Reports to: Group Leader (Planning)
Location: London - Heathrow Airport (All Terminals)
Contract Type: Permanent
Introduction to role
As a Specialist Planner, reporting into the Planning Manager, you will be responsible for planning all project activities. You will clearly set out decision moments and turnaround times for and with all disciplines involved in a project. You will construct and set up project plans, ensuring that any opportunities and/or threats are identified in good time. Armed with your information and reports, project managers, project leaders and subcontractors and their teams will be in a position to set or adjust their course promptly, wherever they are in the world. You will play a leading role in the projects in which you are involved. You will report to project management and be required to produce monthly project reports. Project planners are part of the Airports and Parcels Operations Team.
Role Responsibilities
You will set priorities, identify problems, and take the necessary steps to resolve them (as part of a multidisciplinary approach). You will be involved in every phase of a project: from engineering, supply and shipping to the commissioning of systems. As a Specialist planner, you will work closely with other disciplines, such as sales, project management, project engineering and the supply chain. You will be the key person in a project, as which you will maintain an overview of the consequences of the difference between the expectations of project management and the possibilities offered by the supply chain. You and your team will ensure that projects are completed successfully.
Your responsibilities and activities will be:
- Effectively translating the scope of a project into an overall project plan, sometimes with minimal input from others.
- Identifying the critical path in a project plan and the corresponding opportunities and risks
- Coordinating a project plan with the customer and subcontractors, so that an integrated project plan is achieved.
- Liaising with all of the internal and external parties involved in a project.
- Reporting on the progress being made with a project to the relevant Project Manager.
- Analysing and giving solicited and unsolicited advice on overall project plans
- Preparing complex plans in consultation with project team members, subcontractors, suppliers, customers and stakeholders.
- Willing to give guidance and mentoring to more Junior members of the team.
- Leading on one or multiple complex projects and have strong experience in building programmes from scratch.
Role Qualification and Skills
- Experience of working in a project organization
- A minimum of 7+ years Planning experience with at least 3 being carried out in at least a Senior planning role. Aviation and/or baggage experience is advantageous but not essential.
- Expert Primavera 6 knowledge is essential.
- Strong communication skills and the ability to liaise at different levels. You will have the ability to involve people and to convince them of the importance of sharing and receiving information in order to identify and maintain common project interests.
- Ability to lead the planning function on complex projects.
- Strong Excel skills
- You will have the ability to work under (time) pressure and set priorities appropriately.
- Have an excellent understanding of the NEC process.
- Understanding of technical planning techniques such as cost loading, critical path analysis etc.
- Have experience throughout the project life cycle (i.e tender to completion).
- Delivery integration experience would be beneficial
What we offer
- 28 days annual leave (excluding public holidays)
- Bupa Medical Cover
- YuLife – Wellbeing membership with fast access to GP appointments, promotion of health and wellbeing along with daily quests to gain Yucoins that can be swapped for shopping vouchers
- A challenging work environment with lots of opportunities of career progression.
- Cycle to work scheme
- Yellow Nest is a salary exchange scheme that reduces childcare costs for parents and employers
- Pension with Aviva
- Access to Achievers an award-winning recognition platform that inspires to recognise your coworkers Where points are awarded that can be exchanged for a range of goods and discounts.
Diversity & Inclusion
Vanderlande is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Qualified applicants will be considered without regards to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age marital status or disability status. If you feel there is a barrier that potentially prevents you from applying, we are always happy to discuss or explore, any reasonable adjustments can be made to support your application.
Skills Required
- Experience of working in a project organization
- Minimum of 7+ years planning experience with at least 3 years in a Senior planning role
- Expert Primavera 6 knowledge
- Strong communication skills and ability to liaise at different levels
- Ability to lead the planning function on complex projects
- Strong Excel skills
- Ability to work under (time) pressure and set priorities appropriately
- Excellent understanding of the NEC process
- Understanding of technical planning techniques such as cost loading and critical path analysis
- Experience throughout the project lifecycle (tender to completion)
- Delivery integration experience
- Aviation and/or baggage experience
Vanderlande Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Vanderlande and has not been reviewed or approved by Vanderlande.
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Healthcare Strength — Health coverage is described as comprehensive, with day‑one eligibility in many U.S. roles and employer‑paid protections that reduce out‑of‑pocket exposure. Feedback suggests medical, dental, and vision are a clear strength.
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Retirement Support — Retirement offerings include a 401(k) with company match and immediate vesting in the U.S. Feedback suggests this forms a solid pillar of the total rewards package.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Paid time off, sick leave, and paid holidays are characterized as generous relative to peers. Compressed workweek options in some roles further support time away and recovery.
Vanderlande Insights
What We Do
Vanderlande is the global market leader for future-proof logistic process automation at airports. The company is also a leading supplier of process automation solutions for warehouses and in the parcel market. Vanderlande’s baggage handling systems are capable of moving over 4 billion pieces of baggage around the world per year. Its systems are active in more than 600 airports including 12 of the world’s top 20. More than 52 million parcels are sorted by its systems every day, which have been installed for the world’s leading parcel companies. In addition, many of the largest global e-commerce players and retailers have confidence in Vanderlande’s efficient and reliable solutions. The company focuses on the optimisation of its customers’ business processes and competitive positions. Through close cooperation, it strives for the improvement of their operational activities and the expansion of their logistical achievements. Vanderlande’s extensive portfolio of integrated solutions – innovative systems, intelligent software and life-cycle services – results in the realisation of fast, reliable and efficient automation technology. Established in 1949, Vanderlande has more than 7,500 employees, all committed to moving its customers’ businesses forward at diverse locations on every continent. With a consistently increasing turnover of 1.8 billion euros, it has established a global reputation over the past seven decades as a highly reliable partner for future-proof logistic process automation. Vanderlande was acquired in 2017 by Toyota Industries Corporation, which will help it to continue its sustainable profitable growth. The two companies have a strong strategic match, and the synergies include cross-selling, product innovations, and research and development.
