Talent Manager

About The Role

As the Talent Manager (Learning & Development and Talent Acquisition) at GB Railfreight, you will lead on shaping and delivering meaningful learning and development initiatives that build skills, capability and future readiness across the business. Alongside this you'll support talent acquisition activity to help attract and retain great people who align with our culture and values. This is a varied and impactful role that combines people development with strategic recruitment, ensuring we have the skills and capability we need for today—and the future.

Partnering with leaders across the business, you'll drive meaningful learning, growth and succession opportunities while supporting a high quality end‑to‑end hiring experience.

The role offers a salary of up to £68,000, plus a car allowance and annual performance‑related bonus. You can be based in Peterborough or Doncaster, with regular travel expected.

Closing date: 26th February – early applications are encouraged, we may close the role sooner if we find the right candidate.

• Develop and deliver a clear, future‑focused learning and development strategy aligned to organisational objectives and evolving skill requirements
• Conduct training needs analyses and design development programmes across technical, leadership and behavioural capability areas
• Own onboarding and early‑career development experiences, ensuring new starters are safe, capable and engaged from day one
• Support performance management, career pathways and succession planning through targeted development interventions
• Design, create and deliver learning solutions that are clearly aligned to business objectives and operational priorities
• Implement a blended learning approach across the organisation, including coaching, workshops, e‑learning and experiential learning
• Evaluate learning effectiveness using data and feedback, driving continuous improvement and measurable impact
• Utilise the Apprenticeship Levy to design and deliver sustainable internal talent pipelines, including the development of an in‑house Trainee Train Manager programme

• Design, implement and continuously evolve an end‑to‑end recruitment strategy aligned to workforce planning, regulatory requirements and future growth within the safety‑critical rail freight sector
• Partner with senior leaders to identify current and future capability gaps, proactively building robust talent pipelines for critical and hard‑to‑fill roles
• Lead, coach and develop a small recruitment team, ensuring timely delivery of high‑quality hires across operational and corporate functions
• Champion Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) by embedding inclusive recruitment practices and developing diverse talent pipelines, particularly within operational roles
• Upskill and coach hiring managers to deliver structured, competency‑based and unbiased interviews, ensuring consistency and an exceptional candidate experience
• Develop and execute a compelling employer brand strategy, including content creation, social media engagement, recruitment campaigns and candidate experience initiatives
• Identify, implement and optimise recruitment technologies and data insights to improve candidate experience, reduce time‑to‑fill and enable more predictive hiring decisions

• Proven experience operating across both Learning & Development and Talent Acquisition roles
• Strong stakeholder management capability, with the confidence to coach, challenge and influence senior leaders
• Demonstrated ability to translate business and operational needs into practical, scalable talent solutions
• Data‑driven mindset, using insights and metrics to inform decisions and demonstrate impact
• Strong knowledge of modern sourcing techniques, employer branding and contemporary learning methodologies
• Experience designing and delivering leadership and management development programmes
• Solid project management skills, with the ability to plan, deliver and evaluate multiple initiatives simultaneously
• Experience working with HR systems, Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and Learning Management Systems (LMS)
• Relevant qualification in…