Role: Head of Traincrew Resources
Ford & Stanley Executive Search (Part of the Ford & Stanley Group) are a leading Executive search firm to the UK, North American and European Rail, Defence, Technology & Heavy Manufacturing industries.
Our search directors, search consultants and research teams specialise in all horizontal functions of our clients' organisations with expertise spanning engineering, commercial, procurement, HR, IT, finance, HSQE, sales, projects, operations and c-suite.
We are trusted by over 100 leading organisations when they seek to make a leadership appointment, be that a permanent appointment or interim solutions.
We have been appointed by our client on a retained search for a Head of Traincrew Resources
Below you will find an ‘candidate opportunity briefing document’ developed from notes taken during the scoping meeting (Situational Discovery) held between the Research Manager & Principal Consultant of Ford & Stanley Executive Search and the Operations Director & HR Director of the business.
This brief is designed to give candidates a deeper insight into the opportunity inherent within the role, the challenges the role presents, and provide access to the detail that sits behind the job specification.
Client Opportunity Statements:
“We need an experienced people Leader who can take a good team and turn them into a well-organised, “great” team. This will involve taking them on a behavioural change journey and empowering the team to elevate each other”
“The right candidate will lead on building robust relationships across the business, and we expect this individual to drive change. They will need to have the commercial awareness of how these changes impact the wider business.”
“We are looking to secure an individual who has the strength and executive maturity to make decisions to push the business unit forward and, where needed, to have difficult discussions both internally and externally.”
Challenges expected within the first 12 months include:
Build a team for the future – there needs to be behavioural change and individuals need elevate their capability
(Can we rephrase to: Reputation with the trade union needs to grow and the directorate is looking to build on the relationship.)
Visibility across the team and business – the team needs a leader with the strength and maturity to have difficult conversations, make decisions and give confidence.
Key deliverables within the first 12 months include:
Evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the team, implementation of KPI’s, Assurance and governance. Team rebrand/refocus – ensure they are pushing in the right direction.
Implemented processes and procedures so the team know what “good” looks like and feel they have robust guidance and leadership.
Built a strong reputation with internal and external stakeholders, by being a visible and present leader.
Essential Hard Skills (Skills & Experience)
Proven leadership experience, with the ability to demonstrate how they have personally delivered both business & behaviour change.
To have previously led dynamic teams of varied skill sets and capabilities.
Demonstrated leadership experience in challenging situations.
An understanding and exposure to Resource planning, diagramming, scheduling, and/or timetabling.
Experience gained and time served in highly regulated industries including Rail, Bus, Aerospace, Defence, Utilities etc.
Essential Soft Skills (Attributes & Behaviours)
Executive maturity, the ability to have those difficult conversations when necessary.
Exceptional communication skills, ability to inspire those around you both internally and externally.
Solutions-focused, will not only identify areas for improvement but will also push solutions to these challenges.
Proactive, will push for continuous improvement across the function.
Commercially savvy, with an awareness that changes have a financial impact and these need to be monitored.
Working Arrangements & Location:
With HQ in the Midlands and depots all the way across the South and West Midlands, we expect candidates to be located commutable distance to the route and be able to travel across the network. The company does offer a flexible working arrangement with the possibility of 1 day a week working from home.
Noting this role is people-centric and we are looking for a present leader.
Client Company Interview Process:
1st Stage – Face-to-face interview with the Operations Director + one other member of the leadership team (TBC).
2nd Stage – Face-to-face interview with a presentation (content of presentation to be confirmed)
Ford & Stanley Interview Process:
1st Stage: Candidate Discovery: An open, conversational and consultative discussion where interested candidates are assessed on their suitability for the role in the context of the above and challenged on how the opportunity lines up with their career aspirations, motivations, financial expectations and personal circumstances.
2nd Stage: The ‘shortlist’: Candidates are asked to reflect on the candidate discovery discussion, take time to reflect on the opportunity and undertake subsequent research on the client business, reporting back on their thoughts, questions and providing additional specific information on their suitability (if applicable). Final checks of role, package and logistical alignments made.
Good to know:
Role reports to the Operations Director and has three direct reports – Senior resource delivery manager, business resilience, and workforce strategy manager.
Currently, the team are stretched and lacking strong leadership; they need guidance and direction.
