Who We Are
At Network Rail we are dedicated to keeping passengers and freight moving safely and efficiently across the country. We believe that people are at the heart of everything we do and every role plays a vital part in building a better, more connected railway.
Join Network Rail – Where People and Connections Matter
We are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive workplace that reflects the communities we serve. We value flexibility and a healthy work‑life balance. As a Disability Confident Leader we will accommodate any needs throughout the recruitment process.
Vacancy Details
Duration: This role is offered as a secondment or fixed‑term contract until at least winter 2027, with the potential for extension or becoming permanent. Secondments are subject to line manager approval.
Salary: £55,596 – £65,966
Benefits
- Flexible/hybrid working arrangements considered.
- Generous annual leave (28 days plus statutory days), with the option to buy/sell days.
- Discounts at stations with your Network Rail pass.
- Defined benefit pension scheme.
- 75% subsidy on train tickets.
- Interest‑free travel loan for train and car park season tickets.
- Volunteer leave to make a positive impact.
About The Role
The Principal Project Planner is responsible for developing and maintaining a fully integrated programme schedule, ensuring all project and workstream activities are logically sequenced with clear interdependencies and an accurate critical path. The role works closely with multiple delivery teams to gather detailed planning inputs, challenge assumptions, and ensure realistic and resourced schedules. It also involves assigning resources, monitoring progress against baseline plans, and continuously refining the schedule to reflect changes, emerging risks and programme priorities using specialist scheduling tools.
Alongside planning activities the role is highly collaborative and stakeholder‑focused, requiring regular engagement with internal teams across Network Rail and external stakeholders across the industry. The planner facilitates workshops, provides guidance on best‑practice planning, and supports teams in navigating ambiguity to extract key information that informs programme delivery. They produce and communicate clear reporting on progress, including variance analysis, critical path insights, and resource utilisation, while proactively identifying risks and ensuring the Programme Director has early visibility of any impacts.
This is a key programme role working closely with the Programme Director across a complex set of interdependent workstreams – from the development of new contracts, codes and policies, through to the design of future processes, capabilities and ways of working. You will bring structure across the programme, ensuring that activity aligns to a clear organisational end state. You will operate at the centre of a broad stakeholder landscape – connecting System Operator, the wider GBR programme and other external partners.
Scheduler Profile
- Curious and proactive in seeking to understand what tasks and steps are required to deliver an outcome and how activities across the programme relate to each other.
- Able to constructively challenge, test, clarify and validate delivery team inputs where required.
- Adept with interpersonal, listening, communication, influencing and diplomacy skills.
- Outcome‑focused – adapts and prioritises proportionate, fit‑for‑purpose ways of working rather than overly prescriptive or administrative methods.
- Able to help others navigate ambiguity when planning and surface key information from delivery teams that may not be immediately apparent.
- Proactive and seeks to understand the implications to the schedule, giving the Programme Director early sight of emerging risks.
Team
The team is a collaborative and delivery‑focused group working across multiple stakeholders to drive the successful delivery of a complex, high‑profile programme. It brings together subject matter experts from across Network Rail and partner organisations, all aligned to shared outcomes but operating across different workstreams. The team culture encourages constructive challenge, continuous improvement and proactive risk management.
Next Steps
CV shortlisting will take place after the advert closes, with interviews planned from the week commencing 13 and 20 July, subject to business needs. Early applications are encouraged, as we may close the advert early due to high application volumes.
You are invited to review our Safety Vision, as safety is an important part of the culture at Network Rail.
All external offers of employment are conditional upon satisfactory completion of pre‑employment checks.
Your Experience And Skills
We are looking for a highly capable and experienced planning professional who thrives in complex, fast‑paced but often ambiguous programme environments. The ideal candidate will bring proven expertise in developing and managing integrated schedules across large‑scale infrastructure or transformation programmes, with a strong understanding of dependencies, critical path analysis and resource planning. They will be confident using advanced scheduling tools and able to translate detailed planning data into clear, actionable insights that support effective decision‑making at a senior level.
Beyond technical capability, we seek someone who is naturally curious, proactive and comfortable operating in ambiguity. The successful candidate will be an excellent communicator with the confidence to challenge constructively, influence stakeholders and build strong working relationships across diverse teams. They will be outcome‑oriented and pragmatic, balancing attention to detail with the ability to see the bigger picture and will play a key role in driving clarity, accountability and continuous improvement across the programme.
Essential Criteria
- Experience in developing complex programme schedules with many project interdependencies.
- High‑level proficiency in using applicable scheduling software.
- Experience of major infrastructure or transformation programmes.
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