Roster Clerk in Swindon

The Opportunity

If you're highly organised, enjoy solving problems, and thrive in a fast-paced operational environment, this is an excellent opportunity to play a vital role in keeping rail freight services moving. A new regional Service Delivery Centre is being established in Swindon, bringing together planning, rostering and control functions to support operations across the South region. Designed to enable faster decision-making, stronger operational oversight and improved service delivery, the centre will play a key role in supporting a safe, efficient and reliable operation.

As a Roster Clerk, you'll sit at the heart of this operation, ensuring the right drivers are in the right place at the right time. You'll be responsible for coordinating driver resources, maintaining accurate rosters, managing availability and responding to operational changes, helping ensure services are delivered safely, efficiently and reliably. This is far more than a scheduling role. You'll develop strong working relationships with drivers, becoming a trusted point of contact for availability, roster changes and day-to-day operational requirements. Your ability to communicate effectively, negotiate solutions and respond calmly under pressure will be essential in balancing operational demands with workforce needs.

Working closely with Planning, Control and Depot teams, you'll help resolve resource challenges, respond to service changes and ensure the business has the people required to deliver its commitments. Whether you're an experienced Roster Clerk or bring transferable scheduling experience from another operational environment, this role offers the opportunity to become a key contributor within a growing team and make a visible impact from day one.

Key Responsibilities

• Driver Allocation: Assign work to available drivers in line with operational requirements, competency requirements and depot needs.
• Roster Management: Create, maintain and update driver rosters, ensuring all staffing requirements are accurately reflected.
• Compliance Management: Ensure compliance with working time regulations, rest requirements, company policies and local agreements.
• Absence Management: Record and manage sickness, annual leave and other forms of absence, adjusting resources as required.
• Roster Adjustments: Respond to planned and unplanned operational changes, driver availability issues and short-notice disruptions.
• Resource Coordination: Work closely with Planning and Control teams to ensure driver resources align with the operational service plan.
• Problem Resolution: Identify and resolve resource conflicts, shortages and scheduling challenges in a proactive and efficient manner.
• Stakeholder Communication: Build strong relationships with drivers and operational colleagues, providing clear and timely communication regarding roster changes and resource requirements.
• Record Keeping: Maintain accurate roster records and workforce data to support operational efficiency, compliance and reporting requirements.
• Depot Readiness: Help ensure the depot has the resources required to deliver services safely, legally and reliably.

Ideal Roster Clerk

• Scheduling Experience: Previous experience allocating resources or scheduling staff within a regulated or operational environment.
• Transferable Industry Background: Suitable experience may include aviation crew rostering, bus or coach operations, logistics workforce scheduling, healthcare rota management, manufacturing shift planning or similar resource allocation roles.
• Compliance Focused: Strong understanding of the importance of working time regulations, rest requirements and policy compliance.
• Highly Organised: Able to manage multiple priorities, maintain accuracy and work effectively within a fast-moving operational environment.
• Problem Solver: Skilled at resolving scheduling conflicts, managing resource shortages and adapting to changing operational demands.
• Excellent Communicator: Confident building professional relationships and communicating effectively with employees and operational stakeholders at all levels.
• Attention to Detail: Demonstrates a high level of accuracy when maintaining records, updating rosters and processing workforce information.
• Team Player: Works collaboratively with planning, control and operational teams to support safe and effective service delivery.
• Calm Under Pressure: Comfortable making decisions and managing competing priorities in a time-critical environment.

Location

Swindon (Full-time on-site due to the operational nature of the role). Monday - Friday, flexible start and finish times are available.

Salary

Training Salary: £27,415 Qualified Salary: £36,554 Salary progression is dependent upon successful training completion and achievement of role competency standards.

We shall adhere to a policy of equal opportunities for all opportunity seekers. We will treat everyone equally irrespective of sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, age, disability, colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief or political beliefs and we place an obligation upon all staff to respect and act in accordance with the policy.