Planning & Project Controls Lead

Planning & Project Controls Lead

London, Bristol or Cardiff

Perm

Competitive salary, with Travel Allowance + Flexible Benefits

The role

We are looking for a Planning & Project Controls Lead to join our regional Senior Leadership Team and take ownership of a high‑performing planning and project controls function. This is a pivotal leadership role where you will drive data‑led decision making, enhance project delivery performance, and ensure robust planning, risk management, and governance across a diverse portfolio of complex engineering projects.

If you’re a strategic thinker with deep technical expertise and a passion for delivering excellence in project controls, we want to hear from you.

Key deliverables in this role are:

• Lead and develop the Planning & Project Controls function across the full project lifecycle (Win Plan Do Handover)
• Act as a key member of the Regional Senior Leadership Team, influencing business strategy and performance
• Align stakeholders across Delivery, Commercial, SHEQ, Procurement, and Technical teams
• Own and assure contract baseline programmes using Primavera P6 or Asta Powerproject
• Lead regional resource planning, ensuring capability aligns with future demand
• Drive consistency and excellence in planning standards and processes
• Embed and monitor key KPIs (SPI, CPI, Earned Value, productivity)
• Deliver clear, data‑driven reporting and dashboards for senior stakeholders
• Conduct forecasting and trend analysis to support proactive decision‑making
• Lead advanced schedule risk analysis (Monte Carlo, TIA, SRA)
• Ensure effective change control across all programmes
• Maintain robust, auditable risk registers and mitigation strategies
• Support bids with robust planning, sequencing, and risk assessments
• Collaborate with Business Development to strengthen win strategies
• Ensure all activities align with contractual obligations (e.g. NEC), internal processes, and legislation
• Maintain accurate and auditable project data and records
• Champion a Safety First culture across all projects
• Drive compliance with HSEQ standards and continuous improvement

To be successful in this role you will have:

• Proven leadership experience within Planning / Project Controls
• Strong expertise in Primavera P6 and/or Asta Powerproject
• Experience working under NEC contracts
• Background in major infrastructure or energy sectors (Rail, Nuclear, Power, Water)
• Advanced knowledge of earned value management (EVM) and performance analytics
• Expertise in risk modelling and forecasting techniques
• Experience managing planning at a portfolio or regional level
• Project Management qualification (APM, PMI or equivalent)
• Relevant engineering / construction qualification or apprenticeship
• Leadership/management qualification (Level 5 or equivalent desirable)

Who You Are

• A strategic and influential leader who can inspire teams and stakeholders
• Data‑driven, comfortable translating complex data into actionable insights
• Resilient and solutions‑focused, able to navigate complex challenges
• A collaborator, fostering a high‑performance, team‑first culture

Benefits

• 25 days holiday per annum, plus bank holidays
• Pension with leading provider and up to 8% employer contribution
• Private healthcare
• Free 24/7 365 Employee assistance program to support mental health and wellbeing (including counselling sessions and legal advice)
• Discounts
• Personal development programme
• Flexible Benefits
• Travel allowance

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