Planning Manager

JR United Kingdom; Ilkeston; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in the water sector is seeking a Planning Manager to oversee project scheduling for MEICA works. This role involves ensuring compliance with NEC contracts and effective stakeholder communication, along with developing and managing robust project plans. Ideal candidates will have extensive experience and skills in planning and scheduling within regulated water environments.

Qualifications

• Substantial experience in planning within the UK water sector
• Strong Primavera P6 skills with NEC3/NEC4 experience
• Ability to develop complex interdependent programmes

Responsibilities

• Manage development and coordination of project schedules through all stages.
• Ensure compliance with NEC3/NEC4 contract standards.
• Monitor and report on project progress and performance metrics.

Skills

Planning MEICA works

Primavera P6

Stakeholder Management

Earned Value Management

Risk-based Scheduling

Education

HND or Degree in Electrical, Mechanical, or Process Engineering

Tools

Primavera P6

Job description

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The Planning Manager is responsible for the leadership, coordination, and delivery of robust planning and scheduling support across the full lifecycle of MEICA-focused water and wastewater projects, from initiation through to commissioning and handover. Operating within NEC3 and NEC4 contract environments, the role ensures that programmes are contract-compliant, technically sound, and aligned with stakeholder objectives. This role plays a critical part in achieving successful, timely project delivery.

Job Responsibilities

• Programme Development and Management.
• Develop robust, logic-linked baseline programmes (Primavera P6) from limited initial information, drawing on experience in delivering complex MEICA works in regulated water environments.
• Structure programmes to cover all project stages (initiation to completion), including key stage gates, hold points, and approval milestones.
• Support and coordinate the development of integrated design, procurement, construction, and commissioning schedules, ensuring alignment across internal teams and the supply chain.
• Contract and NEC Compliance.
• Ensure all programmes are NEC3/NEC4 compliant, including provisions for Clause 31 and Clause 32 programme submissions.
• Interface with commercial and delivery teams to support assessment of early warnings, compensation events, and change impacts on the schedule.
• Contribute to the preparation and defence of entitlement for extensions of time and schedule relief in accordance with contract conditions.
• Progress Monitoring and Reporting.
• Establish consistent project reporting procedures and programme dashboard templates for use by delivery teams and suppliers.
• Monitor and update programme performance including progress, critical path, float trends, and earned value metrics.
• Produce regular 4-week and 12-week lookahead schedules to inform delivery planning and resource coordination.
• Prepare and present monthly project reports and dashboards to internal stakeholders and client teams.
• Review and Assurance.
• Review and validate design, subcontractor, and supplier schedules for integration into the master programme.
• Identify variances and schedule risks, recommend mitigation actions, and support recovery planning.
• Track engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning progress and escalate schedule-impacting issues early.
• Stakeholder & Interface Management.
• Act as the planning point of contact for design teams, site delivery teams, commercial teams, supply chain partners, and client representatives.
• Engage daily with internal project teams and external contractors to ensure programme information is accurate and current.
• Monitor submittal schedules and coordinate interface points across contracts, suppliers, and disciplines.
• Support and mentor planners and programme coordinators with planning and reporting responsibilities, ensuring high professional standards and consistency.
• Implement and oversee planning governance procedures to be applied consistently across projects by all planners and contractors.
• Collaborate with the Head of PMO and Estimating in developing and deploying standardised tools, templates, and best practices.
• Develop the planning approach for a project considering both our customers and Enisca Browne planning requirements. This approach should focus on how the planning team deliver a positive impact for the project.
• Establish the project level collaborative planning approach to drive engagement of the whole project team with the programme. This will include the presentation of programme information in numerous ways – time chainage, 4D, short term planning, phasing diagrams, etc.
• Interrogate the programme(s) and identify areas for improvements, risk reduction and potential issues across the whole project. Use this detailed understanding of the programme to deliver strategic planning decisions.
• Work with project controls team to develop planning reporting for the project(s). This reporting should be adaptable and be able to be interrogated by different members of the project team maximising automation to focus planners time on value added tasks.
• Develop and maintain the companies P6 Cloud database, global and activity coding

Personal Attributes

The Planning Manager must excel in building and maintaining strong, collaborative relationships with a broad spectrum of stakeholders throughout the project lifecycle. This includes internal teams such as design engineers, procurement specialists, construction managers, commissioning leads, commercial and contract managers, as well as external parties including clients, subcontractors, and suppliers.

They will act as the central point of contact for all programme-related matters, ensuring that stakeholders at every level receive timely, accurate, and relevant information to facilitate informed decision-making. This requires the ability to translate complex scheduling data and technical planning concepts into clear, concise language tailored to different audiences, from site operatives to senior executives and client representatives.

The Planning Manager will proactively engage with stakeholders to understand their priorities, constraints, and interdependencies, fostering a collaborative environment where potential risks and issues are identified early and addressed constructively. They must demonstrate strong negotiation and influencing skills to resolve conflicts and align diverse stakeholder objectives around the project’s critical path and delivery milestones.

Regular communication and facilitation of planning reviews, progress meetings, and workshops will be essential, ensuring that all parties remain aligned with the project master plan and that changes are agreed and documented formally. The Planning Manager will also champion transparency by highlighting impacts of delays, changes, or risks on the overall programme and working closely with commercial and delivery teams to mitigate these.

By maintaining open, honest, and respectful communication channels, the Planning Manager will enhance trust and collaboration across the project team, driving shared ownership of schedule performance and ultimately contributing to successful project delivery.

Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills are critical. The Planning Manager must be capable of engaging credibly with a wide range of stakeholders, including project delivery teams, designers, commercial leads, senior leadership, and client representatives, ensuring clarity, transparency, and alignment on programme strategy and impacts. They must be adept at articulating schedule logic, risk impacts, float management, and change assessments, and supporting robust, contract-aligned decision-making.

The role requires someone who can manage complex and concurrent project schedules with precision and consistency, maintaining programme integrity while working to tight deadlines. Professional resilience, critical thinking, and an ability to remain focused under pressure are essential.

A strong commitment to mentoring and supporting the development of planners within the planning function is highly valued. The candidate should actively contribute to continuous improvement across planning processes and promote knowledge-sharing within the wider programme and project controls team.

• Substantial experience in planning MEICA works within the UK water sector
• Strong Primavera P6 skills and familiarity with NEC3/NEC4 contract planning requirements
• Proven ability to develop and maintain complex programmes with interdependent design, procurement, and site activities
• Deep understanding of construction methodologies, commissioning sequencing, and supply chain dependencies
• Experienced in earned value management, critical path analysis, and risk-based scheduling

Essential Qualifications

• HND or Degree in Electrical, Mechanical, or Process Engineering or other relevant experience with project planning experience
• APM, PMI, or equivalent project management/planning accreditation (preferred)

Desirable Qualifications

• APM Project Planning & Control (PPC) Practitioner or equivalent PMI-SP (Project Scheduling Professional) certification
• NEC3 / NEC4 Accredited Project Manager or formal NEC training (e.g. ECC Planning & Programming workshops)
• APM PMQ (Project Management Qualification) or PRINCE2 Practitioner
• Training in Earned Value Management (EVM) or use of EVM in live projects
• Power BI or data analytics training for reporting and visualisation
• Familiarity with ISO 21500 / 21502 (project, programme, and portfolio management standards)