Training & development officer

We are seeking an experienced individual to help us deliver a productive, empowering, needs-orientated programme of training and development activities for community rail groups. Under the guidance of the Training & Development Co-ordinator you will aim to strengthen the community rail movement and enhance the value it delivers to communities.

About us

Community Rail Network is a not-for-profit organisation, working across Britain to support a growing community rail movement. Community rail promotes sustainable and inclusive travel, coordinates volunteering and place-making projects, and brings people together.

Community rail is made up of 77 community-based partnership organisations, 1,300 station friends volunteer groups, and other community-led initiatives around Britain. Their activities range from creative projects with young people, to advising train operators on service improvements, to building travel confidence with families and marginalised groups, to biodiversity projects at stations, to promoting greener travel and tourism by rail.

Our enthusiastic team of 23 works mainly from home in different locations, but we come together regularly in person and online. We work collaboratively to advise our members, provide training, events and resources, run campaigns, and champion community rail and its insights via decision-makers and the media. We believe in developing our team and supporting everyone to reach their potential while having a good work-life balance.

Responsibilities:

You are principally responsible for supporting the delivery of a year-round programme of high quality, empowering training and development opportunities for our members. The programme will be delivered in line with inclusion and accessibility best practice, will be largely online with some face-to-face sessions and events.

• Work with the Training and Development Co-ordinator to agree a rolling programme of training that supports member organisation capabilities and their impact on communities.

• Topics will largely include areas required to achieve accreditation (for CRP s) as well as good community-based practice for other member types. This includes but is not limited to training to support members with skills in creating and prioritising activity plans, project management, how to apply for grants and funding (including our own grants funds), how to prepare for an accreditation meeting, designing good outcomes and demonstrating organisational impact (including impact reports and use of social media), community engagement, volunteer recruitment, and co-production techniques.

• Work with the Training & Development Co-ordinator to ensure your own understanding of these topics is current and identifying areas for personal development to support our training offer to be more robust.

• Work with colleagues in other teams to set up, administer and deliver (largely online) webinars, networking and showcase events, setting them up, researching and engaging speakers and collating case studies to use, sending invites, facilitating the presenters and discussion during the event, and collating and reporting on feedback to inform future sessions.

• Support the T&D Co-ordinator, colleagues in the regional support team, and communications team, to promote training and networking sessions effectively.

• Where directed ensure we maintain high-quality training partnerships and opportunities that members can be signposted to and be responsible for administering our bursary scheme.

• Regularly report on bursary expenditure, member feedback, attendance figures and any specific funder requirements.

• Be responsible for supporting member organisations and colleagues to use our impact reporting platform and to keep up to date on any changes in how we record and demonstrate the social, economic and environmental impact of community rail.

• Attend team and all staff meetings, online and in person, contributing to strategic shared areas of work, information sharing and workforce development activities.

Skills and competencies:

1. Understanding, and experience of running, online and in person training and networking sessions, ideally within a community or not-for-profit context;
2. Knowledge of, and ability to share effectively, key skill areas for example, volunteering recruitment and support, project management, applying for funding, co-production techniques, community engagement best practice, demonstrating outcomes and impact.
3. A proven ability to work collaboratively, develop and maintain productive partnerships and joint activities, and form professional networks internally and externally;
4. Demonstrable ability to manage time and resources effectively under pressure, and meet deadlines;
5. Excellent writing, communication and presentational skills, including the ability to develop and deliver audience-appropriate training materials, presentations and other content to professional and community audiences;
6. IT literate with a good working knowledge of Microsoft Office, the internet and social media; excellent administration skills and the ability to identify efficient and secure ways of working using AI;
7. Awareness of social and sustainability issues and the relationship between transport and social and economic development.

Online interviews are scheduled for 16 February 2026.

Community Rail Network is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from disabled people and Black, Asian and other minoritised groups, who meet with the skills and competencies for this role. We will provide reasonable adjustments for interviews as required.

Other information

This post is home-based, but with some travel (including overnight stays) for our programme of events and meetings. Applicants will need local access to a train station to enable rail-based travel for work as needed.

This is a permanent position and includes a probationary period of three months from the date of appointment. Successful applicants will need to provide proof that they have the right to work in the UK and provide two references.

We are committed to being a flexible, supportive, inclusive and understanding employer.