The rail industry is moving towards greater integration, bringing train operations and infrastructure closer together to create a safer, simpler and better-performing railway for customers.

This is a significant leadership opportunity for an exceptional Planning & Performance Director to join the senior leadership team and lead the development of an integrated approach to planning and performance across GTR, Network Rail Sussex and the wider network.

You will have one million reasons to deliver outstanding results, because that is how many customers travel on the railway on its busiest days.

This role carries responsibility spanning train and operational planning, engineering access, performance, operational readiness, contingency planning and service development. You will lead a combined function of more than 300 colleagues with significant budget accountability.

At its heart, the role is about bringing together the different components of the railway to deliver better outcomes. You will establish the strategic direction for planning and performance, ensuring decisions about infrastructure, engineering access, rolling stock and train services come together as a coherent operational plan.

What you’ll be doing

Working as part of the senior leadership team, you will:

• Lead the joint Planning & Performance function across GTR and Network Rail Sussex, creating an increasingly integrated approach to planning and operating the railway.
• Work closely with and influence other Business Units to deliver the best outcomes for customers.
• Support the expansion plans required to meet growing demand on the Thameslink Growth Corridor.
• Set the strategic direction for short, medium and long-term service planning, performance improvement, operational readiness, engineering access and contingency planning.
• Lead the development of future train services, balancing operational performance and customer experience with capacity, affordability and value for taxpayers.
• Oversee timetable and train-plan development, including major operational change, new and refurbished rolling stock, and improvements to journey times and service frequency.
• Build a strong, data-led performance capability, turning complex operational information into clear insight and action.
• Work closely with Engineering, Operations and Service Delivery teams to ensure infrastructure access, maintenance and train operations are planned effectively together.
• Establish effective governance and decision-making across the integrated railway, enabling issues to be resolved quickly and at the appropriate level.
• Build influential relationships across government, regulators, industry partners and senior stakeholders.
• Develop constructive relationships with trade union partners and lead an inclusive, high-performing leadership culture across the function.

About you

This role requires both strategic leadership and significant operational credibility.

You will have experience leading large and complex functions or programmes, with a track record of improving performance and delivering change across matrix, alliance or partnership-based operating models. You will be comfortable operating at Executive, Board and industry leadership level, influencing senior stakeholders where priorities and accountabilities may not always naturally align.

You will bring strong commercial and financial judgement, excellent analytical capability, and the ability to turn complex information into clear decisions.

Experience within rail, transport, infrastructure or another highly regulated operational environment would be advantageous. For candidates from the rail sector, knowledge of operational planning, performance regimes, the Network Code, track access and timetable development will be particularly relevant.

Experience of integrated, alliance or partnership-based operating models, major operational change or service recovery would also be beneficial.

Importantly, you will be an inclusive and collaborative leader who can bring people together across organisational boundaries, create clarity from complexity and build a shared focus on delivering for passengers and the railway.

The opportunity

This is an opportunity to influence how one of Britain’s largest and most complex rail operations evolves at a pivotal point for the industry.

You will have the scope to move beyond traditional infrastructure and operator planning processes and help create a genuinely integrated approach that connects workforce planning, access and train planning, performance, infrastructure and train operations around critical outcomes: safety, reliability, customer experience and value for money.

If you have the leadership, operational judgement and ambition to help shape the next chapter of an integrated railway, this is an exceptional opportunity to make a lasting impact.