The business is on the up, and they want to improve and collaborate to address challenges
Need a candidate who is commercially savvy and understands the financial and reputational ramifications of train cancellations.
Need an impactful candidate who can hit the ground running
The Head of Train Crew Resources is responsible for the planning, allocation, and operational deployment of Drivers and Senior Conductors to ensure a safe, reliable, and efficient train service across the network.
The role leads the day-to-day and strategic resourcing of traincrew, including roster delivery, rest day working, disruption recovery, and the application of resource agreements. While not directly responsible for recruitment, training, or establishment planning, the postholder works closely with those functions to ensure resourcing supports overall service requirements.
This position plays a key role in managing and applying collective agreements, supporting industrial relations stability, and providing operational resourcing input to major projects such as timetable changes, fleet introductions, and infrastructure schemes. By ensuring the effective deployment of traincrew, the role underpins delivery of the daily timetable and supports long-term service resilience.
Management of a large workforce spread geographically across different locations. All Driver terms and conditions are covered by legacy collective bargaining arrangements across a number of unions. The delivery of a consistent train service is through the front-line delivery colleagues and their Managers. The contractual obligations are based around such delivery.
The nature of the collective agreements means that a detailed knowledge of terms and conditions and their implications is essential to the role. This is coupled with the need to build good working relationships and communication with line managers and union representatives in order to engender employee engagement.
Main duties and responsibilities:
Lead the strategy and planning for the delivery of consistent and robust traincrew resourcing, ensuring Driver and Senior Conductor availability meets both current and future operational needs.
Develop and maintain forecasting models, KPIs, and period returns to accurately reflect the impact and cost of recruitment, training, attrition, and coverage
Establish strong communication channels with internal departments such as Train Planning, Finance, and all traincrew management teams to ensure joined-up delivery of traincrew resourcing.
Manage the department’s budget and influence wider resource expenditure to support operational efficiency and performance
Support and contribute to collective bargaining negotiations, ensuring resource agreements are implemented to maximise availability and reduce industrial relations risk.
Drive the adoption and implementation of new technology to improve rostering, resource planning, and operational deployment.
Manage industrial relations risk relating to resourcing, ensuring adherence to agreements and minimising exposure to system or human error
Ensure timely delivery of all resourcing elements linked to fleet projects, timetable changes, and engineering works.
Lead on resource recovery during service disruption (excluding control-specific responsibilities), providing assurance of operational continuity.
Budget:
Low: £75,(Apply online only) / Mid: £80,(Apply online only) / High: £85,(Apply online only)
Supporting benefits
Defined Benefit pension – one of the best in the UK, our pension scheme is a defined benefit, shared cost scheme to which both the company and you contribute.
Free travel on all our trains and those of other train companies within parent group company - for you, your partner and any dependent children - 75% discount off all other train operators
25 days holiday allowance + Bank Holidays
Eligible to participate in our private medical insurance - for you, your partner and any dependent children (this is a taxable benefit/P11D reportable)
24/7 Virtual GP service - for you, your partner and any dependent children
All management grade employees are able to take advantage of the Flexible Annual Leave Scheme. This scheme allows Managers some flexibility to alter that entitlement by buying or selling some of their allocation.
Executive Search Delivery Team:
Billy Jackson – Principal Consultant Client & Search Management & Advisory
Oliver Nunn – Research Manager Candidate & Research Management & Advisory
Ralitsa Kuzeva – Executive Assistant: Diary Management & Process Adherence
About Ford & Stanley Executive Search:
Ford & Stanley Talent Services Group are in the business of people and performance. Our mission is to create one million better workdays through facilitating great recruitment, leadership and occupational mental fitness. We support our clients in their most challenging business areas - recruiting, developing and retaining the best talent from shop floor to boardroom.
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Ford & Stanley Talent Services Group Ltd is a Disability Confident employer that is committed to a policy of equal opportunities for all opportunity seekers. We shall adhere to such a policy at all times and will review on an on-going basis all aspects of recruitment to avoid unlawful or undesirable discrimination. We will treat everyone equally irrespective sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, age, disability, colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief or political beliefs and we place an obligation upon all staff to respect and act in accordance with the policy. Services advertised by Ford & Stanley are that of an employment consultancy business