Senior Planner

East West Rail Company; Milton Keynes; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Pension up to 12%

36 days leave

Volunteer days

Life Assurance

Employee Assistance Programme

Perkbox access

Awards programme

Learning & development opportunities

Job summary

East West Railway Company in Milton Keynes is seeking a Senior Planner to develop and maintain project schedules using Primavera P6. You will build, update and report progress from the plan, partnering with delivery teams to translate data into actionable insights.

The role requires strong communication, a solid understanding of project controls, and experience on major infrastructure projects. You will coach junior planners and ensure schedules align with NEC/contract requirements while

Qualifications

• Experience building schedules from first principles.
• Strong knowledge of Primavera P6 and earned value.
• Background in rail or major infrastructure projects.
• Proven ability to communicate with stakeholders at all levels.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain the integrated programme schedule.
• Lead schedule baselining, progress reporting and risk reviews.
• Coordinate with project managers, engineers and contractors.
• Coach and develop junior planners within the team.
• Ensure schedules align with contract requirements and NEC.

Skills

Clear communicator

Proactive communicator

Contract knowledge

Schedule planning

Stakeholder mgmt

Mentor juniors

Education

Degree in PM/Engineering

Tools

Primavera P6

Job description

Senior Planner

Application Deadline: 15 November 2026

Department: Delivery

Employment Type: Permanent

Location: Milton Keynes

Description

A little bit about us
East West Rail is an infrastructure programme connecting communities between Oxford and Cambridge, a region currently underserved by transport. We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change that, improving prosperity for people and places along the way.

East West Railway Company (EWR Co) was created by the Department for Transport (DfT) to oversee the delivery of East West Rail, from construction through to services running, making sure the railway comes together in the right way. The programme is projected to deliver a £6.7 billion annual boost to the regional economy by 2050.


Role Summary:
This role will be responsible for development and maintenance of our p6 plans. As a member of the planning team, you will be deployed to a project and expected to build, update and report progress from the plan. Communication skills, proficiency with primavera p6 and ability to convert the data into actionable insights are the mechanisms to deliver East West Rail.


Function:
The Delivery function is accountable for delivering an asset which aligns to the Sponsor requirements, establishing a safe, reliable and integrated railway. Delivery will demonstrate delivery excellence through technical innovation and design excellence, underpinned by mature Programme controls to maximise the benefit of project delivery in relation to public pound spent. The Delivery function will act as an intelligent and informed integrated team, that uses a network of third-party strategic suppliers to leverage the capabilities required to deliver the asset.

Key Responsibilities

• Capability to build a schedule from first principles working with team leads to develop activities, dependencies and logic, and ability to communicate the schedule through Project on a page and other visual aids.

Lead review meetings to ensure the P6 integrated programme schedule is 'baselined' and fit for purpose including:

• Review of logic, dependencies, durations and interfaces.
• Carry out schedule quality checks and fix as appropriate such as float, logic and use of constraints.
• Scrutinise and report on main contractor p6 programmes.
• Ensure all plans are in line with the EWR Planning Procedure.
• Review and report against all milestones.
• Document and maintain schedule assumptions and risks.
• Support the development of a Baseline Schedule Narrative.

On an ongoing periodic/monthly basis:

• Review and update forecasts for the DfT, TOC, Alliance and other component parts of the schedule.
• Review and accept programme submissions under the NEC as required.
• Provide supporting reports and interface with other reporting tools on schedule performance as required.
• Implement Earned value as required.
• Integrate all aspects of the programme, maintaining a clear understanding of programme logic and dependencies.
• Identify and report against critical activities, paths and float.
• Support the development of working processes and procedures e.g. codes.
• Maintain schedule assumptions and risks.

• Coordinate resource allocation, monitor utilisation, identify potential risks, and develop mitigation strategies to address project schedule impacts.
• Track project progress against the baseline schedule, prepare and present regular progress reports, including critical path analysis, to stakeholders and senior management.
• Collaborate with project managers, engineers, contractors, and clients to ensure alignment and effective communication of project timelines and milestones.
• Provide guidance and support to junior planners and team members.
• Responsible for managing and supporting direct reports including: coaching and developing team members to drive individual growth and operational excellence. Leading continuous improvement, through regular performance management and ensuring compliance with organisation policies and updating relevant systems.
• Take responsibility of your own and others’ health and safety by adopting and working to the EWR Co Health and Safety principles.
• Demonstrates a cost-conscious mindset, keeping tax payers’ money at the forefront of decisions.
• Shows a commitment to innovation by proactively seeking creative solutions to challenges and opportunities.
• Act as a role model for EWR Co’s vision and behaviours, working in ways that are aligned with EWR Co’s Ways of Working, as well as encouraging and supporting others to do so too.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Clear and Concise communicator, with the ability to communicate with stakeholders at all levels
• Be proactive. Always asking the right questions and constantly talking to everyone from PM to laborer to keep their finger on the pulse.
• Understand both technical and commercial. They will know the contract and sub-contracts inside out and ensure that the schedule and scope are aligned with them.
• Provide a clear path ahead. Understand that a schedule is useless if not crystal clear for the team. Anyone who doesn’t know the project can pick up their schedule and understand what is going on quickly.
• Become regarded by the team as an all-knowing oracle of past, present and future.
• Substantial hands-on experience working on major infrastructure projects developing and maintaining multi-disciplined schedules.
• Good understanding of construction preferably in the rail sector.
• Extensive knowledge of planning tools (i.e., Primavera P6), processes and techniques and the ability to use them to develop and improve schedule performance.
• Ability to interrogate and challenge schedules and identify efficiencies.
• Strong process management, presentation and written communication skills

Desirable:

• Project Planning Practitioner (PPP).
• Degree or equivalent in project management or engineering or equivalent training and experience.
• Main Contractor experience preffered.

Benefits

• Competitive salary that reflects your skills and experience
• Up to 12% employer pension contribution to support your future
• 36 days annual leave (including bank holidays) plus the option to buy up to 2 extra days
• 2 volunteering days, a chance for you to give back to the community
• Enhanced family-friendly policies to support you and your loved ones
• Life assurance (4x your annual salary) for peace of mind
• Employee Assistance Programme for confidential support when you need it
• Access to Perkbox for a wide range of discounts and wellbeing benefits
• Recognition programme, including on-the-spot and annual awards
• Advanced learning and development opportunities to help you grow.

Diversity and Inclusion:

At East West Railway Company, we’re committed to building an inclusive railway for all. We believe that to do that, we must nurture a diverse team that represents the UK communities that we impact. Our approach is simple - to create an environment where everyone is welcome and able to be themselves. We celebrate diversity and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, encouraging applications from all backgrounds and experiences.