Planning Consultant

AtkinsRéalis; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Flexible holiday allowances

Professional development

Job summary

AtkinsRéalis is seeking a Consultant Programme and Project Planner in Secure Government to help shape our portfolios, programmes and projects across the UK.

You will deliver specialist consultancy on planning, scheduling and governance, lead schedules and engage with clients, suppliers and AtkinsRéalis teams to maximise benefits from digital transformation and transformation delivery across sectors including defence and local government.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist consultancy advice on planning, scheduling and governance disciplines.
• Lead planning activities, resolve complex scheduling issues and produce high-quality outputs.
• Mentor and coach colleagues to strengthen capability across the project management community.
• Lead creation, baselining, maintenance and assurance of integrated schedules.

Job description

Empowering projects in a complex world.

Are you ready to start a vital role in shaping our exciting Portfolios, Programmes and Projects? How about joining our talented team, where everyone has a voice, and together we face our clients' problems head-on.

Overview

Empowering projects in a complex world. Are you ready to start a vital role in shaping our exciting Portfolios, Programmes and Projects? How about joining our talented team, where everyone has a voice, and together we face our clients' problems head-on.

As a Consultant Programme and Project Planner in Secure Government, you'll be part of our Delivery Optimisation Practice. In your role you will be working with our clients, suppliers, and AtkinsRéalis teams to enable and achieve maximum benefits from digital transformation and innovative operations.

With opportunities across the UK, we are looking for experienced professionals whose primary specialism is planning and scheduling within complex transformation delivery. You do not need to have held "Planner" in your job title, but planning must have been a substantial and recurring part of your role. Broader experience across project or programme controls and governance is also highly valued.

We provide consulting services across the entire project lifecycle across our key sectors: aviation; defence; security; critical national infrastructure; and local and central government. We also collaborate with our colleagues in other parts of the AtkinsRéalis business world-wide. We solve the most interesting challenges facing organisations today by promoting an innovative and collaborative culture.

We know that different people have different priorities, which is why we're here to support you. Flexible working is a central part of our culture. So, talk to us about what's'ideal for you – from reduced weeks or buying more leave over school holidays. And if you're returning from a career break, ask us how we can help you transition back into work with us.

Your role

• You will provide specialist consultancy advice on planning, scheduling and related controls and governance disciplines.
• Working independently within an agreed direction, you will lead planning activities, resolve complex scheduling issues and produce clear, high-quality outputs that shape client understanding and decision-making.
• You will work with schedule owners and delivery teams to facilitate workshops and build, maintain, analyse and assure credible schedules. At programme level, you will assess integration, dependencies, critical paths and alignment with delivery methodologies, governance arrangements and approved standards. At portfolio level, you will connect critical milestones to strategic objectives.
• You will also mentor and coach colleagues, sharing knowledge to strengthen capability across the wider project management community.
• Provide trusted specialist advice to clients and colleagues on planning, scheduling, controls and governance best practice.
• Lead the creation, baselining, maintenance and assurance of integrated portfolio, programme and project schedules.
• Resolve complex scheduling issues through robust logic, milestones, assumptions, dependencies and critical-path analysis.
• Lead schedule update cycles, assess progress, forecast delivery outcomes and communicate clear recommendations.
• Conduct schedule analysis, health checks and assurance, constructively challenging assumptions and influencing improvements.
• Integrate planning information across waterfall, Agile and hybrid delivery environments while maintaining end-to-end visibility of milestones and dependencies.
• Connect schedule insight with wider controls and governance, including risk, cost, change, reporting, resource management, assurance and decision‑making forums.
• Facilitate workshops and mentor or coach colleagues, sharing practical knowledge and supporting their development.
• Contribute to service improvement, client value, case studies and bid activity where appropriate.

About You

• We welcome applications from a range of backgrounds, but your CV should clearly show that planning and scheduling is a core professional capability.
• Demonstrable specialist knowledge and substantial hands‑on experience of planning and scheduling in complex portfolio, programme or project environments. Planning should be a core specialism within your career, rather than an occasional responsibility.
• A track record of developing, baselining, maintaining, analysing and assuring logic-linked schedules, including milestones, dependencies, critical paths and progress updates.
• Strong knowledge of waterfall planning principles and methods. Experience of Agile or hybrid delivery is valued but should complement rather than replace this capability.
• Experience of integrated planning across multiple workstreams, projects or delivery teams, including cross‑cutting dependencies.
• Experience in one or more broader project or programme controls or governance disciplines, such as risk, cost, change, performance reporting, resource management, assurance, stage gates or governance forums.
• Competence in Primavera P6 and/or Microsoft Project; experience of Jira or other Agile delivery tools is beneficial.
• The ability to work independently with limited supervision, apply specialist knowledge creatively and resolve complex delivery challenges.
• The ability to produce clear, concise, high-quality outputs and present well‑researched recommendations confidently to clients and senior stakeholders.
• Strong consultancy and relationship‑management skills, with experience clarifying expectations, building trust, influencing positive change and constructively challenging assumptions.
• Experience of mentoring or coaching others and sharing knowledge across teams.
• Commercial awareness and an understanding of how reliable controls information supports client value, governance, delivery performance and business growth; experience contributing to bids or case studies is beneficial.

Rewards & benefits

Explore the rewards and benefits that help you thrive – at every stage of your life and your career. Enjoy competitive salaries, employee rewards and a brilliant range of benefits you can tailor to suit your own health, wellbeing, financial and lifestyle choices. Make the most of a myriad of opportunities for training and professional development to grow your skills and expertise. And combine our hybrid working culture and flexible holiday allowances to balance a great job and fulfilling personal life.

About AtkinsRéalis

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.

Additional information

Security clearance

This role may require security clearance and offers of employment will be dependent on obtaining the relevant level of clearance. If this is necessary, it will be discussed with you at interview. The vetting process is delivered by United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) and may require candidates to provide proof of residency in the UK of 5 years or longer. If applying to this role please do not make reference to (in conversation) or include in your application or CV, details of any current or previously held security clearance.

We are committed to creating a culture where everyone feels that they belong - a place where we can all be ourselves, thrive and develop to be the best we can be. So, we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements and employee resource groups to support all employees. As an Equal Opportunities Employer, we value applications from all backgrounds, cultures and ability. As a Disability Confident Leader, we are committed to offering an interview to all applicants who have a disability and meet the essential criteria. If you would like to be considered under this commitment, please let us know at the application stage.