Job Description

Who are we?

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

Punctuality is the biggest driver of customer satisfaction. One of SWRs objectives is that "we will deliver a reliable and punctual service by meeting our performance targets through implementation of our performance improvement plans, ensuring a high performing railway for our customers." This role makes up one of pillars to deliver a punctual service to our customers by interpreting trends and data to drive performance on our network.

Your main responsibilities will be:

Lead and mentor a team of analysts to interpret data to meet our performance targets and provide high quality analytical support to the SWR board and other senior managers across the business. Develop and implement advanced performance measurement methodologies. Collaborate with senior management and Exec to define performance goals and KPIs. Analyse complex data sets to provide strategic insights and inform the business of emerging trends. Drive improvements on analytical decisions to support stakeholders, driving change throughout the business. Guide the team and consult stakeholders on company procedures, policies, and contractual obligations related to performance. Lead the development of the analytics, modelling and reporting best practice. This should include improvements on current processes. Proactively seek out and integrate new data sources to enrich analysis and drive innovation, as well as identify opportunities for process optimisation. Contribute to the development of data-driven organisational strategies and help functions to identify trends. Act as senior user of performance packages and monitor and review the functioning and integrity of the performance data systems. Validate all performance plans, targets and aligned forecasts, ensuring accuracy, and regularly re-forecasting in line with current performance trajectories. Where performance plans are developed, continue to monitor the delivery and realisation of scheme benefits, ensuring they are delivering against forecast and highlighting non-compliances. Responsible for the publication and review of DfT and ORR agreed performance reports and data, making sure that business delivery of the benchmarks and that any risk of non-compliance is escalated to the Head of Performance at the earliest opportunity. Undertake additional tasks applicable to role as required.

As a minimum, you will need to have:

Degree in a mathematical subject, computer science or equivalent qualification or experience. Advanced numerical and analytical skills with experience collecting, organising, analysing, and disseminating large volumes of information with accuracy. Extensive working experience of data analysis in a business environment, including the use of appropriate software, with examples of driving real performance change. Advanced working knowledge of ETL, Power BI (DAX, Power Query) and SQL, expert level of MS Excel Excellent interpersonal skills, able to work in a team and to influence others, including senior leaders and executive teams. Ability to communicate complex and large amounts of data in a written, verbal, and visual form (designing reports and presenting findings) Has a positive attitude and a 'can-do' collaborative approach to problem-solving.

Able to lead and motivate teams, plan and distribute workload, ensure delivery to tight timescales.

Desirable


In-depth understanding railway performance regimes and operational procedures Knowledge and ability to interrogate Railway Industry software systems Active interest and good understanding of machine learning and AI, with a focus on their potential applications in the rail industry. Proficiency in programming languages such as R and Python, particularly for data analysis and statistical modelling. Strong storytelling skills in the context of data and analytics, with the ability to convey complex insights in an engaging and understandable manner.

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

Working on average 37 hours per week



Monday to Friday, there may be some exceptions to work outside these hours.

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.