TfL, GLA or OPDC
Network Access Planning Manager - Rail
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Salary: £57,500 - £62,500 plus fantastic benefits Location: 5 Endeavour Square, Stratford, London, 50% Office Attendance Model Closing date: Sunday 26th July This role is not Eligible for UK Sponsorship.
About Us
The Elizabeth line Network Performance and Strategy team is responsible for the overall network service performance from Reading to Shenfield and for all aspects of track access and timetabling in the Elizabeth line Central Operating Section for RFLI.
Planning engineering and other access to this vital section of the railway is a fundamental component of what we do and during 2026 and into 2027 the Network Access Planning team are evolving our track access plan to safely deliver more working time to maintenance and project colleagues within existing time constraints.
This essential piece of work supports the reliable introduction of more trains to the Elizabeth line timetable from May 2027.
About the Team
The Network Access Planning Team’s Primary Function is to provide engineering access planning expertise for Rail for London (Infrastructure) Ltd (RfLI) and lead all engineering access planning activities at the network level from pre-production of the annual Engineering Access Statement, to publication of the final Weekly Operating Notice (WON). We integrate the needs of maintenance, projects, testing and other parties requiring access and support the planning of emergency access, ensuring disruption to our customers is minimised.
We also manage the process of Network Engineering Access planning under RfLI Network Code Part D and the company standards, managing the planning systems and providing supporting publications to meet Regulatory, business, route planning and network performance requirements.
The Network Access Planning Team provides the primary point of contact for all matters relating to Access for the Elizabeth Line Central Operating Section (COS). We also lead discussions with industry colleagues in other infrastructure managers relating to the planning of major route closures and interfacing engineering works which affect the COS.
Key Duties
- Lead the collation and integration of all access requirements planned for each timetable week and ensure planning milestones are met, possessions and worksites are correctly planned and deconflicted, meeting actions are closed out and all operational documentation has been produced in accordance with the provisions of the applicable RfLI COS Rule Book and RfLI Network Code.
- Ensure all engineering possessions requests and worksites are entered and maintained in the Possession Planning System (PPS) undertaking deconfliction activities and liaison with adjacent Infrastructure Managers as required to enable the engineering access requirements to be met.
- Act as SME for PPS including being the point of contact for the business and undertake liaison with Network Rail as required to ensure the platform is capable of supporting the RfLI engineering access plan.
- Manage the Access Change Control Processes in accordance with the established priorities ensuring the change criteria are followed.
- Ensure the access planning processes are followed, issues resolved and the access strategy is safely delivered.
- Lead the weekly integrated access plan review meeting for Timetable Week (TW) -5, TW-8 and TW-13 and attend draft period possession planning meetings to ensure the access plan is deconflicted, complete and meets the needs of stakeholders.
- Lead production of the Draft WON, Final WON (including wires and supplementals for late changes as required) documents and the Infrastructure Maintenance Planning (IMP) files; liaising with Network Rail Planning Publications Team as required and support the production and implementation of the Engineering Access Statement, Draft Period Possession Plan (DPPP) and Confirmed Period Possession Plan (CPPP).
- Support the planning of infrastructure maintenance and monitoring trains including production of the Weekly On Track Machines Notice.
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About You
Knowledge
Essential
- Broad and extensive knowledge of maintenance planning principles and processes within the rail industry;
- Broad and extensive knowledge of engineering access planning systems (e.g., Network Rail Possession Planning System (PPS) or Railhub Engineering Protection Planner (EPP));
- Good working knowledge of railway operational planning procedures;
Desirable
- Good understanding of railway infrastructure maintenance procedures;
- Good working knowledge of on-track machine and maintenance train planning;
- Member of the Chartered Institution of Railway Operators or Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transportation;
Skills
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills ability to influence decisions with rail industry stakeholders
- Operation of Possession Planning Software or spreadsheet-based (e.g., MS Excel) equivalents.
- Ability to establish a course of action for self and others, managing time, resources, and surrounding circumstances to deliver objectives
- Ability to lead and motivate people within own team and across industry stakeholders.
Experience
- Significant experience in railway industry access planning at either delivery unit, area planning, or asset protection levels
- Significant experience in managing complex stakeholder relationships and conflict resolution ideally in a railway engineering context.
- Broad experience in track access management and maintenance planning
- Direct involvement in short-term timetable planning processes between Train Operating Companies and Infrastructure Managers
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Excellent Benefits Include
- Final salary pension scheme
- Free travel for you on the TfL network
- Reimbursement of 75% of the cost of a standard class Ticket for National Rail travel from home or 75% reimbursement on a 28-day flexi ticket
- 30 days annual leave plus public and bank holidays
- TfL is committed to work-life balance, operating a hybrid working approach where business and role requirements allow
- Private healthcare discounted scheme (optional)
- Tax-efficient cycle-to-work programme
- Retail, health, leisure, and travel offers
- Discounted Eurostar travel
Additional Information
Please apply supplying your CV preferably in “.docx” format. This document should be A4, in Arial 12 font, and a maximum of 2 pages per document.
If you are shortlisted you may be invited to take part in a Video interview. We endeavour to give candidates as much notice as possible however some interviews/assessments will be organised at short notice and will require a degree of flexibility. We reserve the right to close the application window early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.
Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
We are committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion. We want to represent the city we serve, which will help us become a more innovative and efficient organisation. Our goal is to make our recruitment as inclusive as possible. We are a disability confident employer who guarantee an interview to any disabled candidate who meets all of the essential criteria. We also use anonymising software that removes identifying information from CVs and cover letters to make the process fair.
Many of our staff work flexibly in many different ways. Please talk to us at interview about the flexibility you need. We'll see what we can do.
We understand a confidence gap can get in the way of meeting spectacular candidates. So please don’t hesitate to apply if you think you have what it takes even if you feel you don’t meet all the criteria. We’d love to hear from you.
At Transport for London, safety, trust, and fairness sit at the heart of how we recruit. Our Vetting Charter (https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/careers/our-vetting-process) explains the checks we carry out before you join us, helping ensure we create a safe, inclusive, and reliable network for everyone who depends on our services. We simply ask that the information you provide is honest and accurate so we can progress your application smoothly. If something doesn’t match or can’t be verified, we may not be able to move forward with your application but we’ll always treat you with transparency, respect, and clear communication throughout.
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