Metrolink Planning and Stakeholder Manager

Your Role

As Metrolink Planning & Stakeholder Manager in our Metrolink Service Delivery team, you will coordinate and manage access to the Metrolink network to minimise passenger and revenue impacts during planned engineering works, unplanned disruption, network expansion and significant events. You will manage internal and external stakeholder expectations relating to network access and possessions and oversee the planning and delivery of alternative transport arrangements when required.

Working closely with the Metrolink Operator, TfGM Project Delivery teams and external partners, and with your direct reports (Network Planning Officer and Events & Timetable Officer), you will:

• Manage the delivery programme of network access and possessions across the year, coordinating planned renewal works and avoiding conflicts with major events and periods of significant customer demand.
• Build productive relationships with operators, delivery partners, local authorities and third parties, identifying and communicating interface risks and opportunities and ensuring contractual compliance for planned disruptive possessions.
• Plan and oversee alternative transport and customer information during disruptive works including demand and capacity analysis, timetable inputs, accessibility compliance, and procurement of replacement services for longer closures.
• Lead readiness for service pattern and timetable changes linked to network change and expansion, embedding lessons learned and continuous improvement after each possession or delivery stage.

Reporting to the Head of Service Delivery, you’ll act as the main contact for disruptive possession requests and provide final approval of access requests. You will help protect revenue and passenger security during service changes, manage stakeholder engagement and communications, and may deputise at Incident Management Team (IMT) sessions during major disruption and key events (including evenings and weekends when required).

You will develop your management skills in a complex but supportive environment, which carries a high degree of political and public interest. The role provides excellent learning and personal development opportunities that includes progression towards professional accreditation and a structured career path from this senior management role towards future leadership roles.

For more information, please see the role profile and person specification at the bottom of the advert.

Who are we?

Metrolink plays a vital role in connecting communities, workplaces and key destinations across the city-region. Within Metrolink, our focus is on delivering safe, reliable tram services and managing change on a complex operating network coordinating works, events and project interfaces so customers can plan and travel with confidence.

What you’ll bring

What you do and how you do it is important whatever type of role you work in at TfGM and even small behaviours and actions can have a really big impact. At TfGM, our behaviours bring to life our values of Deliver, Adapt and Care.

As Metrolink Planning & Stakeholder Manager, you’ll bring experience of service delivery to customers within a passenger transport environment whilst managing a programme of planned access to a transport network. You’ll be comfortable balancing operational requirements with customer experience, and making clear, evidence-based decisions that reduce disruption.

You’ll have a strong track record of developing productive joint working relationships and influencing a wide range of internal and external stakeholders. With confident written and verbal communication skills, you’ll be able to produce clear reports and present complex issues succinctly including for executive and public-facing audiences.

You’ll bring experience of managing and motivating people (including setting clear objectives and challenging targets), and the ability to analyse complex information such as customer demand and service patterns to determine the best course of action for delivering the right capacity against demand and future growth.

What we can offer you

This role is based at TfGM’s offices at 2 Piccadilly Place, with regular working from Metrolink Depots and other locations across the Metrolink network. An access induction and safety training will be provided for working in operational environments. Occasional evening and weekend working may be required to support major disruption and key events.

This is a Fixed Term Contract opportunity to 31st March 2027 with a salary of £59,619 – £67,105 per annum depending on skills and experience.

• Generous annual leave starting at 28 days (plus bank holidays), increasing with service, with options to buy more.
• Free travel on buses across Greater Manchester, plus rail or Metrolink travel to and from work.
• Local Government defined pension scheme with life cover of 3x salary and options to boost your contributions.
• Enhanced family-friendly leave policies, including those supporting fertility treatment, alongside flexible and hybrid working and a special leave policy to support a range of unexpected events. Please note that qualification criteria may apply, including a requirement to have been employed with the organisation for a minimum specified period of time.
• Discover more benefits including wellbeing support, Personal and Career Development, Flexible working, financial support and more on our website

What’s next?

To apply please submit your CV and also provide a covering letter providing clear examples of how your experience meets the requirements of the role, all appointments will be based on merit. Our short-listing process is anonymised, so please do not include your name or contact details on either of these documents. If any personal details are included these will be visible to the hiring manager.

TfGM is proud to be an equal opportunities employer that encourages and celebrates diversity. We want to recruit and retain a workforce that reflects the communities we serve and welcome individuals from all backgrounds by committing to providing a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process. We will offer support and reasonable adjustments if required and we also have a Guaranteed Assessment Scheme which you can find out more information on here.

For essential guidance on applying for jobs at TfGM including AI use, Right to Work requirements, our Guaranteed Assessment Scheme, application tips, and reasonable adjustments Please follow this link to our application infographic!

If you have completed the GM Elevate (Leadership Development) Programme, please indicate this within your application.

Please note we may close the advert early if we receive a high volume of applications.

NOTE TO AGENCIES we will be accepting direct applications only for this role. No fee will be paid if a candidate is hired for this position as a result of an unsolicited agency or search firm referral CV.

For this opportunity, you must be able to prove you have the right to work in the UK – if in doubt please visit the following link Employers’ right to work checklist – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Please note we are not a licensed sponsor.