Lead Planner

Spencer Group; Kingston upon Hull; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading construction company based in Hull seeks a Lead Planner for its Planning Team. This role involves mentoring planners, developing construction programmes, and ensuring alignment with business objectives across complex projects. The successful candidate will bring over 10 years' experience and strong leadership skills to drive project delivery effectively.

Qualifications

• 10+ years’ experience in construction or infrastructure planning.
• Proven ability to manage and develop planning teams.
• Strong working knowledge of first principles planning and productivity analysis.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of planners, promoting improvement and excellence.
• Oversee development of robust construction programmes using first principles.
• Align planning outputs with commercial objectives and risks.

Skills

Leadership

Team Management

Construction Methodology

Forensic Delay Analysis

Commercial Awareness

Education

Degree in Engineering

Degree in Construction Management

Tools

Primavera P6

Job description

Location: Hull Office
Department: Planning
Reports to: Head of Planning / Managing Director (of Division)
Type: Full-time

About the Company

We are a leading construction company delivering high-quality infrastructure and building projects across multiple sectors. As part of our continued growth, we are looking to appoint a proactive and organised Project Planner to join our Planning Team. This role focuses on the delivery stage of projects, working closely with site teams to ensure programmes are realistic, maintained, and reflective of actual progress on the ground.

Role Overview

We are seeking an experienced Lead Planner to drive the planning function across complex and high-value projects. This role demands a technically proficient individual with strong people leadership skills, a deep understanding of construction methodology, and the ability to apply first principles planning to develop accurate, logical, and commercially viable programmes. The successful candidate will play a key role in aligning project delivery with both business and sector-specific requirements, while also mentoring and developing planning team members.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Management

• Lead and mentor a team of planners, promoting continuous improvement and technical excellence.
• Allocate planning resources effectively across projects and ensure consistency in planning standards.
• Support the development of junior team members through coaching, training, and technical guidance.
• Represent the planning function in senior project meetings and reviews.
• Oversee the development and maintenance of robust construction programmes using first principles—including the calculation of durations based on resource productivity, outputs, and methodology.
• Ensure programme logic reflects real-world construction sequences, buildability constraints, and interfaces between trades.
• Integrate design, procurement, construction, and commissioning timelines into a coherent master programme.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings to develop initial sequencing / phasing for programmes, independently.
• Identify and mitigate sequencing clashes or logistical constraints early in the planning process.

Commercial & Strategic Integration

• Align planning outputs with project commercial objectives, contract requirements, and business priorities.
• Provide input into project strategies, risk management plans, and cost-time trade-offs.
• Work closely with commercial teams to support valuations, EOT claims, and risk allowances.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Collaborate with clients, supply chain partners, and internal stakeholders to ensure programme visibility and buy-in.
• Lead planning-related discussions with clients, representing the company professionally and confidently.

Forensic Delay Analysis & Claims Support

• Lead the preparation and review of forensic delay analyses to support claims, extensions of time, and project reviews.
• Apply prospective and retrospective techniques (e.g. time impact analysis, windows analysis) to identify and quantify delay events.
• Support dispute resolution processes with clear and defensible programme evidence.

Requirements and Qualifications

Requirements

• 10+ years’ experience in construction or infrastructure planning.
• Proven ability to manage and develop planning teams.
• Strong working knowledge of first principles planning, construction methodology, and productivity analysis.
• High level of proficiency with Primavera P6 and planning/reporting tools.
• Solid understanding of NEC and any other major forms of contract.
• Demonstrated experience in forensic delay analysis and claims support.
• Strong commercial awareness and the ability to align programme outputs with business goals.
• Degree in Engineering, Construction Management, or a related discipline preferred.