At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead planning for engineering access, ensuring safety and efficiency across the railway.
- Company: Join a dynamic team at Southern Region, impacting millions of journeys daily.
- Benefits: Enjoy generous leave, pension schemes, and discounts on travel and leisure.
- Other info: Diverse workplace with opportunities for personal and professional growth.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in railway operations while developing your leadership skills.
- Qualifications: Strong planning, leadership, and stakeholder management skills required.
The predicted salary is between 46701 - 46701 £ per year.
Join the Southern Region where your work truly matters. Covering Wessex, Sussex, and Kent, the Southern Region is one of the busiest and most dynamic parts of the railway. Our teams keep some of the UK's most vital passenger and freight routes moving every single day. This is a place where collaboration, innovation, and resilience are key and where your contribution will directly impact millions of journeys.
We are entering an exciting new chapter as we integrate with train operating companies under one national leadership, creating even greater opportunities to shape the future of rail. From supporting major modernisation programmes to improving performance for local communities and enhancing safety across complex operational environments, Southern offers a fast‑paced, rewarding environment to grow your career and make a real difference.
Safe behaviour
Applicants should be able to demonstrate their awareness of our safety vision.
About The Role
The opportunity
We're looking for a Lead Planner who can bring people, priorities and complex planning requirements together to create a safe, efficient and robust Route Engineering Access Plan. This is a key leadership role where you'll shape and integrate engineering access across the Route, helping to support delivery of the Route Strategic Business Plan. You'll work collaboratively with teams across the industry to resolve access conflicts, identify efficient solutions and ensure engineering work can be delivered safely while protecting overall Route performance. Just as importantly, you'll lead and develop a planning team, creating an environment where people feel supported to contribute, develop their skills and continuously improve.
We want our workforce to reflect the communities we serve and welcome applications from people with different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. If your experience doesn't match every point perfectly, but you believe you can bring the skills and approach needed to succeed in the role, we'd still encourage you to apply.
What You'll Be Doing
- Lead the development of the Route Engineering Access Plan, safely bringing together access, isolations, protected paths and Temporary Speed Restriction (TSR) requirements in line with relevant standards.
- Bring teams together to solve complex planning challenges, coordinating Work Deliverers and balancing different priorities to create a safe, optimised and robust engineering access plan.
- Lead the late change process, making informed prioritisation decisions within your authority and escalating where appropriate to make sure changes remain safe and compliant.
- Identify opportunities to use access more effectively, considering financial efficiencies and the Schedule 4 & 8 impacts of different options and making recommendations where required.
- Build strong, collaborative relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, encouraging open communication and constructive challenge.
- Lead, coach and mentor the planning team, providing clear direction while helping colleagues build their confidence, capability and performance.
- Maintain a competent planning team, supporting compliance through appropriate competency assessment systems.
- Champion continuous improvement, encouraging people to share ideas, knowledge and best practice across the wider industry.
- Support Route and National communications relating to engineering work, helping provide accurate and effective information.
- Lead and validate planning information for the Route, helping ensure stakeholders have reliable information to support effective decision-making.
What We're Looking For
You'll be someone who combines strong planning and decision‑making skills with an inclusive, collaborative approach to leadership. You'll be comfortable working with competing priorities, bringing different stakeholders together and making considered decisions in a complex environment. You'll also recognise that great leadership is about getting the best from people, encouraging different perspectives and creating an environment where everyone can contribute. You don't need to have followed one particular career path to make an impact in this role.
If your experience has given you strong planning, leadership, stakeholder management and problem‑solving skills, we'd encourage you to apply.
Why this role matters
The decisions made by the Lead Planner have a real impact on how safely and effectively engineering work can be delivered. You'll have the opportunity to influence plans across the Route, improve how teams work together and help identify smarter, more efficient ways of delivering access. It's an opportunity to lead people, influence decisions and make continuous improvements, while playing an important role in supporting safe and reliable railway performance.
Essential – Your experience and skills
- Able to lead a team and motivate team members.
- Experienced and skilled in leadership and development of people.
- Proven ability in building organisational capability through the development and implementation of processes and business disciplines.
- Proven ability to engage with customers and build collaborative relationships with stakeholders at a senior level.
- Good negotiating skills and ability to make objective decisions.
- Able to work under pressure within a continuous planning process.
- Able to evaluate complex factors and make decisions to maximise benefit to Network Rail.
- Good communication skills and a customer focussed approach.
- Knowledge of relevant railway geography and network capability.
- Knowledge of relevant train services and network capacity.
Desirable
- Understanding corporate governance e.g. procurement rules.
- Understanding of company's obligations in relations to ORR.
- Understanding railway industry structure and responsibility.
- Experience of investigatory skills (Root Cause Analysis).
- Knowledge of isolation Planning Process.
The successful candidate will need to demonstrate experience in leading and developing a team. They will also need to have a strong understanding of managing late notice changes to the Engineering Access plan, as well as a good technical understanding of planning Isolations on DC infrastructure.
Please note
This vacancy uses an application-based approach rather than a traditional CV. You'll answer a small number of role‑specific questions, which will be reviewed anonymously to support a fair and consistent shortlisting process.
