning team.
• Enable a ‘performance culture' in the Operations function to create a data-driven, insight led culture of continuous improvement
• Oversee a team on the reporting, analysis and review of key departmental metrics on a periodic basis and support the identification, development and delivery of associated improvement plans

Your main responsibilities will be:

• Provide effective day-to-day management of the Train Planning team to produce a high quality planning product, maintaining effective workload and resource planning to achieve industry timescales
• Oversee all Timetable Change activity working closely with the Train Crew Diagramming Team Leader ensuring all elements of timing and diagramming are in line with business requirements
• Ownership of the KPI reporting and benchmarking for the STP teams to measure the performance of train planning processes, implementing improvement actions plans if required.
• Lead on planning assurance processes such as Timetable Change and Christmas Plans
• Lead on the delivery of Industrial Action and Adverse Weather plan development and implementation
• Work in partnership with the Performance team to review and agree proposed changes to the Train Plan and ensure that changes are sense-checked within the context of the overall train plan
• Establish and foster a culture of continuous improvement by leading your team to identify and implement improvements to train planning processes and systems
• Lead the STP Train Planning teams by example, holding high standards of behavior in line with Arriva's values and the Arriva Rail London Vision and Strategy
• Partner with the Operations Leadership Team to provide direct insight in order to drive improvements through data led analysis
• Lead a team to deliver periodic reporting and in-depth analysis to all Operations departments
• Lead in embedding a ‘performance culture' within the business, in partnership with the Business Intelligence team, using business intelligence tools and other technology to provide accurate and insightful dashboards
• Oversee the reporting, analysis and review of key departmental metrics on a periodic basis by owning Directorate level reporting routines, including: Driver Resource Plan KPIs, Balanced Scorecards and Business Reviews

As a minimum, you will need to have:

• Proven track record of effectively leading and motivating teams in a Train Planning Environment (TOC or Network Rail)
• Experience of working with industry train planning processes and systems
• Experience of building effective and influencing relationships with key stakeholders
• Understanding of appropriate First Rail London and Network Rail routes and service patterns
• Knowledge of rail industry planning processes
• Highly organised and self-motivated with ability to work under own direction
• Excellent IT literacy
• Excellent political awareness
• Good data literacy
• Effective and persuasive written and verbal communication style
• Ability to work effectively and lead a team to work well under pressure
• Educated to degree level or equivalent experience

About the location

Stratford / Hybrid

The Reward

• Free Travel for you and a nominated person at your address on TfL Network - this alone is worth a potential total of £5,200 per annum
• 75% discount off season tickets and leisure travel on other Train Operating Companies
• Discounts on European rail services after 1 year of service
• First Xclusives – a benefits portal offering a wide range of benefits and discounts
• Employee Assistance Programme - 24hr helpline, covering a multitude of subjects

We all belong at First Rail London. FirstGroup's vision is to provide an inclusive environment for all colleagues, across its group of businesses, 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 a 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, for example, 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/