Area Driver Manager [31942]

As part of the Transport UK Group, West Midlands Trains delivers around 1,300 train journeys a day, for more than 60 million passengers a year, across our two brands - West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway. We are committed to delivering a safe and reliable train service, by investing in our fleet of trains, stations and employees. We are looking to recruit an Area Driver Manager, Shrewsbury & Worcester, to lead and manage a team of Driver Managers to deliver train safety, performance, service reliability and customer satisfaction.

What does the job involve?

• Leadership, management, coaching, mentoring and development of a team of Driver Managers who are responsible for the management and competency assessment of Drivers.
• With Head of Train Crew agree business and performance targets and develop action plans to deliver objectives.
• Cascade performance targets to managers through performance meetings – reviewing progress against plan.
• Manage the collective and individual employee relations arrangements and processes at a local level creating a positive working environment as measured in the employee engagement survey.
• Maximise driver resources by ensuring managers control all aspects of off train working (e.g. attendance and disciplinary issues) and ensure that driver productivity is maximised through the timely delivery of route and traction knowledge.
• Manage recruitment of staff as required.
• On call and incident management, command responsibilities & duties (inc TOLO) as required.
• Ensure compliance with all safety responsibilities and comply with commitments within the West Midlands Trains Safety Certificate.
• Ensure competence assessment of all staff is fully undertaken.
• Manage and implement recommendations of incident and accident investigations.
• With Head of Drivers design and implement customer service improvement plans based on SQMS and NPS feedback.
• With Head of Drivers design and implement employee engagement plans based on feedback from the employee engagement survey.
• Ensure effective communication processes are in place to allow two way communication including compliance with safety briefs.
• Manage budgets and prepare budgetary forecasts, business cases and strategy papers as required.
• Contribute to the delivery of wider company objectives, including the management of strategic projects.

Knowledge and Experience

• Knowledge of West Midlands Trains operations and geography.
• Knowledge of Drivers rules and regulations.
• Knowledge of Driver terms and conditions.
• Knowledge of safety and quality standards.

Skills

• Credible leader with experience of managing and engaging with geographically spread teams.
• Strong communication skills with an ability to influence and negotiate.
• Ability to effectively manage budgets and performance/service targets against a wide range of metrics.
• Confident in dealing with a range of data and proficient at problem analysis and solution delivery.
• Self-motivated, able to work on own initiative and as part of a team.
• Strong planning and organising skills with the ability to prioritise for self and others.

What are the salary and benefits?

• Competitive dependant on experience.
• Defined Benefit pension – one of the best in the UK.
• Free travel on all our trains and those of other train companies within our parent group company - for you, your partner and any dependent children.
• 75% off all other train company travel tickets.
• Retail discounts.
• Career development opportunities.

As an inclusive employer, we welcome applications from all backgrounds and ensure no-one receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of age, disability, gender, race/ethnicity, religion, belief and sexual orientation. Applications will be considered from colleagues with 6 months experience, after completion of their probationary period and a full check of absence and disciplinary records.