Planning Manager
Location: Ilkeston, Derbyshire
Role: Monday-Friday, Full-Time, Permanent (Hybrid 2/3 days onsite)
Salary: £70-80k + car allowance (depending on experience)
Project Partners are now on the hunt for a Planning Manager to come and join a close-knit team working on a range of MEICA-focused water and wastewater projects in the UK.
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.
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 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.
* Team Leadership & Governance.
* 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 planning requirements.
* 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
Key Skills Required:
- 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
- Primavera P6 Advanced User Certification (or demonstrable high-level expertise)
- APM, PMI, or equivalent project management/planning accreditation ()
Benefits:
- Competitive Salary
- 25 days annual leave
- Car allowance
- Access to Group Pension Scheme after completion of probation
- Life Assurance and Critical Illness cover if joining pension scheme
- Healthcare cover for employee only
- Access to EAP & Medicash after successful completion of probation
- Continuous Development Opportunities
Apply today for more information