About DFT Operator
Join Our Team at DFTO
DFTO is the government’s public sector rail owning group. Its purpose is to bring all currently privately‑owned train operators into public ownership in advance of the creation of Great British Railways in 2027 – and deliver improvements in the here and now by unifying and integrating train operations under common public ownership.
DFTO has over 30,000 employees, runs over 8,500 services a day and delivers over 640 million customer journeys across its networks every year. 7,000 people joined the railway family in the last year.
Major improvements are being delivered by DFTO train operators (TOCs) that are already under public ownership – these are LNER, Northern, TransPennine Express (TPE), Southeast, South Western Railway (SWR), c2c, Greater Anglia, WM Trains and GTR.
We work closely with the DfT but operate independently with our own governance and leadership teams. Our priority is ensuring efficient, dependable rail services for everyone.
Primary Purpose of Job
The Strategic Workforce Planning (SWP) Manager leads the development, coordination, and delivery of a unified, system‑wide workforce planning approach across DFTO, TOCs, and future GBR structures. The role ensures DFTO has a consistent, data‑driven, forward‑looking view of workforce demand, supply, risks and capability, covering both the tactical (18–24 month) and strategic (5–10 + year) horizons.
The role enables DFTO to make stronger operational, financial and strategic decisions by embedding SWP into governance, modelling, scenario planning and planning cycles. It translates workforce plans into clear implications for cost, capacity and service delivery.
Key Deliverables
- A consistent Group‑wide SWP framework and maturity baseline across TOCs and central functions
- Monthly tactical workforce forecasts for critical operational roles
- Long‑range strategic workforce scenarios covering demographics, skills, technology and service evolution
- A version‑controlled SWP Assumptions Catalogue and Scenario Planning Library
- Consolidated maturity heatmaps, insights and improvement plans across the system
- Governance materials for SWP Steering Groups, strategic reviews and assumption refresh cycles
- Alignment of SWP outputs into financial planning, capability planning and wider rail strategy
- Clear reporting of workforce risks, gaps and systemic constraints
Key Responsibilities
SWP Strategy & Framework Delivery
- Implement and maintain a standardised SWP framework across DFTO and all TOCs
- Lead workforce planning maturity assessments and develop improvement plans
- Define and uphold SWP baseline standards, methodologies and planning templates
Forecasting, Modelling & Scenario Planning
- Produce monthly tactical workforce forecasts for critical operational roles
- Build and maintain long‑range strategic workforce models
- Develop scenarios for service change, technology, automation, training constraints, productivity and policy shifts
- Maintain and evolve the SWP Scenario Planning Library
Assumptions, Governance & Planning Cycles
- Own and maintain the SWP Assumptions Catalogue, ensuring transparency and version control
- Facilitate SWP governance meetings and cross‑functional planning sessions
- Lead the structured cadence of assumption refreshes
- Ensure alignment between SWP outputs and organisational strategy, finance cycles and operational planning
Cross‑TOC Engagement & Capability Building
- Provide support, tools, guidance and challenge to TOC SWP leads and planning teams
- Strengthen planning capability and analytical maturity across the system
- Build collaborative relationships with HR, Operations, Finance and data teams
Integration with Data & Analytics
- Work closely with data and platform teams to ensure the quality, availability and consistency of workforce datasets
- Ensure that SWP insights are seamlessly integrated into dashboards, modelling tools and strategic reporting
- Support continuous improvement of data definitions, metrics, and planning inputs
Insight, Reporting & Decision Support
- Produce insightful analysis of workforce risks, gaps, bottlenecks and future capability needs
- Prepare reporting for senior leadership and governance forums
- Advise stakeholders on workforce impacts of operational, financial or policy decisions
Knowledge, Skills, Experience & Technical Qualifications
Knowledge & Skills
- Strong understanding of workforce planning, modelling or operational planning
- Ability to interpret complex datasets and transform them into clear insight
- Good understanding of operational workforce drivers (rostering, training, service patterns)
- Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills
- Ability to manage governance cycles and lead structured decision‑making forums
Experience
- Significant experience in workforce planning, strategic planning, modelling or operational analytics
- Experience working in complex operational environments (transport, rail, aviation, utilities or similar)
- Experience building multi‑horizon forecasts and scenarios
- Experience working across multiple organisations or stakeholders is advantageous
- The ideal candidate would come from a Talent background
Technical Qualifications
- Strong analytical capability with proficiency in Excel and workforce modelling tools
- Experience with data visualisation (Power BI, Qlik or similar)
- Familiarity with workforce or organisational data structures
- Understanding of data governance, version control and forecasting methodologies
- Experience with modelling platforms (e.g. OrgVue) is beneficial but not essential
Vacancy Details
Duration: Fixed‑Term contract/secondment up to 31st October 2027
Location: London Waterloo/Hybrid
Salary: up to £65,777
Closing date: 29th June 2027
DFTO Benefits
Annual Leave: Starting at 25 days and rising to an additional day per year of service completed within the first five years, up to a maximum of five additional (30 days)
DC Pension Scheme: 10% Employer contribution, 5% Employee contribution
Opportunities to learn and network across the wider industry
Disclaimer
Candidates applying for this position on a secondment basis must inform their line manager prior to submitting their application. This is to ensure transparency and facilitate any necessary discussions regarding workload and responsibilities.
Contact
If you have any questions or reasonable adjustments, please contact Dean.palmer@dftoperator.co.uk
