Railway Job Placement and Staffing
7 months active dev (in 2-year timeline)
10 experts across backend, frontend, mobile, QA, BA, design
UI/UX design, Architecture Design and Cloud Infrastructure Setup, Business Analysis, CI/CD and DevOps Automation, Custom Web and Mobile App Development, Post-MVP Support and Feature Scaling Strategy, Product Discovery, Quality Assurance and Manual Testing
Twilio, GetStream, Google Maps, reCAPTCH
GitHub CI, Flake8, Pytest, Pre-commit
The idea for Connected Railway was born out of how an entire industry operated. In the UK’s railway sector, job placement wasn’t structured, digital, and fair. Contracts were handed out via WhatsApp threads and Facebook groups. Who you knew often mattered more than what you could do. Thousands of skilled workers (especially women and newcomers) were shut out of opportunities.
Behind the scenes, the process was just as chaotic. Contractors weren’t hired directly by Network Rail. Instead, they applied through multiple recruitment agencies; juggling up to three at a time (one primary, two secondary). The primary agency held compliance responsibility, while job offers from secondary companies required behind-the-scenes approvals, often through fragmented communication. Switching agencies meant more admin. Changing your primary company is possible, but only if you know the right steps.
Connected Railway was built by people who knew
the rail industryinside out not by a tech team.During the discovery phase, we spoke directly with the people this platform was meant to serve: contractors, recruiters, and training providers. What emerged wasn’t just a list of feature requests. It was a clear picture of an industry held back by inefficiencies and exclusion.
Here’s what we uncovered:Contractors relied on WhatsApp threads or personal referrals to hear about openings. If you weren’t “in the loop,” you didn’t get the job, regardless of your qualifications.
Agencies had no real-time tools for outreach or tracking applications. Finding the right match meant juggling spreadsheets and gut instinct.
Contractors lacked a standardized profile. Agencies couldn’t filter candidates by training, location, or availability. This often resulted in last-minute hires or no-shows.
Many contractors didn’t know which providers were verified or how to plan their certifications. This created bottlenecks in compliance-heavy roles.
Without a centralized system, hiring often favored familiar names. Skills and readiness took a back seat to familiarity.
For an industry dependent on precise scheduling and safety standards, the lack of data or reporting made long-term planning nearly impossible.
When the founder of Connected Railway approached us, he wasn’t looking for someone to simply “build an app.” He had no background in software and had never led a tech project before. But what he did have was a deep understanding of the broken hiring process on the UK railway and a bold vision to fix it.
We turned deep industry knowledge into a real product, explaining technical nuances without jargon or pressure. Our team mapped flows, tested features, and made room for feedback at every step. Daniel joined every call, challenged us to simplify, and kept us focused on what contractors need.
I’ve never felt this supported. You explained things simply, helped us prioritize, and actually cared about the product. I don’t think I could build this with anyone else.
Whether you’re an industry expert or a first-time founder, you don’t need to know how to code to launch something powerful. You just need the right team who listens, guides, and builds with you.
In a 1-month discovery phase, we interviewed recruiters and contractors, audited competitors, and mapped feature expectations.
Functional decomposition
MVP scope definition
Wireframes
Feature map + priority matrix
The MVP included four key components, each designed to serve a specific user
group and deliver immediate operational value across mobile, web, and admin
interfaces.
For Contractors
Availability calendar
Geo-targeted job alerts
One-tap job application
Skill-based profile matching
For Recruitment Agencies
Contract creation and publishing
Contractor pool forecasting
AI-powered match scoring
Live applicant tracking
Moderation tools (ban/unban)
Platform analytics
Access controls and permissions
Brand messaging and product showcase
Onboarding funnel for agencies and contractors
App download links
Contractors receive instant push notifications when a new job matches their skills and availability.
→ Built using Firebase and Flutter, with dynamic matching logic that filters by qualifications, availability, and location.Contractors can mark when they’re free to work, helping agencies avoid overbooking and streamline scheduling.
→ Custom-built calendar component with real-time backend sync to reflect current contractor availability.Users can set a location radius to only see jobs within a preferred distance from where they live or work.
→ Implemented with Google Maps API and geospatial logic to support radius-based filtering.Agencies get a preview of how many relevant contractors match a job before publishing it.
→ Custom algorithm estimates talent fit by comparing job requirements with contractor profiles and historic behavior.Agencies can visualize candidate availability by role, skill, and region to plan recruitment ahead of time.
→ Integrated into the contract creation flow with live data to support proactive hiring decisions.Behind the scenes, the platform runs on a modern cloud-based setup designed to support a growing contractor base and expand into other regulated industries like aviation or maritime. Security comes first: all admin access is VPN-restricted, data stays within the UK/EU, and everything is fully GDPR-compliant.
Our DevOps workflow ensures fast, stable releases across development, staging, and production environments, with new updates shipping weekly. The architecture is built to scale effortlessly as new markets are added.
Our design team worked in Figma from low-fidelity wireframes to polished
prototypes, collaborating closely with developers for smooth handoff. We took
cues from platforms like Indeed andWorkable, but reimagined the experience for
mobile-first, blue-collar environments, where every second counts and simplicity
wins.
Discovery achievements behind launch
20+ hours of strategic workshops
45 features scoped and documented
20 user flows crafted across mobile and web
6customer interviews +3 surveys run discovery
4 personas and 6 user roles validated
100% scope coverage. All planned delivered
ERD architecture fully mapped and aligned with future scale
MVP launch snapshot
May — MVP launch
45 features scoped and documented
1,000+ contractors onboarded
16 recruitment agencies live
100% platform uptime
Positive feedback both contractors agencies
Post-launch focus — UX refinements and feature prioritization driven by real user input
If you’re building something for a regulated, outdated industry, we’d love to hear what you’re working on.
What we built it’s a repeatable foundation that can be customized for other
fragmented, legacy job markets.
The platform architecture, admin logic, and matching engine are all
adaptable. The product could scale to aviation, security, shipping, and energy
with minimal rebuilds.
Whether you need assistance or want to discuss our services,
feel free to get in touch with us.