Role : Depot Manager
Location : Aylesbury
Contract Type : Permanent
Salary : Up to £80,000 per annum
Job Purpose
Provide senior leadership for all rolling stock maintenance, servicing, and depot operations at Chiltern Railways. Own the strategic direction of the depot, driving a transformational culture shift focused on safety, quality, performance, and operational excellence. Align depot performance with wider business goals while ensuring compliance with legal, regulatory, and company standards
Key Accountabilities
* Act as the senior-most authority on site, accountable for achieving all safety, performance, quality, and customer service metrics
* Develop and execute the depot strategy in alignment with long-term business and fleet plans
* Provide inspirational leadership, establishing clear expectations, driving accountability, and championing continuous improvement
* Drive a positive culture change program, embedding proactive safety behaviours, engagement, and collaboration
* Lead cultural change to embed proactive safety behaviours and promote a high-performance, engaged workforce
* Ensure safe systems of work are established, maintained, and followed for all depot activities, providing assurance through audits and feedback to individuals
* Investigate and lead audits, inspections, and investigations to drive compliance, learning, and continuous improvement
* Manage depot workload delivery to meet maintenance plans for Chiltern Railways and other customers, ensuring high-quality output and compliance with standards
* Maintain appropriate staffing levels, skill competencies, and training plans to deliver operational needs now and in the future
* Own the full depot budget, including staffing, tooling, facilities, materials, and revenue generation opportunities
* Build strong strategic relationships with internal stakeholders (e.g. Safety Team, HR, Performance, Operations) and external partners (e.g., Network Rail, ROSCOs, contractors, suppliers) to achieve depot and fleet targets
* Oversee contractor compliance, safety practices, and delivery quality
* Maintain accurate asset condition data to support asset management planning and long-term fleet performance
* Support depot improvements by providing input on infrastructure changes from an end-user perspective
* Ensure compliance with all health, safety, environmental, and railway standards by collaborating with relevant team
* Chair and represent the depot for local consultations, influence engagement, and negotiation meetings with staff representatives and trade union
* Undertake general and statutory inspections as required
* Participate in the engineering on-call rota, providing senior support for unplanned events
* Cover other roles in the engineering team, and deputise for Head of Fleet Delivery as required
Personal Specification
* Essential - ONC NVQ Level 4 or higher
* Desirable - Degree in engineering, management, or a relevant discipline.
* Significant experience in managing traction and rolling stock maintenance operations, including budget and team leadership
* Demonstrated success in leading cultural change programs and improving operational maturity
* Strong understanding of railway safety standards and regulatory requirements
* Excellent communication skills for engaging effectively at all levels, both internally and externally
* Analytical skills with the ability to solve complex technical and operational challenges
* Strong experience with union engagement, chairing meetings, consultations, and negotiations
* Proficiency with IT systems relevant to fleet maintenance and depot management
* Commitment to continuous personal and team development
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