Lead MEP and Construction Planner

Skilled Careers; Camden Town; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Skilled Careers is seeking an experienced Lead MEP and Construction Planner to provide leadership across the planning function. This senior role requires guiding a team of planners, ensuring robust programmes from tender through to handover, and delivering strategic planning support at all project stages.

The successful candidate will work closely with senior management, clients, engineering, commercial, estimating and project teams, driving continuous improvement and best practice.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in a Planning, Senior Planning or Lead Planning role within MEP and construction environments.
• Proven ability to manage and develop planning teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor and manage a team of planners, ensuring high standards of planning delivery across projects.
• Develop and maintain robust project programmes aligned with project and business objectives.
• Oversee planning activities across estimation, design, procurement, construction, commissioning and handover.
• Develop programmes from first principles, including quantity take-offs, productivity assessments, duration calculations and logical sequencing.
• Monitor programme performance, identify risks and opportunities, and drive corrective actions and recovery plans.
• Collaborate with clients, project teams, supply chain partners and stakeholders to manage interfaces and key milestones.
• Provide commercial insight into programme impacts, productivity rates, resource requirements and sequencing strategies.
• Prepare and present programme updates, progress reports, labour efficiency analysis and mitigation plans.
• Lead planning workshops, programme reviews and governance activities.
• Drive continuous improvement in planning processes, systems, reporting and best practice.
• Support the development of planning standards, templates and procedures.

Skills

Lead Planning

Team Mentoring

Job description

LEAD MEP AND CONSTRUCTION PLANNER

Salary: £90,000 £100,000 per annum

Location: Kings Cross, with an agile working model including project/site and office attendance.

Role Overview

Our client is seeking an experienced Lead MEP and Construction Planner to provide leadership and development of the planning function across the business. This is a senior opportunity for an established planning professional who can lead a team of planners, maintain high standards of programme delivery and provide strategic planning support from tender and pre-construction through to project completion.

The role combines hands-on project planning with team leadership, process improvement and the continued development of planning capability. The successful candidate will work closely with senior management, clients, engineering, commercial, estimating and project teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor and manage a team of planners, ensuring high standards of planning delivery across projects.
• Develop and maintain robust project programmes aligned with project and business objectives.
• Oversee planning activities across estimation, design, procurement, construction, commissioning and handover.
• Develop programmes from first principles, including quantity take-offs, productivity assessments, duration calculations and logical sequencing.
• Monitor programme performance, identify risks and opportunities, and drive corrective actions and recovery plans.
• Collaborate with clients, project teams, supply chain partners and stakeholders to manage interfaces and key milestones.
• Provide commercial insight into programme impacts, productivity rates, resource requirements and sequencing strategies.
• Prepare and present programme updates, progress reports, labour efficiency analysis and mitigation plans.
• Lead planning workshops, programme reviews and governance activities.
• Drive continuous improvement in planning processes, systems, reporting and best practice.
• Support the development of planning standards, templates and procedures.

Planning & Programme Management

• Create compliant, robust programmes from first principles, interpreting drawings, completing quantity take-offs, applying productivity/output rates, assessing resource requirements and determining realistic activity durations.
• Establish logical construction sequences that reflect efficient and collaborative delivery methodologies.
• Produce detailed estimation, pre-construction, design, fabrication, procurement, construction, commissioning and handover programmes.
• Ensure programmes are regularly updated and accurately reflect current project status.
• Integrate MEP services activities with wider construction programmes.
• Use Asta Powerproject as the primary operational planning tool for weekly programme reviews, look-ahead planning, progress updates and detailed programme drilldowns.
• Chair and facilitate weekly programme review meetings with engineering, commercial and project teams.
• Monitor critical path activities, programme float, productivity trends and key project milestones.
• Maintain programme integrity between Asta Powerproject and Primavera P6.
• Produce and maintain client-facing Primavera P6 programmes in line with contractual requirements and reporting cycles.

Project Monitoring & Control

• Monitor programme performance against agreed baselines.
• Identify programme risks, constraints, delays and opportunities, implementing appropriate mitigation.
• Analyse critical path activities and programme impacts arising from changes, delays or disruption.
• Drive corrective actions to maintain project milestones and completion dates.
• Support project teams with recovery and acceleration plans where required.
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Work collaboratively with clients, consultants, subcontractors, suppliers and internal teams to manage programme interfaces and dependencies.
• Facilitate weekly or daily planning workshops and programme review meetings as required.
• Communicate programme requirements and critical activities clearly to project stakeholders.
• Present complex planning information clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Commercial & Strategic Support

• Provide commercial insight regarding programme impacts, labour productivity, production rates and construction sequencing.
• Support commercial teams in evaluating variations, compensation events and programme changes.
• Assist with tender submissions by identifying optimal delivery strategies and programme efficiencies.
• Support claims preparation through programme analysis and forensic review where required.

Reporting, Governance & Continuous Improvement

• Prepare and present regular progress reports to senior management, clients and project teams.
• Report on programme trends, labour efficiencies, key milestones and performance indicators.
• Produce programme narratives and mitigation strategies.
• Ensure planning outputs comply with contractual obligations and company standards.
• Contribute to planning standards, templates, best practice, collaborative planning and lessons learned.

Skills & Experience

• Significant experience in a Planning, Senior Planning or Lead Planning role within MEP and construction environments.
• Proven ability to manage and develop planning teams.

For more information regarding the above, please contact Stephen Tiigah (url removed)