Assistant Planner

AtkinsRéalis; Manchester; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

AtkinsRéalis seeks an Assistant Project Planner to help shape UK infrastructure delivery, from rail to highways. You’ll partner with engineers, project managers and controls specialists to create and maintain schedules and support informed decisions on complex programmes.

You will use Primavera P6, Excel and Power BI to build dashboards, track progress and communicate insights, building your planning expertise for a long-term career in project controls.

Qualifications

• Degree in a STEM subject or a related discipline.
• Experience using Primavera P6 in a project environment.
• Understanding of planning principles, schedule logic, critical path analysis, progress measurement and baseline management.
• Strong analytical, numerical and critical-thinking skills.
• Familiarity with engineering or technical problem-solving approaches.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel, Word and PowerPoint.
• Basic understanding of how projects are structured, governed and delivered.
• Experience working collaboratively within multidisciplinary project teams.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present information clearly to a range of stakeholders.
• Ability to organise and prioritise workload while managing multiple tasks and deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain integrated project schedules using Primavera P6, including logic development, progress updating, critical path analysis and reporting.
• Work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams including engineers and project managers.
• Develop work breakdown structures, define activity sequencing, track progress, and undertake schedule performance analysis.
• Maintain schedule baselines, support change management activities, and contribute to project controls processes including planning, reporting and change management.
• Produce schedule updates, performance analysis, project reporting and management information for project teams and stakeholders.
• Contribute to project controls processes including planning, reporting and change management.
• Use digital tools including Excel, Power BI and reporting platforms to develop dashboards, analyse performance data, and communicate project insights.

Skills

Strong analytical & communication

Education

Degree in STEM

Tools

Primavera P6

Excel

PowerPoint

Power BI

Word

Job description

The Assistant Project Planner will play a hands-on role in shaping the delivery of some of the UK's most exciting and nationally significant infrastructure projects, from transforming rail networks and modernising water systems to developing major highways, defence facilities, and nuclear programmes. As part of integrated project delivery teams, you will work alongside planners, engineers, project managers, and project controls professionals to develop and maintain project schedules, track progress, and support informed decision‑making across complex programmes. This is a role where you will contribute directly to planning real engineering outcomes, taking ownership of planning activities while continuing to develop your technical and professional capability. You will work on some of the UK's most significant engineering and infrastructure projects, working across multiple sectors and delivery environments. Through hands-on project experience, mentoring, and structured development, you will build the skills, knowledge, and confidence needed to progress your career in planning and project controls.,

• Develop and maintain integrated project schedules using Primavera P6, including logic development, progress updating, critical path analysis and reporting.
• Work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams including engineers and project managers.
• Develop work breakdown structures, define activity sequencing, track progress, and undertake schedule performance analysis.
• Maintain schedule baselines, support change management activities, and contribute to project controls processes including planning, reporting and change management.
• Produce schedule updates, performance analysis, project reporting and management information for project teams and stakeholders.
• Contribute to project controls processes including planning, reporting and change management.
• Use digital tools including Excel, Power BI and reporting platforms to develop dashboards, analyse performance data, and communicate project insights.

Essential

• Degree in a STEM subject or a related discipline.
• Demonstrable experience using Primavera P6 in a project environment, including the development, updating, maintenance and analysis of project schedules.
• Understanding of planning principles, schedule logic, critical path analysis, progress measurement and baseline management.
• Strong analytical, numerical and critical-thinking skills.
• Familiarity with engineering or technical problem-solving approaches.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel, Word and PowerPoint.
• Basic understanding of how projects are structured, governed and delivered.
• Experience working collaboratively within multidisciplinary project teams.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present information clearly to a range of stakeholders.
• Ability to organise and prioritise workload while managing multiple tasks and competing deadlines.

Desirable

• Familiarity with Power BI or other data visualisation and reporting tools.
• Interest in digital innovation, data analytics and emerging technologies.
• Membership of the Association for Project Management (APM) or a similar professional body.

Training & Development

A clear development pathway designed to give individuals the tools, confidence and industry insight to progress quickly, build specialist planning expertise, and establish a long-term career in project planning and controls.

We're AtkinsRéalis, a world-class engineering services and nuclear organization. We connect people, data and technology to transform the world's infrastructure and energy systems. Together, with our industry partners and clients, and our global team of consultants, designers, engineers and project managers, we can change the world. We're committed to leading our clients across our various end markets to engineer a better future for our planet and its people.

At AtkinsRéalis, we seek to hire individuals with diverse characteristics, backgrounds and perspectives. We strongly believe that world-class talent makes no distinctions based on gender, ethnic or national origin, sexual identity and orientation, age, religion or disability, but enriches itself through these differences.