STRATEGY & PLANNING GRADUATE
Duration: 2 years
Start Date: August 2025
With more than 5,000 employees, ScotRail plays a vital role in serving the people and communities of Scotland. We recognise a modern and diverse workforce, encouraged to use their talents, and develop their skills, is integral to our success in serving and reflecting the communities of Scotland. We are committed to being a diverse and inclusive employer and have also set ourselves ambitious sustainability targets including having a carbon-free railway in Scotland by 2035.
The Opportunity
We’re looking for a graduate to join our Strategy and Planning Department on a two-year graduate programme, starting in August 2025. Immerse yourself in business development, improving our operational performance whilst ensuring compliance with our governance obligations and supporting the decarbonisation of Scotland’s Railway through the introduction of new trains, developing strategies to attract and retain customers.
If you're a recent graduate or about to graduate, we invite you to join us and help deliver ScotRail’s vision for a safe, sustainable, inclusive, and accessible railway for everyone in Scotland. Your ambition and drive will be harnessed through workstreams across the breadth of the Strategy and Planning function, exposing you to experiences, knowledge, and connections that will shape your career journey. Throughout your time here, you can count on receiving all the training and support necessary to make your mark, and to take advantage of the opportunity to influence how ScotRail operates and where the business goes next.
The Person
To be considered for this role you must, as a minimum:
* Qualifications (a degree) at SCQF level 9 in a Social Sciences, Law or Business.
* Be able to start in the business full-time in August 2025.
* Be detail-oriented with excellent organisational and time management skills.
* Be proactive and motivated in your approach to work, with a willingness to learn and adapt.
What can you expect from your graduate programme?
You'll spend two years rotating across different teams within Strategy and Planning, immersing yourself in everything from analysing data to help improve our on-time train performance and analytics to working to procure the next generation of ScotRail’s train fleets. You'll work alongside experienced professionals, gaining hands-on experience and tackling real workplace challenges.
You'll hit the ground running and experience all aspects of the Strategy and Planning directorate. This will be a challenging and rewarding role in which you will build excellent foundational knowledge while getting to know our business and our people.
Over the two-year programme you will:
* Work with the Performance team to analyse data and understand where the opportunities may lie to improve;
* Spend time with our Business Development team, identifying ways to expand into new markets;
* Understand the importance of balancing conflicting priorities to create our product, the timetable, with our Service Planning team;
* Help us on our decarbonisation journey by working with our New Trains team to procure the next generation of ScotRail’s fleet;
* Gain an understanding of the legal requirements of the business, from ensuring compliance with our governance obligations to placing the critical contracts we need for our business to run by working with our Legal team;
* Refine your communication and coaching skills by engaging with colleagues across the business, ensuring the objectives of the Department are understood in all areas; and
* Develop your leadership and people management skills with first-hand experience in a fast paced and varied directorate delivering the services our business needs to operate today whilst shaping how our business will look tomorrow.
Your development will be supported through both on-the-job training and the structured ScotRail Graduate Development Programme.
Hours of work: 35 hours per week. Reference salary £29,583 per annum.
What we offer you
ScotRail offer an excellent rewards package including
* Contributory Final Salary Pension scheme
* Free and reduced rate rail travel for you and your family, where applicable.
* Generous holiday allowance
* Enhanced company sick pay and family leave including maternity, paternity and adoption
* Life Insurance cover for 4 x annual salary
* Contributory lifestyle benefit options including discounts at hundreds of retailers, cycle to work scheme, discounted gym memberships and healthcare cashback plan
Please note that due to the volume of interest received these vacancies could close prior to the published date.
Selection process:
Selected candidates will be invited to a competency-based interview. If successful, the next stage will be a medical examination. Appointees must submit at least two satisfactory references, Disclosure Scotland clearance and complete a six-month probation period.
Equal Opportunities
ScotRail is six times accredited as a Top Employer, has achieved Leaders in Diversity and is a Disability Confident Employer. We value, celebrate, and respect the diversity our people and aim to inspire, attract, retain, and develop the best talent. Because we value diversity and the benefits it brings, we want to continue improving the diversity of our people and particularly welcome applications from women, young people, LGBT+ people, people with a disability, and people from ethnically diverse backgrounds.