Role: Driver Manager Location: Birmingham and Stourbridge Contract Type: Permanent Salary: £74,195 per annum Chiltern Railways are responsible for operating a rail service from London Marylebone through to Birmingham, with many stops in-between around the Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire areas. In this role, you'll take the helm in leading our drivers, crafting and upholding high train operating standards to meet our reliability and punctuality goals. Your responsibilities will encompass developing, implementing, and sustaining these standards while ensuring strict adherence to all pertinent policies, procedures, and safety regulations. Your expertise will be pivotal in aligning our activities with the Safety Management System, the current HSQE Plan, and relevant Railway Group Standards. Job Purpose * Directly manage the competence, welfare, attendance, discipline, assessment and coaching of your team of drivers * Monitor the basic and enhanced training of drivers ensuring that competency standards are fully met * Ensure that trains are driven in a safe and efficient manner, operating standards are complied with and customer care standards are met * Carry out regular competence and performance assessments, including the examination of newly appointed drivers * Fully investigate safety of the line incidents and accidents and make recommendations on improvements and prevention. Ensure that all such matters are properly reported in line with statutory or railway operating requirements and also that the necessary reports are fully completed and submitted within the agreed timescales * Maintain own driving competency and when necessary, accompany or act as a conductor to another driver * Undertake cost control exercises in connection with payroll costs, uniform and equipment to ensure that the operations department budgets are not exceeded * Be aware of short-term contingency rostering of drivers, liaising with the resource manager and local controllers to ensure that resourcing complies with the train service specification * Check and arrange for delivery of weekly operating notices including London Underground traffic circulars * Monitor all notice cases at depots as necessary and post SPAD, traction, train crew and new notices at unsupervised depots and monitor this at supervised depots * Ensure that drivers have the correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) equipment and that it is worn correctly and uniform, including bi-annual certification of existing equipment in compliance with Chiltern Railways policies * Ensure ‘return to work’ interviews are carried out as soon as is practicable on individuals’ return * Implement decisions and action plans as determined by the Depot Managers Key Accountabilities * 5 years train driving and railway operations experience and be able to meet the physical and visual standards of a train driver * Must hold valid Certificate of Competence in Rules and Regulations including those of London Underground and have detailed knowledge of Railway Standards * Good standards of literacy, numeracy and computer skills are essential * The post holder should be formally trained in competency assessment in line with company procedures or equivalent in coaching and assessing drivers and also in investigating and responding to incidents and accidents * An ability to communicate confidently and effectively both verbally and in writing with drivers and other employees and organisations