Electrical Control Room Operators
Join the people that enable trains to run throughout the UK.
Manage the electrical network for the power going into trains and make sure our passengers travel safely.
What is Electrical Control?
Electrical Control is how we keep thousands of trains moving across our railway. Our Electrical Control Room Operators monitor, maintain and safely deliver the power to our railway that enables thousands of trains to travel. They work with overseeing, troubleshooting, and maintaining our electrification systems to keep the UK moving.
What does it involve?
As an Electrical Control Room Operator (ECO), you’ll be responsible for maintaining electrical supplies across our railway. You’ll need to monitor the status of electrical networks, respond to alarms and telephone calls, and resolve any faults and failures. Learn how to recognise different alarm types, and the meaning of each, to respond to new challenges in order to keep our passengers safe.
Our ECOs work a variety of shift patterns, including nights, evenings, weekends and bank holidays. It’s not for everyone – but you’ll finish the day knowing the work you’re doing has helped millions reach their destinations safely.
Ready to apply?
Your Training Matters
Each day as an Electrical Control Room Operator is safety-critical. Your problem-solving skills will allow our passengers to travel safely. To ensure that you are fully prepared to become an ECO, you’ll take part in a 4-week long initial training course at our Control Room in York, after a small amount of e-learning. Over the next 38 weeks you’ll be learning on-the-job, being fully guided, supported, and taught by an experienced ECO, before completing a final assessment.
As an Electrical Control Room Operator, you’ll go home knowing you’ve kept our passengers and colleagues safe each day.
Is it right for you?
It’s important you have experience working with Low and High Voltage systems and are comfortable working with these in high pressure environments, using excellent communication skills across a range of methods. You must also have an Electrical Engineering qualification, or similar, to be considered for this role.
We also want to see that you have the right transferable skills and behaviours to join us as an Electrical Control Room Operator. Here are the key non-technical skills that matter in this role.
- Communication – You’ll need to be able to communicate clearly and concisely, both verbally and in written format, and comfortable delivering safety critical information to colleagues in a clear, structured way.
- Willingness and ability to learn – You’ll be motivated to develop yourself, retaining, applying and sharing knowledge and skills. It’s about the drive to maintain and develop your own skills, recognising that there are always opportunities for improvement.
- Workload Management – You’ll be able to prioritise demands, analysing information coming from a number of sources, carry out multiple tasks quickly, sometimes at the same time and switch your attention between tasks and sources.
- Controlled Under Pressure – You’ll be able to think in a controlled manner under pressure, effectively dealing with stressors, and adapting to changeable conditions.
- Working with Others – You can build key relationships with people internal and external to Network Rail, enabling us to work together to get the job done safely and effectively.
- Problem Solving – You’re comfortable assessing different situations and working with others to find solutions to any problems, using your learnings to plan ahead.
Safety matters
We’re committed to keeping our tracks, staff, and passengers safe, so it’s important that you’re always alert when you’re working as an Electrical Control Room Operator. To help manage fatigue, you must live within a 60-minute commute of your chosen location, excluding any public transport. When you apply, you’ll be asked to confirm that you are able to commute to your chosen location, whether by car, bike or foot, in under 60 minutes.
If successful, you will be required to undergo and pass a drugs and alcohol test. All positive drugs and alcohol test results for prospective candidates will be securely held on Sentinel database and a 5 year suspension from applying for a safety critical role, a role which requires PTS certification or a Key Safety role on Network Rail Managed Infrastructure will be enforced.
Our grades
Each of our Electrical Control Room Operator roles are assigned a grade. Generally, the higher the grade the more responsibility you’ll have, and the more complex tasks you’ll carry out.
When you apply, you’ll be asked to select which grade you’d like to apply for. As part of the process, you’ll take a test which will evaluate what grade we think would suit you. If you don’t achieve the grade you apply for, we’ll keep your application on our system and let you know which other roles or locations might be suitable for you.
Feel like a match?
Salary
It’s important to understand that the salaries shown for each grade is the full salary you will receive once you have completed the 4-week long initial training course and 38-week mentoring period, and have passed your final assessment.
During your training period, you will receive the salary of the grade one below the grade for which you have successfully applied. If you’ve joined us as a Grade 1 Electrical Control Room Operator, you will receive your full salary as soon as you begin your training.
Our Application Process
Our application process is very similar no matter which role you apply for. As part of your application, you’ll go through a number of stages, including online testing, a safety and risk questionnaire, and an interview. We’ll keep you updated about your progress throughout the recruitment process. And we’ll keep things moving as quickly as we can.
If you have any questions about our application process, or are looking for some tips, you can visit our Top Tips page.
Application
Taking around 20 minutes, tell us about you, your interests and your understanding of the role.Testing
Complete our online testing, including an aptitude test and a safety & risk questionnaire.Application Questions
Tell us more about you, your skills and help us understand your suitability.Interview
Meet our teams to explore your skills and experiences in details, and ask any questions you have.Scenario
Experience a realistic scenario as an Electrical Control Room Operator and respond quickly, effectively, and safely.Available roles
No roles are available in this discipline at this time. Register your interest to be notified when we open new roles