Strategy and Business Planning Manager

South Western Railway (SWR) operates over 1,500 services each weekday across the network and employs more than 5,000 people. We provide easy and convenient mobility, connecting people and communities in South West London, southern counties of England, and the Isle of Wight.

Join our team and help us continue to improve quality of life, by bringing people together to get the most out of life.

SWR is part of FirstGroup, the largest rail operator in the UK and second largest bus operator in the UK outside London. FirstGroup operates services throughout the UK and Ireland, with over 30,000 employees providing services that make travel smoother and life easier. FirstGroup works hard to reduce its impact on the environment, introducing cleaner and more environmentally responsible methods of transport.

About the job

The Strategy & Business Planning Manager will ensure that all SWR governance activities are aligned with the overarching business objectives, facilitating coherent strategic planning and execution.

An essential requirement of this role is to work collaboratively across all SWR functions. The post holder will be expected to work closely and collaboratively with internal stakeholders.

Working effectively with counterparts in the Department for Transport will be a trusted aspect of this role in relation to the Annual Business Planning cycle and associated activities.

The role will be responsible for tracking activity, reporting on activity progress as well as informing managerial decision making and activity across the business with a particular focus on medium and long term strategic planning.

The Strategy & Business Planning Manager will enable all teams across SWR to continue to Bring people together to get the most out of life by ensuring a compliant ABP is submitted each year and the commitments created within in are focused on the delivery of SWRs priorities and goals.

Your main responsibilities will be:

The Strategy & Business Planning Manager will:

Strengthen strategic oversight and reporting on behalf of the SWR Exec.

Improve the clarity and flow of relevant information between steering groups and the executive team.

Enhance the management and mitigation of key business risks.

Establish clear success criteria and measurable outputs that support strategic priorities.

Support the implementation of the Exec level dashboard and generate periodic reporting.

Manage the consistent use and application of a standardised format for all governance-related documents across all steering groups. This includes Terms of Reference (ToRs), meeting agendas, action trackers, and reporting templates.

Ensure customer-focused metrics and feedback mechanisms are embedded into steering group activities to ensure that customer needs and expectations are consistently addressed. This will improve service quality, strengthen customer relationships, and promote loyalty and satisfaction.

Manage the mechanism for developing potential ideas/initiatives for inclusion in future business planning rounds through steering group reporting.

Liaison point between Commercial Finance teams and the rest of the business in the annual business plan cycle.

Manage the creation and delivery of the ABP submission in collaboration with Commercial Finance and the Head of Strategy & Business Management.

Liaise with DfT on ABP activity as required.

As a minimum, you will need to have:

Experience of data management, reporting and analysis.

Good IT skills, including Microsoft Office

Able to write clearly and produce graphical information

Ability to tailor information when required

Numerate with a good analytical capability

Ability to work both in a team and unsupervised

Experience in working to tight deadlines and in a busy environment

Experience of interacting regularly and effectively with managers and senior leaders

University level qualification or demonstrable equivalent experience

Good interpersonal skills and confidence in interacting at all levels

Ability to learn quickly and apply that learning effectively

Desirable:

Good knowledge of the rail industry structure and its stakeholders

Awareness of how the Department for Transport manages the rail industry and how funding is allocated and spent across UK rail

Desirably a good knowledge and understanding of SWR and FirstGroup / MTR

Knowledge of the Annual Business Planning cycle in operation in the UK rail industry

Strategic planning capability and knowledge

About the location

South Western Railways HQ is based on the 4th Floor at South Bank Central, a stone's throw from the River Thames and a 10 minute walk from our busiest station, Waterloo. It is local to many well-known attractions, restaurants and retail facilities and is easily accessible by public transport.

Working pattern

Monday to Friday 0900 to 1700

The Reward

In return we offer a competitive salary and a variety of valuable benefits, including:

• Free duty and leisure travel on SWR services for employees
• Free leisure travel for spouse/partner and dependants (criteria dependent)
• 75% discount on many other train operating companies
• Full training and support with development
• Large range of exclusive retail offers
• Excellent pension scheme

We all belong at SWR. FirstGroup's vision is to provide an inclusive environment for all colleagues, across its group of businesses, ensuring all candidates have an equal opportunity to access meaningful employment.

We value our differences such as age, gender, LGBTQIA+, ethnicity, religion, and disability. We maintain a zero tolerance towards any form of prejudice towards our colleagues, customers, and future talent.

We celebrate and encourage diversity of thought, progressive ways of working and seeing all our colleagues grow and thrive.

We review all roles and job descriptions to ensure they are accessible and, where possible, we support and provide flexible working options; we recommend that you refer to each vacancy description for further details.

If you require additional support to complete your application due to a disability or neurodivergent condition, for example, dyslexia, dyspraxia, or autism, please follow the links below. We encourage you to share any additional needs you may require so we can provide a fair and equal process for all who apply.

https://exceptionalindividuals.com/neurodiversity/

https://www.healthassured.org/blog/neurodiversity/