Network Rail

Senior Operations Manager (SCO)

Company
Location
Milton Keynes, England, United Kingdom
Posted At
7/31/2025
Advertise with us by contacting: [email protected]
Description
Location

Milton Keynes, GB

Department Name

Supply Chain Operations - Supply Chain Services

About Network Rail

Join Our Team at Network Rail!

Are you ready to make a difference in people's lives? At Network Rail, we connect passengers and freight customers, ensuring safe and efficient transportation across the country. We're an organisation where people truly matter, and when you join us, you matter to us and millions of others. Click here to watch our inspiring video to learn more about us!

We're dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that reflects the passengers we serve. To achieve this, we're committed to becoming an open, diverse, and inclusive workplace, leveraging the skills and expertise of our talented workforce. Together, we strive to create a safe and accessible railway for everyone. Discover more about the importance of Diversity and Inclusion at Network Rail by clicking here .

Investing in our people is key to enhancing the safety, reliability, and efficiency of our railway system. If you're passionate about making a meaningful impact, then this opportunity is for you! Click here to learn about our vision for a simpler, better, greener railway, and here to learn about our approach to safety and how it’s at the heart of everything we do.

About our people and the recruitment process - We're an inclusive employer of choice and we welcome applications from everyone! We encourage our colleagues to work flexibly, as we know traditional working patterns don't always fit. If you want to consider working flexibly, just let us know and we'll do our best to help and invest in your career with us , whilst you have a healthy work life balance.

We're also a Disability Confident Leader employer and we'll try our best to adapt the process and offer a reasonable alternative to help support people with disabilities access, apply and interview for roles.

If you're ready to make a real difference, we'd love to hear from you!

Brief Description

Route Services is a division of Network Rail that provides the Routes with services so they can help Network Rail deliver a better railway for a better Britain.We support the Routes with a myriad of services and supplies they need to maintain and operate the railway To learn more, please click here to watch our video.

This role sits within Supply Chain Operations (SCO) , an area of the business which supplies and delivers the logistics, materials, components, rail and road fleet that enable the maintenance and renewal of the railway.

SCO keeps the materials, machinery and components required by its customers moving – making sure they are on-site when needed so work can go ahead as planned and on schedule. Watch our video Working in Supply Chain Operations

Working with us is More than a Salary

About The Role (External)

You will lead and direct the operational delivery of SCO commitments and communication of operational issues across all customers and service types.

Key Accountabilities

  • Oversee the operational and infrastructure delivery requirements including management of incidents and maintain suitable records.
  • Utilise reports to determine root cause failure and outcomes from incidents for onward dissemination.
  • Develop contingency plans for the management of operational and infrastructure incidents, compliant with Supply Chain Operations strategy and emergency plans for response to major incidents.
  • Lead Supply Chain Operations operational readiness plans across all Supply Chain Operations services.
  • Manage liaison with customers during perturbed operations.
  • Carry out the initial review of incidents involving safety issues, work lost and or train performance delays involving Supply Chain Operations services & follow through on outcomes in a competent and timely manner.
  • Lead the management of Supply Chain Operations 247.
  • Provide leadership and direction to the Supply Chain Operations 247 team acting as a role model and mentor, progressing agreed development plans through continual monitoring and review to enhance team performance.
  • Lead and support where required, the development of strategic proposals to increase resilience of the railway operation including recovery, post incident management, return to service and prevention where required.
  • Lead suitable Key Performance Indicators around the resilience of Supply Chain Operations delivery, to offer measures which can be used to support and deliver strategy & performance improvement.


Essential

Job Skills, Experience and Qualifications

  • Experience of managing people
  • Thorough understanding of Network Rail’s train services
  • Well developed customer service skills
  • Good written & verbal communication skills
  • Requirement to work outside normal office hours as required by the position
  • Ability to work as part of a matrix organisation and at all levels.
  • Competent in applicable rules & regulations
  • Understanding of negotiating machinery
  • Detailed understanding of business process manual and commercial environment


Desirable

  • Experience of working within a railway operations environment
  • Knowledge of performance analysis techniques


How To Apply (External)

Vacancy type: This role is permanent.

Location: This position is based in The Quadrant, Milton Keynes.

Hours: 35 hours per week with hybrid working (3 days a week) and occasional travel to Route Control, suppliers and customers as required.

Salary range: £71,163 to £84,437 per annum, depending on skills and experience.

Closing date: 13 Aug 2025. Late applicants will not be accepted. This role is being advertised internally and externally.

You will need to complete a supporting statement addressing how you meet the essential criteria, please complete this as part of the application process and add this to your CV in one document . Applicants who do not complete this statement will not be shortlisted. Please see attached guide – How to complete Supporting Statement.

If you cannot access the guide, please contact [email protected] and we will send you a copy.

Click ‘Apply now’ to submit your application.

If you would like to speak to the Resourcing Team, please contact [email protected]

If you would like any reasonable adjustments support during your application or throughout the recruitment process , please do not hesitate to contact the Resourcing Team who will happily assist.

Below are some examples of adjustments we can make:

  • Changing a provision, practice or ‘the way things are done’


For example, we can give candidates extra time to complete online, tasks or interviews as needed.

  • Changing a physical feature of our workplace For example, office/room layout can be adapted to accommodate individual needs.
  • Providing extra equipment or assistance For example, we can provide sign language interpreters and support workers where needed. Alternative document formats can be made available.


There are lots of other adjustments we can consider – please just ask!

The recruitment process will consist of shortlisted candidates being invited to take part in the following;

  • Competency Based Interview


Candidates who are shortlisted for interview will be contacted by phone or email.

For further information about how we recruit, please visit: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/careers/how-we-recruit/

Drugs and Alcohol Standard:

For some of our roles all prospective external candidates offered a conditional role will be required to undergo and pass a drugs and alcohol test. Your application will be rescinded if you record a positive test. All positive drugs and alcohol test results for prospective candidates will be securely held on Sentinel database and a 5 year suspension from applying for a safety critical role, a role which requires PTS certification or a Key Safety role on Network Rail Managed Infrastructure will be enforced.

More information can be found in our Drugs and Alcohol Guidance document.

You can visit Evenbreaks Career Hive for advice on accessibility support if you're unsure of the options available. Should you require any reasonable adjustments/modifications, please add a note to your application.

Network Rail Benefits - To find out about what benefits we offer, click here

All offers of employment are conditional upon satisfactory completion of pre-employment checks. Click here for more information

  • Some of our roles require face to face Drugs & Alcohol testing. Further details will be shared with you as part of your formal offer.****
Advertise with us by contacting: [email protected]
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