Senior Planner

Poutrix; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Arcadis in the United Kingdom seeks a Senior Planner to lead planning for major infrastructure programmes. You will develop and assure integrated schedules, drive programme controls, and support decision-making across lifecycle stages from bid assessment to delivery and close-out.

Applicants should be highly proficient in Primavera P6, possess NEC3/NEC4 contract experience and excel in critical path analysis, reporting and stakeholder engagement.

Qualifications

• Must have degree or equivalent experience in a relevant field.
• Significant experience delivering planning on major infrastructure programmes.
• Expert user of Primavera P6 with scheduling, forecasting and controls experience.
• Strong understanding of lifecycle from development to close-out.
• Experience with NEC3/NEC4 contracts and earned value management.

Responsibilities

• Lead development, maintenance and assurance of project schedules.
• Perform critical path analysis and report programme performance.
• Assess contractor programmes and time-related submissions per contracts.
• Apply earned value management and integrated project controls techniques.
• Align reporting and dashboards to governance and executive decisions.
• Support tender, development and delivery phases with planning expertise.
• Facilitate reviews and stakeholder engagements to improve outcomes.
• Mentor Assistant Planners and promote best practice.

Skills

Critical path analysis

Schedule assurance

Stakeholder management

Leadership & mentoring

Strong communication

Education

Degree qualified or equivalent relevant experience

Tools

Primavera P6

Job description

Role description:

As a Senior Planner, you will play a key role in the successful delivery of major infrastructure programmes, providing planning leadership across complex engineering and construction projects. You will be responsible for developing, maintaining and assuring integrated project schedules, ensuring that programme controls processes support effective project delivery and informed decision-making. Working as part of an integrated project controls and delivery team, you will provide expert planning support throughout the project lifecycle, from early development and tender assessment through to delivery and close-out. You will work closely with project managers, engineering teams, contractors and clients to develop robust programmes, identify delivery risks and drive performance improvement.

Role accountabilities:

• Lead the development, maintenance and assurance of baseline and detailed project schedules across one or more major projects or programmes, ensuring compliance with client and company standards.
• Undertake critical path analysis and provide insightful reporting on programme performance, key milestones, risks, constraints, dependencies and opportunities.
• Review, challenge and assess contractor programmes and time-related submissions in accordance with contractual requirements, including NEC3 and NEC4 contracts.
• Apply earned value management and integrated project controls principles to support forecasting, performance management and informed decision-making.
• Align programme reporting, management information and schedule dashboards to support governance, assurance and executive-level decision making.
• Support project teams throughout tender, development and delivery phases, providing planning expertise, independent assurance and programme recovery support where required.
• Facilitate programme reviews, collaborative planning workshops and stakeholder engagements to improve alignment, delivery confidence and project outcomes.
• Mentor and develop Assistant Planners and Planners, while promoting planning best practice and contributing to the continuous improvement of standards, processes and tools across the business.

Qualifications & Experience:

• Degree qualified or equivalent relevant experience.
• Significant experience delivering planning services on major infrastructure, utilities, energy, transportation or other regulated industry programmes.
• Expert user of Primavera P6, with extensive experience in schedule development, forecasting, reporting and programme controls.
• Strong understanding of engineering, procurement and construction project lifecycles.
• Demonstrable experience in critical path analysis, schedule assurance, programme recovery planning and performance management.
• Extensive NEC3 and NEC4 contract experience, including contractor programme assessment and time-related submissions.
• Experience applying earned value management, progress measurement and integrated project controls techniques.
• Proven ability to work within integrated client, contractor and consultancy teams and engage effectively with senior stakeholders.
• Strong communication, presentation and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience within the electrical transmission and distribution sector is desirable, although experience in other regulated sectors such as rail, nuclear, water or aviation would also be considered.

Why Arcadis?

We can only achieve our goals when everyone is empowered to be their best. We believe everyone's contribution matters. It’s why we are pioneering a skills-based approach, where you can harness your unique experience and expertise to carve your career path and maximize the impact we can make together. You’ll do meaningful work, and no matter what role, you’ll be helping to deliver sustainable solutions for a more prosperous planet. Make your mark, on your career, your colleagues, your clients, your life and the world around you. Together, we can create a lasting legacy.

Our Commitment to Equality, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

We want you to be able to bring your best self to work every day which is why we take equality and inclusion seriously and hold ourselves to account for our actions.

Our ambition is to be an employer of choice and provide a great place to work for all our people.

We believe that by working together diverse people with different experiences develop the most innovative ideas.

Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the heart of how we improve quality of life and we work closely with our people across six ED&I Workstreams: Age, Disability, Faith, Gender, LGBT+ and Race.

A diverse and skilled workforce is essential to our success.