Lead Project Planner – AC Substations

Stafford, UK | Hybrid | Permanent
Are you an experienced project planner who enjoys bringing structure, insight and direction to complex engineering projects?

We are looking for a Lead Project Planner to take ownership of project planning and schedule control across complex EPC/turnkey projects within the electrical transmission sector. Working closely with Project Managers, engineering teams, customers and external partners, you will establish robust project baselines, analyse schedule performance and help project teams anticipate and overcome delivery challenges.

This position requires strong Primavera P6 expertise, an understanding of AC electrical substations and the confidence to challenge, influence and collaborate across a multidisciplinary organisation.

• Develop detailed project schedules and establish approved project baselines in collaboration with customers and internal stakeholders.
• Maintain and periodically update project schedules, including resource forecasts, throughout the full project lifecycle.
• Identify activity prerequisites, interfaces, dependencies and potential blockers, working with project teams and third parties to address them proactively.
• Monitor and challenge progress, agree realistic forecasts and develop mitigation, recovery and catch-up plans where required.
• Analyse schedule performance and emerging trends using appropriate planning techniques and indicators, including schedule movement analysis, S-curves, commodity curves, on-time delivery, Say/Do ratios, resource loading and productivity measures.
• Identify schedule-related risks and opportunities and work with the wider project team to develop effective mitigation strategies.
• Provide clear, evidence-based schedule information to support Project Managers in decision-making and escalation.
• Collaborate with functional task owners and resource owners to optimise activity durations, sequencing and resource requirements.
• Ensure forecast durations, schedule logic and delivery commitments are understood and agreed by the relevant task owners.
• Present schedule status, trends, forecasts and anticipated outcomes during project and management reviews, making recommendations that support strategic decisions.
• Produce and communicate accurate internal project reporting.
• Prepare contractually required customer reports and engage directly with customers on planning and scheduling matters.
• Coordinate schedule interfaces with customers, partners, contractors and other third parties, including maintaining an interface register.
• Maintain schedule and cost risk information in collaboration with the Project Risk Manager.
• Provide schedule-related calculations and analysis to support accurate change-order cost and programme assessments.
• Work with the Cost Controller to reconcile Primavera P6 schedules with approved project cost phasing.
• Develop “what-if” scenarios to optimise project execution and assess their feasibility with the wider project team.
• Support dispute resolution, extension-of-time assessments and the analysis of schedule-related claims.
• Take full ownership of the planning output for assigned projects, working in close partnership with the relevant Project Manager.

• A degree in engineering, project management or another relevant discipline.
• Strong project planning and schedule-management experience within EPC or turnkey project environments.
• Advanced working knowledge of Primavera P6.
• Experience supporting projects within the electrical transmission sector, with knowledge of AC electrical substations.
• A sound understanding of project dependencies and logical sequencing across engineering, procurement, manufacturing, construction, installation, testing and commissioning.
• Experience producing schedule analysis, forecasts, recovery plans and resource projections.
• Confidence working directly with customers, project partners and third-party contractors.

• Experience working on large and complex infrastructure projects.
• Experience operating within an international or multicultural project environment.
• Knowledge of forensic schedule analysis and extension-of-time claim preparation.
• Experience integrating project schedules with cost, resource and risk-management processes.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build effective relationships across functions and levels of seniority.
• A proactive approach, with the confidence to challenge assumptions, influence decisions and anticipate potential delivery issues.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate schedule data into clear, evidence-based recommendations.
• Customer-focused and comfortable presenting complex planning information in a transparent and accessible way.
• Collaborative, resilient and able to remain effective in a complex project environment.
• Able to work autonomously, take ownership and deliver reliable, high-quality planning outputs.
• A strong team player who actively contributes to successful project delivery.