Workforce Planning Manager
Application Deadline: 21 May 2026
Department: Human Resources
Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time
Location: Head Office - Birmingham
Reporting To: Jon Brigdale
Compensation: £40,000 - £50,000 / year
Description
We’re excited to offer a fantastic opportunity to join our HR team as a Workforce Planning Manager.
In this strategic role, you’ll play a key part in shaping our organisation’s future by providing expert workforce planning insight. You’ll lead the development of robust, consistent workforce plans and talent pipelines that align with both current priorities and long term business goals.
Working closely with senior leaders and Heads of Department, you’ll build an understanding of workforce demands and apply this into effective, localised plans that ensure we have the right people, in the right place, at the right time.
You’ll also drive our retention and succession planning strategies, using data led insights to monitor progress, identify risks, and highlight opportunities through regular reporting and analysis.
If you bring strong experience in strategic workforce planning and the confidence to lead with evidence based recommendations, we’d love to hear from you.
Key Responsibilities
* Develop and deliver short, medium and long-term workforce plans aligned to business priorities.
* Analyse workforce data to produce accurate forecasts, scenario planning, and evidence-based insights.
* Collaborate with HR, finance, and business leaders to align workforce plans with recruitment, training, and operational needs.
* Monitor workforce performance through KPIs, reporting, and continuous improvement of planning tools and processes.
* Provide strategic insight on workforce risks and opportunities, including retention, succession planning, skills gaps, and resource optimisation.
Skills, Knowledge and Expertise
* Relevant qualification (CIPD Level 5 or equivalent) with degree-level capability or experience.
* Strong experience in strategic workforce planning within a large or complex organisation.
* Ability to analyse and interpret workforce data, providing clear, evidence-based recommendations and insights.
* Proficiency in HR systems (e.g. Oracle), advanced Excel, and data visualisation tools such as Power BI.
* Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence, build relationships, and understand sector specific workforce challenges.
To ensure continuity and an effective delivery of service, successful candidates will be required to commit to a minimum 14-month period in role after achieving competence. This also includes existing colleagues who move by internal promotions and transfers. This time allows our future colleagues to support personal career development by allowing time to build strong knowledge and expertise.
Benefits
* A defined benefit pension from day 1 – one of the best in the UK.
* Free travel on all London Northwestern and West Midlands Railway services for you, your spouse/partner, and dependents.
* 75% off all other train operating companies for you, your spouse/partner, and dependents.
* 8 Friends and Family Day passes to gift per annum on our network.
* A 24/7 Virtual GP service for you and your household.
* Our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)- A confidential employee benefit that supports you with personal or work-related issues affecting your home life, work life, health, or wellbeing
* Our cycle to work scheme with Evans Cycles.
* A retail discount portal- offering savings, discounts and cashback at over 800 retailers and restaurants.
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