Planning Coordinator

Lanes Group; Worthing; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 29,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

24 days holiday (plus bank holidays)

Birthday leave

Health cash plan

Onsite parking

Auto enrolment pension scheme

Enhanced maternity and paternity

Friendly working environment

Job summary

Lanes Group is seeking a Planning Coordinator to manage and plan jobs for civils engineers in the Special Projects Division. Based in Durrington West Sussex, the role focuses on daily dispatch, coordination with contractors and internal teams, and ensuring timely job closures with clear customer communication.

Key duties include scheduling, liaising with partners, maintaining system records across Big Change, Waterworx, and Ellipse, and regular reporting to the Operations Manager.

Qualifications

• Be hard working and respectful.
• Comply with health and safety standards.
• Excellent interpersonal skills to engage with team, engineers, and wider Lanes Group network.
• Knowledge of Microsoft 365.
• Proficient in job management platforms (Big Change, Waterworx, Ellipse).
• Solid communication skills (written and verbal) with professional telephone and email etiquette.
• Resourceful and proactive.
• Multi-task, prioritise, and work under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Job Management & Scheduling: Assess the Big Change system daily for new job requests; Allocate and dispatch jobs based on scope, location and availability; Schedule jobs (P1/2/2a/3) with timely follow-up; Liaise with internal and third-party contacts; Update contractor assignments and notify external teams.
• Job Closure & Reporting: Monitor inboxes for communication and reports; Close down jobs via Big Change; Escalate backlogs; Raise follow-on works in Ellipse; Update job details as needed.
• Inbox & Communication Management: Manage multiple shared inboxes with timely responses; Handle customer and contractor enquiries and flag follow-ups.
• System & Spreadsheet Maintenance: Update Whereabout spreadsheet; Ensure records in BIG CHANGE, Waterworx, and Whereabout are current; reflect operative locations and availability.
• Team Collaboration & Support: Liaise with operatives and other units; Report to Operations Manager with scheduling progress and support needs.

Skills

Hard work ethic

Interpersonal skills

Communication skills

Microsoft 365

Proactive

Time management

Tools

Big Change

Waterworx

Ellipse

Job description

Planning Coordinator

We are thrilled to announce a major contract win with Southern Water! We are recruiting for a Planning Coordinator to manage and plan jobs for our civils engineers in our Special Projects Division. This is a fantastic opportunity to grow your career with us here at Lanes Group!

At Lanes Group nothing is more important than the health, safety and well-being of our people and our customers. It’s a major reason we are the UK’s largest independent specialist infrastructure delivery partner of choice with a turnover in excess of £530 million, (EBITDA £45m), with over 4,000 brilliant people and a countrywide network of operational locations. Our services cover the majority of the FTSE 100 & 250 respectfully.

Strong leadership being at our heart, supporting our people ensuring they are engaged with purpose, rewarded and recognised whilst delivering absolute exacting operational excellence being a leading entity and enviable delivery team embracing quality and compliance in our overarching delivery, one of our fundamental key differentiators.

In this critical role of ensuring our organisation is known for being the best in everything we do, known for leaving a legacy of absolute quality and compliance and, keeping our promises at all times is our absolute mantra.

Position: Planning Coordinator (may also be known in the industry as Flow Control Coordinator)

Location: Durrington West Sussex

Job Type: permanent, full time

Hours: Monday to Friday, 40 hours

Salary: £27,000 to £29,000 - depending upon experience

Benefits:

• 24 days holiday (plus bank holidays)
• plus your birthday off
• health cash plan
• onsite parking
• auto enrolment pension scheme
• enhanced maternity and paternity
• friendly working environment

About the role:

Planning is central to maintaining workflow accuracy and timely job completion, acting as a liaison between contractors, internal teams, and customers.

The Planning Coordinator plays a vital role in daily job dispatch, communication, and reporting to support operational excellence across Lanes Group service areas, ensuring the efficient coordination, processing, scheduling, and closure of jobs.

• Job Management & Scheduling
  • Assess the Big Change system daily for new job requests.
  • Allocate and dispatch jobs to the appropriate crews based on scope, location, and availability.
  • Schedule jobs (P1/2/2a/3), ensuring timely follow-up.
  • Liaise with internal contacts and third-parties to identify responsible units
  • Update contractor assignments in Big Change and notify external teams where applicable.
  • Plan jobs for crews daily and book appointments directly with customers via calls or texts.
  • Maintain clear and professional communication with customers to confirm appointment scheduling.
  • Coordinate with other units when joint efforts are needed to complete job activities within boundary areas.
• Job Closure & Reporting
  • Monitor the email inboxes for communication, inquiry and reports.
  • Close down jobs via Big change.
  • Escalate unresolved job backlogs to relevant managers.
  • Raise follow-on works in Ellipse where further job actions are required.
  • Update job details in Big Change as needed based on new information or feedback.
• Inbox & Communication Management
  • Manage multiple shared inboxes, ensuring timely responses and clean inboxes daily.
  • Handle all customer and contractor enquiries promptly, flagging follow-ups as "awaiting response" where needed.
• System & Spreadsheet Maintenance
  • Update and maintain the Whereabout spreadsheet, closing jobs marked in green and deleting lines once jobs are completed.
  • Ensure all record-keeping across systems (e.g., BIG CHANGE, Waterworx, Whereabout spreadsheet) is current and accurate.
  • Update the whereabouts sheet to reflect operative locations and availability.
• Team Collaboration & Support
  • Liaise with other operatives to ensure job completion and resolve logistical challenges.
  • Collaborate with other business units and field teams for support and coordination on joint activities.
  • Report regularly to the Operations Manager with updates and progress on scheduling, job status, and support needs.
• Be aware of all Lanes Group policies and your responsibilities towards them.
• Any other reasonable ad-hoc tasks, duties and projects requested by management.

So if you enjoy working in a fast paced environment and delivering only the best in customer service, where no two days are the same and want to join a growing company that not only values you and your ability - but also strives to develop your potential and further your career progression, then we are the right Company for you.

What is essential is the ability to work safely to quickly diagnose and deliver practical and efficient solutions to attain the highest levels of customer satisfaction.

About you:

• Be hard working and respectful
• Comply with health and safety standards.
• Have great interpersonal skills to create relationships with the team, engineers, and wider Lanes Group network
• Have good knowledge of Microsoft 365
• Be proficient in job management platforms (e.g Big Change, Waterworx, Ellipse)
• Have solid communication skills (both written and verbal) with professional telephone and email etiquette
• Be resourceful and proactive
• Multi-task, prioritise, work under pressure and on own initiative
• Have the ability to deal with people at different levels

At Lanes Group, we are dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and empowered. We believe that our differences make us stronger and are committed to providing equal opportunities for all employees. We welcome and encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, including those from underrepresented groups. Join us in our commitment to creating a more inclusive and diverse world.

Lanes Group are a signatory of the 'Charter for Employer Positive About Mental Health' run by Mindful Employer.