Applicant Guidance
Please answer each question using a specific example from your experience. Focus on your personal contribution rather than the wider team's activity. Keep your answers concise and, wherever possible, quantify the result or impact using figures, percentages, timescales, cost savings, performance improvements or other measurable outcomes.
If you require reasonable adjustments, feel free to reach out to Southern Careers if you need any assistance.
Band & Salary
£46,701 per annum - £56,963 per annum
Vacancy type
Permanent
Location
London Puddle Dock
Closing date
25/11/2026
We're an organisation where people matter. We matter to millions.
Benefits
- Generous annual leave with the option to buy/sell days.
- Defined benefit pension scheme.
- 75% subsidy on rail and underground season tickets.
- Up to 75% off leisure travel.
- Carer's leave to support those who matter.
- Healthcare Scheme, GymPass discounts, Cycle to work plus more.
We offer generous maternity, paternity, and adoption leave to support our employees during significant life moments.
Discover all our benefits and what life is like at Network Rail.
Small actions lead to big impact. The way we collect and use data helps keep our teams safe and our network resilient.
Find out more in this short video: Why we need diversity data. We’re proud to champion a diverse and inclusive workplace that reflects the communities we serve. To explore our ED&I commitments.
All offers of employment are conditional upon satisfactory completion of pre‑employment checks.
For further information please contact Brian Langridge.
Lead Planner (Access) (Wessex) in London employer: NETWORK RAIL
Network Rail is an excellent employer, offering a dynamic work environment where collaboration and innovation thrive. With a strong focus on employee development, you will have access to numerous growth opportunities while contributing to vital infrastructure projects in the UK. The supportive culture and commitment to maintaining accurate data ensure that your role as a Data & SharePoint Support Specialist is both meaningful and rewarding.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Lead Planner (Access) (Wessex) in London
✨Connect with Local Logistic Groups
Dive into local transportation and logistics groups on platforms like Facebook or LinkedIn. Show up to their meetups if you can – it's a great way to network with industry pros who can share insights, job openings, or even refer you to their own company.
✨Get Behind the Wheel of Job Boards
Look for job boards specific to transportation and logistics, like Logistics Job Site or TransportJobs. These platforms often have listings that you won’t find on general job boards, so they’re worth checking out regularly!
✨Leverage Internships & Graduate Schemes
Many companies in transportation and logistics offer graduate schemes and internships that can pave the way to full-time positions. Don't shy away from applying; even a short stint can make a solid impact on your CV and get your foot in the door at companies like NETWORK RAIL.
✨Apply Directly with Us!
When you find openings at great companies, make sure to apply directly through our website. It not only shows your initiative but also helps us to help you get noticed by NETWORK RAIL. Every application gets us one step closer to landing that full-time gig!
We think you need these skills to ace Lead Planner (Access) (Wessex) in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Experience:When you're applying for a role in the transportation and logistics sector at NETWORK RAIL, make sure to highlight any relevant experience. Whether it's moving goods, coordinating schedules, or using transportation management software, give us the lowdown on your past gigs. It'll paint a clearer picture of what you're capable of!
Quantify Your Achievements:Numbers speak volumes in logistics! If you've optimised routes, reduced delivery times, or improved customer satisfaction, mention those incredible stats in your CV. This gives us concrete evidence of your impact and showcases your problem-solving skills.
Tailor That Cover Letter:Your cover letter should be more than just a formality—let it breathe your personality and passion for logistics! Explain why you're excited about the role at NETWORK RAIL and how you can contribute to our team. Don't forget to tie in specific skills or experiences that relate to the job description.
Research and Reflect:Before you hit 'submit,' spend some time digging into NETWORK RAIL. Understand our mission, values, and the specific challenges in the logistics industry. This will help you craft a targeted application that shows you truly want to be part of our crew, setting you apart from the rest!
How to prepare for a job interview at NETWORK RAIL
✨Know Your Logistics Basics
Get familiar with the key principles of transportation and logistics, like supply chain management, inventory control, and route optimisation. You might get asked practical questions about how to improve efficiency, so brush up on your problem-solving skills and be prepared to discuss any relevant software tools you've used.
✨Prepare for Scenario-Based Questions
In logistics, employers love to gauge how you'd handle real-life situations. Expect scenario-based questions where you’ll need to demonstrate your decision-making skills, like how to manage delays or coordinate shipments during a crisis. Practise outlining your thought process clearly and logically.
✨Highlight Your Teamwork Experience
Full-time roles in logistics often require collaboration with various teams, so don't forget to showcase your teamwork experience. Think of examples where you've used communication and collaboration to ensure smooth operations, and get ready to elaborate on how you can facilitate teamwork in a busy environment like at NETWORK RAIL.
✨Show Off Your Attention to Detail
In our world of logistics, missing a small detail can lead to big problems. Be prepared to discuss instances where your attention to detail saved the day, whether it was engaging with clients, managing documentation, or tracking shipments accurately. This will help demonstrate how you can be a reliable asset to NETWORK RAIL.
