Principal Planner

Laing O'Rourke; Dartford; On-site; GBP 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Car/travel allowance

Private Medical Insurance

Enhanced pension

Life/Dental/Critical illness insurance

33 days holiday + volunteering day

Professional development

Job summary

Laing O'Rourke is seeking a Principal Planner for work winning in the Power sector. The role combines bid planning with strategic scheduling across high‑value UK energy projects from Dartford or Birmingham offices.

You will lead planning for tender submissions, shape time and cost strategies and mentor others, with HVDC experience highly valued. The senior position involves coordinating across bid teams and transitioning successful bids into delivery.

Qualifications

• Proven planning experience on major power sector projects (HVDC desirable).
• Degree in Construction Management, Civil Engineering or similar discipline (preferred).
• Chartered or working towards CIOB membership.

Responsibilities

• Lead planning input to tender submissions and ensure competitive programmes.
• Shape construction strategies to optimise time, cost, risk and delivery.
• Provide leadership in planning across bid teams and in risk/opportunity analysis.
• Present programme information clearly to clients and stakeholders.
• Support procurement strategy development and transition bids to delivery.

Skills

Planning experience

Power sector expertise

Bid/win strategy

Commercial awareness

Leadership/mentoring

Education

Degree in Construction Management or Civil Engineering

CIOB membership (chartered or in progress)

Tools

Asta

Primavera P6

4D Modelling

Job description

Principal Planner – Work Winning | Power Sector Location: Dartford HQ or Birmingham Project Office

Power up your career with Laing O'Rourke. We're looking for a Principal Planner to play a pivotal role in securing and shaping some of the UK's most iconic power and energy infrastructure projects.

This is a senior opportunity to lead planning across our work-winning and bid activities in one of Laing O'Rourke's priority growth sectors: Power. While direct bid experience is not essential, you must have delivered complex power sector projects (HVDC experience highly valued). Successful bids may offer the chance to remain involved through delivery.

What you'll do

As a Principal Planner, you'll combine sector expertise, commercial awareness and strategic foresight to develop robust, competitive programmes that win work and set projects up for success.

• Lead planning input to tender submissions, ensuring compliant, logical and competitive programmes.
• Shape construction strategies that optimise time, cost, risk and delivery.
• Provide leadership in planning and coordination processes across bid teams.
• Contribute to risk analysis, opportunities assessment and commercial strategy.
• Present complex programme information with clarity to clients, stakeholders and internal teams.
• Support procurement strategy development, including systems and control measures.
• Mentor and train colleagues in planning best practice.
• Where required, transition successful bids into the delivery phase and support ongoing programme development.

What we're looking for

We want a planner who thrives on challenge, brings deep sector knowledge, and can think both strategically and practically. You'll need:

• Proven planning experience on major power sector projects (HVDC desirable).
• A degree in Construction Management, Civil Engineering or similar discipline (preferred).
• Chartered or working towards membership of CIOB.
• Proficiency in Asta and/or Primavera P6 (ideally both) with 4D modelling experience.
• Strong understanding of pre-contract planning and work-winning processes.
• Ability to develop and maintain contract and build programmes.
• Commercially astute, with knowledge of different forms of contract and forensic programme analysis.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to produce high-quality programme material for client-facing submissions.
• A collaborative leader, capable of mentoring others and building effective relationships.

About Us

Laing O'Rourke is at the forefront of delivering transformative infrastructure. Joining us means being part of a team that is driving the UK's transition to a low-carbon energy future. You'll be empowered to lead, innovate and leave a lasting mark on projects of national significance.

We offer a competitiveremunerationpackage (base salary + car/travel allowance) with access to Private Medical Insurance; enhanced pension and parental leave schemes; Life/Dental/Critical illness insurance and income protection; 33 days holiday inc. bank holidays + 1 paid day for volunteering;professional development opportunities and more!

As part of the Disability Confident scheme, we would like to enable access to candidates with long term conditions and disabilities through the ‘Offer an interview scheme'. This supports applicants that meet the essential criteria by offering an interview for the advertised position. Please let us know if you would like to opt in to this scheme and let us know if you require any adjustments for the interview process.

We want to ensure our recruitment process is accessible to all. If you need the application form in an alternative format or you would like to know more about our recruitment process, please email [e-mail]

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