Roster Clerk - WMR

[ashley84]

I've noticed this role advertised:

Transport UK: Home

apply.transport-uk.com

This sounds like a role I could be interested in, but the few short bullet points of what the job is and what they are looking for does not seem to match up with the salary on offer (ie if you were to strip out the references to specific railway tasks and word it more generically it would sound like a general office admin role at maybe half the salary they are offering). I cannot help wondering if the "what we're looking for" list is actually realistic or if there are a load of other things they're not saying, or if there's something else very obvious I'm missing. Just wondered if anyone has any thoughts?

Thank you.

 

[Andy Pacer]

I've noticed this role advertised:

Transport UK: Home

apply.transport-uk.com

This sounds like a role I could be interested in, but the few short bullet points of what the job is and what they are looking for does not seem to match up with the salary on offer (ie if you were to strip out the references to specific railway tasks and word it more generically it would sound like a general office admin role at maybe half the salary they are offering). I cannot help wondering if the "what we're looking for" list is actually realistic or if there are a load of other things they're not saying, or if there's something else very obvious I'm missing. Just wondered if anyone has any thoughts?

Thank you.

Interesting. I went for a similar role at EMR a few years ago which was, as you say, around half the salary.

 

[muz379]

ie if you were to strip out the references to specific railway tasks and word it more generically it would sound like a general office admin role at maybe half the salary they are offering

I would suggest though that the exact nature of the role as being a railway one means that the responsibility and knowledge requirements are so that this isn't comparable with a general office admin role


This is just a snippet of why some of those tasks are actually far more involved than they look on paper and I would be very suprised if they wouldn't want someone with some experience of dealing in arenas with strong collective bargaining , likewise someone with some prior knowledge or experience of logisitcs/planning and I am sure if someone with knowledge of the geography and route knowledge of their specific operation applied they would be a particularly desirable candidate .

Creating and distributing efficient traincrew rosters to meet service requirements.
Ensuring accurate allocation of Drivers and Senior Conductors across all depots.

For insrance these tasks will require understanding different depots route knwoledge , different grades terms and conditions and the rules around their rostering . And also negotiating or consulting on changes such as the allocation of drivers and conductors accross depots . Likewise base rosters are a negotiable item as well . Hence why I would expect they'd want someone with prior experience of collective bargaining .

Maintaining key records including leave, equalisation, and availability.

Whilst that sounds like a general admin job , Equalisation can sometimes be tricky and long winded to follow . Also different grades have different rules around leave , different allowances even in the same grade dependent on length of service etc . Dealing with disputes when leave and equalisation are involved can also be messy and frustrating for all concerned .

Forward planning to ensure resources are in place for both short- and long-term needs.
Making quick adjustments to rosters when service plans change.
Liaising with depot teams in Birmingham, Bletchley, Crewe, Worcester, and out-based locations.

This is going to involve liaising with train planning teams as well as depot teams, knowing who to go to and how to get resolutions quickly can be challenging .

 

[whoosh]

Salary looks like a 'Head of' type role. A head of department. Or possibly a 'Resources Manager', rather than a Clerk.

I would say either the advert has the wrong job title, or the advert has the wrong salary.

 

[Horizon22]

This is a very high salary, almost impossibly so for a pure "Roster Clerk". I would suggest it is a management position of the Rostering team, or the wrong advert/salary posted.

 

[Undiscovered]

Both the salary, description and the job title are correct. The title is a carry over from bygone days

I know of a couple of people who have had secondments in rostering, and it is not for the faint hearted. As others have said, there are myriad rules, regulations, terms, conditions, agreements and local oddities to deal with, and falling foul of any one of them can cause huge disruption.

 

[Andy Pacer]

Both the salary, description and the job title are correct. The title is a carry over from bygone days

I know of a couple of people who have had secondments in rostering, and it is not for the faint hearted. As others have said, there are myriad rules, regulations, terms, conditions, agreements and local oddities to deal with, and falling foul of any one of them can cause huge disruption.

It still seems a massively high salary compared to comparable jobs at other TOCs

 

[Horizon22]

Both the salary, description and the job title are correct. The title is a carry over from bygone days

I know of a couple of people who have had secondments in rostering, and it is not for the faint hearted. As others have said, there are myriad rules, regulations, terms, conditions, agreements and local oddities to deal with, and falling foul of any one of them can cause huge disruption.

Sure, but almost all TOCs pay substantially less and don't have a problem with resourcing the role. It's effectively an administration role, albeit with some additional technical requirements and knowledge of complex and sometimes quirky union arranagements.

 

[Undiscovered]

It still seems a massively high salary compared to comparable jobs at other TOCs

Sure, but almost all TOCs pay substantially less and don't have a problem with resourcing the role. It's effectively an administration role, albeit with some additional technical requirements and knowledge of complex and sometimes quirky union arranagements.

Maybe, but it still stands that the information is correct.

 

[SCDR_WMR]

I can confirm the details of this are correct also.

 

[Red Rover]

Is this not resource control? Roster clerks are on about £40,000.

 

[Andy Pacer]

Is this not resource control? Roster clerks are on about £40,000.

£40k is still very high compared to other TOCs

 

[Red Rover]

£40k is still very high compared to other TOCs

Depends if they're restructured or not, the old clerical grades would be far and few between now I'd say.

 

[ashley84]

Thank you everyone for your thoughts, much appreciated!

 

[6Gman]

Both the salary, description and the job title are correct. The title is a carry over from bygone days

I know of a couple of people who have had secondments in rostering, and it is not for the faint hearted. As others have said, there are myriad rules, regulations, terms, conditions, agreements and local oddities to deal with, and falling foul of any one of them can cause huge disruption.

I was going to say that the first and essential requirement for a roster clerk is a skin like a rhinoceros.

You will be everybody's "cocyn hitio" (not sure of the English term* - everybody's target perhaps) and nobody's friend.

Get it slightly wrong and the staff side will be after you; get it significantly wrong and the management will be after you.


EDIT: * The English term is Aunt Sally - not Worzel Gummidge's friend, but the pub/fairground game where sticks are thrown at a "dolly" - think coconut shy. The French equivalent translates as "game of carnage", which just about sums up the role of a Roster Clerk.

I'm not putting you off am I ?