Lead Planner

AtkinsRéalis • Full-time • Bristol, London • 2m ago

Overview

As a Lead Planner, you will provide leadership, assurance and strategic direction across planning activities for complex programmes and multidisciplinary teams. This role includes one day per week based in London to support stakeholder engagement, governance activities and collaborative planning sessions.

Your role

Provide leadership, coaching and potentially line management to planning resources, ensuring high‑quality outputs, professional development and consistent ways of working.
Lead on quality assurance across all planning and scheduling deliverables, ensuring accuracy, consistency, compliance and adherence to industry standards and internal governance.
Take a proactive, analytical approach to future issues, identifying early‑warning signals, emerging risks, schedule vulnerabilities and opportunities for schedule optimisation.
Develop the overall planning strategy for programmes, including schedule structure, governance, reporting frameworks and integration requirements.
Oversee the development and maintenance of integrated project and programme schedules, ensuring robust logic, sequencing, critical path management and effective change control.
Provide authoritative schedule analysis including scenario modelling, impact assessments, forward‑looking forecasts, and mitigation strategies for senior stakeholders.
Lead schedule‑related elements of performance measurement, including Earned Value
Management, trend analysis and schedule‑cost‑risk integration.
Ensure effective baseline establishment and management, aligned with contractual and governance requirements.
Provide leadership in schedule reporting, producing clear, consistent and insightful updates for clients and senior leadership, with a focus on future risks and actionable insights.
Build strong client and stakeholder relationships, representing the Planning function at a senior level and influencing decision‑making.
Drive continuous improvement, standardisation and best practice across planning processes, tools and methodologies.
Oversee compliance with relevant contract requirements (NEC, JCT, FIDIC etc.) and ensure planning obligations are met.
Support bids and work‑winning activities, defining planning methodologies, estimates and presenting planning approaches.
Champion capability development across the planning community and contribute to the growth of the service offering.

About you

Extensive planning experience, including work on complex, multidisciplinary or major projects/programmes.
Strong leadership experience, with the ability to manage, coach and assure planning teams.
High capability in QA, governance and analytical review, with a focus on early identification of issues and proposing solutions.
Advanced proficiency in planning tools including Primavera P6, Microsoft Project, Open Plan, Asta Powerproject (or similar).
Deep understanding of schedule development, logic, critical path, scenario modelling and forward‑facing schedule risk.
Proven experience integrating schedule, cost and risk, including EVM and forecasting.
Strong capability in baseline management, change control and programme governance.
Excellent communication and presentation skills, able to produce clear narrative, engage senior stakeholders and influence decision‑making.
Strong understanding of project controls disciplines and how they integrate with planning.
Working knowledge of relevant contract forms (NEC, JCT, FIDIC etc.) and their implications for planning and reporting.
Experience in consultancy environments, managing diverse client needs.
Engineering and/or construction background highly desirable to support engagement with delivery, design, procurement and technical teams.

Rewards & benefits

Explore the rewards and benefits that help you thrive – at every stage of your life and your career. Enjoy competitive salaries, employee rewards and a brilliant range of benefits you can tailor to suit your own health, wellbeing, financial and lifestyle choices. Make the most of a myriad of opportunities for training and professional development to grow your skills and expertise. And combine our hybrid working culture and flexible holiday allowances to balance a great job and fulfilling personal life.

Be rewarded. Find out more.

About AtkinsRéalis

We're AtkinsRéalis, a world-class engineering services and nuclear organization. We connect people, data and technology to transform the world's'infrastructure and energy systems. Together, with our industry partners and clients, and our global team of consultants, designers, engineers and project managers, we can change the world. We're committed to leading our clients across our various end markets to engineer a better future for our planet and its people.

Find out more.

Additional information

Security clearance

This role may require security clearance and offers of employment will be dependent on obtaining the relevant level of clearance. If this is necessary, it will be discussed with you at interview. The vetting process is delivered by United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) and may require candidates to provide proof of residency in the UK of 5 years or longer. If applying to this role please do not make reference to (in conversation) or include in your application or CV, details of any current or previously held security clearance.

We are committed to creating a culture where everyone feels that they belong - a place where we can all be ourselves, thrive and develop to be the best we can be. So, we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements and employee resource groups to support all employees. As an Equal Opportunities Employer, we value applications from all backgrounds, cultures and ability.