Head of Planning in London

Vacancy Type

Full Time / Permanent

Application Deadline

Wednesday, December 17, 2025

Location

London

Key information

Are you a HASTUS expert with a passion for public transport planning? Do you thrive on leading complex scheduling projects and driving operational excellence across multiple operating companies? If so, we want to hear from you.

Purpose of the Role

We\’re seeking a dynamic and experienced Group Head of Planning to lead our central planning function. You\’ll own the Group\’s HASTUS strategy and delivery, produce high-quality schedules for projects and tenders, and uphold consistent planning standards across our operating companies (OpCos).

Success Measures

• Timely and stable HASTUS upgrades.
• Compliance with Group planning standards.
• High tender quality scores and win rates.
• Reduced planning defects and improved resource efficiency.

What We\’re Looking For

Experience

• 5+ years of hands-on HASTUS experience (Vehicle, Crew, Geo, ATP, Minbus, CrewOpt, RosterOpt).
• Exposure to HASTUS Daily modules is a plus.
• Senior planning leadership in bus or public transport.
• Proven success in delivering schedule changes and tenders.
• Familiarity with TransXChange, NaPTAN, BODS, GTFS, and EV fleet planning.

Key Responsibilities

HASTUS Ownership & Implementation

• Lead the GIRO vendor relationship, roadmap, licensing, SLAs, and escalations.
• Plan and execute HASTUS rollouts and upgrades, including testing, cutover, fallback, and hypercare.
• Define and maintain Group-wide HASTUS data models and naming conventions.
• Oversee integrations with BODS, AVL, ticketing, and other core systems.
• Manage user access and ensure licence compliance.

Scheduling for Projects & Tenders

• Lead schedule builds for bids and network changes.
• Produce PVR, duty, and roster summaries with clear assumptions.
• Run scenario tests for cost, reliability, and EV readiness.
• Deliver submission-ready exports and concise narratives.

Standards & Governance

• Maintain Group Planning Standards and change logs.
• Set minimum data quality checks (TXC, GTFS, internal extracts).
• Conduct periodic reviews and audits of timetables, blocks, and duties.
• Track and close out audit actions across OpCos.

EV Readiness

• Embed EV planning rules reflecting charging and SOC constraints.
• Coordinate with Engineering on charger availability and bay usage.
• Report on EV impacts to blocks, duties, and layover.

Data, Tools & Analytics

• Define a single source of truth for planning data.
• Curate shared scripts, templates, and dashboards.
• Track planning quality metrics and post-publication defects.

People & Stakeholder Engagement

• Line manage central planners and analysts.
• Facilitate planning forums and training across OpCos.
• Collaborate with Operations, Commercial, Finance, Engineering, and IT teams.

Knowledge and Experience

• Expert-level HASTUS user.
• Strong scheduling and duty design capabilities.
• Excellent documentation and facilitation skills.
• Data-literate with the ability to brief analysts effectively.
• Strong governance mindset with pragmatic problem-solving.

Qualifications

• Degree in transport planning, operations research, engineering, or equivalent experience.
• Project management training is advantageous.

Practical Details

• Travel to UK and overseas OpCos required.
• Participation in out-of-hours cutovers when needed.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS ROLE REQUIRES A MINIMUM OF 4 DAYS PER WEEK IN OUR LONDON OFFICE

Ready to lead the future of transport planning?
Apply now and drive excellence across our network.

About Us

Go-Ahead is a leading international public transport company connecting customers with reliable, punctual and welcoming services, that are accessible to all. We connect billions of customers and their communities on our essential bus and rail services operating in the UK, Ireland, the Nordics, Singapore and Australia. Our people work in partnership with suppliers, local communities and governments to innovate, invest and always improve our service to customers. With a focus on the future, we are proud to be leading the transition towards a zero-emission fleet with a clear plan to reach net zero by 2045.

Go Ahead\’s values define who we are. They guide the actions, behaviours and the choices we, and our colleagues, make every day. We promote a devoted customer-first culture backed by our people, our assets and our ability to collaborate as a trusted partner with local communities and authorities. It is the \’Go-Ahead Way\’ which interlinks our values, our structure and processes, and our way of working. We care for our customers, our communities, our assets, our environment and our people.

Go-Ahead is powered by 27,000 dedicated colleagues across six countries. Each day, they work in their communities to provide millions of public transport journeys that are reliable, safe, accessible, and tailored to local needs. Our team is made up of a diverse range of people, each bringing unique skills, experiences, and perspectives. Whether they\’re driving buses, maintaining trains, managing operations, or serving customers, our colleagues are united by a shared commitment to delivering high-quality services and making a real difference to the lives of our passengers – wherever they are.