As part of the Transport UK Group, West Midlands Trains delivers around 1,300 train journeys a day, for more than 60 million passengers a year, across our two brands - West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway. 

We are committed to delivering a safe and reliable train service, by investing in our fleet of trains, stations and employees. As part of this investment, we are looking to recruit a Control Resilience and Improvement Manager on a Full Time Permanent Basis based in Rugby,  the  Control Resilience and Improvement Manager plays a crucial role in strengthening the operational resilience and day-to-day readiness of West Midlands Trains’ Control function. Acting as the key link between Planning, Fleet, Stations, and Traincrew, this role leads the identification and mitigation of short-term risks to train service delivery.

You will own the development and implementation of contingency strategies, drive continuous improvement of Control standards and processes, and ensure the team is equipped to manage service disruption effectively. This is a hands-on, forward-looking position, requiring both strategic thinking and day-to-day operational agility.

This post-holder will serve as a subject matter expert within operational forums and act as a deputy to the Head of Control where required.

What does the job involve? 

• Maintain a rolling 7–10 day operational readiness forecast, highlighting risks across fleet, traincrew, events, STP changes, and infrastructure.
• Lead daily collaboration with Fleet, Stations, Resources, Planning, and both Control Rooms to identify and mitigate short-term service risks.
• Escalate unresolved or high-impact operational risks to senior stakeholders with clear impact summaries and recommended actions.
• Own the development and continual review of contingency plans and "Day A for Day B" schedules to ensure resilience during disruption.
• Drive the creation and embedding of structured service recovery frameworks, ensuring consistency and clarity in response
• Lead the process for learning from incidents, including the facilitation of Incident Learning Reviews and tracking of resulting actions.
• Review and develop Control-related operational standards and procedures, in collaboration with the Operations Standards team.
• Champion a performance-focused and safety-led culture within the Control team, with an emphasis on accountability and improvement.
• Represent Control as an Operational Specialist at key forums such as Fleet Ops, ILRs, and 72-hour reviews.
• Provide clear, structured operational input into cross-functional planning and readiness meetings.
• Deputise for the Head of Control as required, supporting with leadership duties, decision-making, and stakeholder engagement.
• Act as a subject matter expert across Control, raising the standard of operational delivery through best practice and continuous improvement.

 Knowledge and Experience

• Strong operational knowledge of the rail industry, including routes, traction, depot operations, and safety-critical procedures.
• Proven experience in identifying and managing short-term risks to train service delivery, ideally within or alongside a Control environment.
• Sound understanding of Traincrew Terms & Conditions and their operational implications on service delivery and planning
• Skilled in using data tools such as Power BI, TRUST, Tyrell, Integrale, CFF, and CCIL to support decision-making and risk assessment.
• Confident communicator with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels and present operational insight with clarity and impact.
• Demonstrable experience in developing and embedding operational standards, processes, or contingency plans in a rail setting.
• Highly organised and capable of prioritising tasks under pressure, with a proactive and methodical approach to risk evaluation
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel and PowerPoint, with the ability to produce and deliver professional reports and briefings.

What are the salary and benefits?

• Competitive dependant on experience
• Defined Benefit pension – one of the best in the UK
• Free travel on all our trains and those of other train companies within our parent group company - for you, your partner and any dependent children
• 75% off all other train company travel tickets
• Retail discounts
• Career development opportunities

Due to the volume of applications we receive the advert may close earlier than the published closing date. Please submit your application as soon as possible to avoid missing out. 

As an inclusive employer, we welcome applications from all backgrounds and ensure no-one receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of age, disability, gender, race/ethnicity, religion, belief and sexual orientation. 

Applications will be considered from colleagues with 6 months experience, after completion of their probationary period and a full check of absence and disciplinary records.