Principal Planner

Babcock International; Warrington; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading engineering firm in Warrington seeks a Principal Planner. The role involves overseeing planning governance, leading teams, and promoting best practices within defence infrastructure programs. Candidates should demonstrate leadership, planning governance expertise, and experience with Primavera P6. This full-time position offers hybrid working arrangements and a comprehensive benefits package.

Benefits

Generous holiday allowance

Matched contribution pension scheme

Access to a Digital GP

Employee share scheme

Payment of Professional Fees

‘Be Kind Day’ volunteering leave

Excellent development opportunities

Qualifications

• Strong leadership in a planning function within engineering or defence.
• Experience with planning governance, assurance, and quality.
• Experience with Primavera P6.

Responsibilities

• Oversee planning governance across the PP&E programme.
• Provide leadership over Aurora and AFS sub-programmes.
• Support onboarding and mentoring of planning professionals.
• Manage and develop a team of planners.
• Champion consistency across delivery teams.

Skills

Demonstrable leadership in planning

Understanding of planning governance

Experience using Primavera P6

Job description

Job Title: Principal Planner

Location: Warrington, Cheshire + Hybrid Working Arrangement

Compensation: Competitive Salary + Benefits

Role Type: Full time / Permanent

Role ID: SF65388

Drive Precision, Performance, and Progress

At Cavendish Nuclear we’re working to create a safe and secure world, together, and if you join us, you can play your part as a Principal Planner at our Warrington, Cheshire site.

The role

As a Principal Planner, you’ll have a role that’s out of the ordinary. You’ll be embedded within one of the UK’s most complex and high-value defence infrastructure programmes. Working on the PP&E project, you’ll be stepping in at a pivotal moment, where your expertise will help shape the long‑term direction and success of the programme. As a visible leader, you’ll mentor fellow planners, promote consistency across planning outputs, and help define the strategic direction of the planning function. You’ll also have the opportunity to lead initiatives and drive improvements across a diverse and impactful portfolio.

Day‑to‑day, you’ll play a key role in influencing long‑term outcomes across a major programme, with significant opportunities for leadership, innovation, and career progression.

• Oversee planning governance across the PP&E programme
• Provide leadership and coordination across Aurora and AFS sub‑programmes
• Support onboarding, mentoring, and development of planning professionals
• Manage and develop a team of planners, working closely with Project Control Leads
• Champion consistency and best practice across delivery teams

This is a full‑time role (37 hours per week) with flexible and hybrid working arrangements, typically involving two days on‑site at our Warrington (Cheshire) location and three days working remotely.

Essential experience of the Principal Planner

• Demonstrable leadership in a planning function within engineering or defence programmes
• Strong understanding of planning governance, assurance and quality
• Extensive experience using Primavera P6

Qualifications for the Principal Planner

• We value difference and don’t have a fixed idea when it comes to background or education, provided you can show the required level of experience and/or willingness to learn then we would like to hear from you

Security Clearance

The successful candidate must be able to achieve and maintain Standard (BPSS) security clearance for this role. Further details are available at United Kingdom Security Vetting: clearance levels - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

What we offer

• Generous holiday allowance
• Matched contribution pension scheme, with life assurance
• Access to a Digital GP, annual health check, and nutritional consultations through Aviva DigiCare+
• Employee share scheme
• Employee shopping savings portal
• Payment of Professional Fees
• Reservists in the armed forces receive 10‑days special paid leave
• Holiday Trading is a benefit that allows UK Cavendish employees to buy additional leave or to sell up to one working week of annual leave from their annual entitlement. This Window opens February through to March annually.
• ‘Be Kind Day’ enables employees to take one working day's paid leave a year (or equivalent hours) to undertake volunteering work with their chosen organisation or registered charity
• Excellent development opportunities and benefits package including an employee assistance programme supporting physical, mental and financial wellbeing.

Cavendish Nuclear

As a leader within the UK nuclear industry, Cavendish Nuclear, part of Babcock International Group, provides a comprehensive range of critical nuclear solutions in clean energy, defence and civil new build and decommissioning projects. Together, we’re innovating to make nuclear safer, faster and cost‑effective across the nuclear energy life cycle. Your career with us could take you anywhere within Babcock International Group – from Canada, the USA to Japan. Work with us to create a safe and secure world, together.

We are a disability confident committed employer. If you have a disability or need any reasonable adjustments during the application and selection stages, please email [e-mail] with the subject header ‘Reasonable adjustments requirement’. We’re committed to building an inclusive culture where everyone’s free to thrive. We are happy to talk about flexible working – please ask about alternative patterns of work at interview.

Closing date: 22/12/2025

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