Job Title/Company
Risk & Value Analyst, Network Rail
Qualifications
Risk in Financial Services Certificate (CISI), Portfolio Programme & Project Office – P30 (OGC)
Career
Sarah’s former roles include Risk & Governance Consultant and Programme Office Manager (Aviva).
Why did you choose to work for the rail industry?
I previously worked in financial services and was based within the Risk & Governance team I felt that my specialist skills were transferrable and wanted to apply them within a totally different industry. The rail industry is receiving significant investment and I am interested to be part of it and work on the various projects taking place across multiple disciplines.
What inspired you at the time and what influenced your choice?
Some of my family members work in the rail industry and the job prospects are vast. I enjoy working within a large organisation where I can apply my past experience as well as having the opportunity to further enhance my skill set.
How does it feel to be in the rail industry? Are your expectations fulfilled?
The railway is an exciting place to be. My job is primarily office based however I have also had the opportunity to go out on site to observe a possession taking place. This exceeded my expectations of how the work is actually carried out as I was able to witness first hand just how important all of the planning and risk workshops leading up to the actual works taking place are.
What are the challenges?
There is so much to learn and the rail industry is far more complex than I ever imagined. Luckily in my role, I am able to interact with a wide range of stakeholders who are happy to share their knowledge!
What is a talent? Why the rail industry should engage with talents?
Talent is… the ability to apply theoretical knowledge to a real-life situation. There is a wide range of disciplines within the rail industry and risk management applies to them all. As a Risk Analyst, one of the most important skills is having the ability to engage with all stakeholders and facilitate the required outputs based on unique pieces of work.
