Senior Planning Assistant in Preston

The Senior Planning Assistant plays a key role in delivering exceptional customer service by managing and coordinating customer transport and accommodation bookings. The role is responsible for ensuring all pre-planned bookings are processed accurately and within agreed service levels, while also supporting supplier recruitment and allocation activities.

Working closely with customers, suppliers and internal stakeholders, the role ensures seamless service delivery, supports operational excellence and provides guidance and training to team members where required.

What Success Looks Like

• Customer bookings are processed accurately and within agreed SLA requirements.
• Customer communications are handled professionally, efficiently and to a high standard.
• Suitable suppliers are identified and allocated to jobs in a timely and cost-effective manner.
• Team members receive appropriate support, training and guidance.
• Supplier and recruitment processes are managed effectively with issues escalated where necessary.
• Job checking, invoicing support and operational administration are completed accurately.
• Strong collaboration is maintained across all departments to ensure excellent customer outcomes.

Core Responsibilities

• Customer Service & Booking Management
  • Process pre-planned transport and accommodation bookings in accordance with customer requirements and agreed service levels.
  • Maintain regular communication with new and existing customers through telephone, email and written correspondence.
  • Manage all pre-planning enquiries and ensure timely resolution.
  • Generate and issue customer correspondence relating to transport and accommodation arrangements.
  • Book hotels, flights and rail travel for business clients as required.
• Supplier Management & Recruitment
  • Regularly review unassigned jobs and identify suitable suppliers.
  • Allocate jobs to the most commercially advantageous supplier while maintaining service quality.
  • Generate and issue supplier confirmations and acceptance documentation.
  • Escalate any supplier performance issues, inaccuracies or inconsistencies impacting operations to management.
• Team Support & Leadership
  • Support the day-to-day management of the Planning team, promoting a positive, high-performing and customer-focused culture.
  • Develop training materials and support the onboarding, coaching and ongoing development of team members.
  • Conduct regular one-to-one meetings, probation reviews and Performance Development Reviews (PDRs), providing constructive feedback and identifying development opportunities.
  • Assist with workforce planning activities, including holiday management, absence monitoring and ensuring appropriate team coverage.
  • Provide guidance, support and assistance to colleagues with operational queries and escalations.
  • Support management with quality checks, invoicing activities and operational administration.
  • Act as a key point of contact for the team and provide cover for the Assistant Manager during periods of absence.
• Operational Support
  • Work collaboratively with other departments to support business objectives.
  • Maintain accurate records and documentation.
  • Undertake additional duties and projects as reasonably required to support operational needs.
  • Help drive continuous improvement by identifying opportunities to enhance processes, efficiency and service delivery.

About You

You are an organised and customer-focused professional who thrives in a fast-paced operational environment. You have excellent communication skills, a strong attention to detail and the ability to manage competing priorities effectively. You enjoy working collaboratively while also being comfortable taking ownership of tasks independently. You are proactive, solutions-focused and committed to delivering excellent service to customers, suppliers and colleagues alike.

Your Expertise

Essential

• Previous experience within the transport, travel or taxi industry.
• Excellent customer service and relationship management skills.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent organisational and time management abilities.
• Ability to prioritise workload effectively in a demanding environment.
• Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Good IT skills and experience using business systems and Microsoft Office applications.
• National geographical knowledge.
• GCSEs (or equivalent) including Maths and English.

Desirable

• Experience of booking transport, accommodation and travel services.
• Previous experience supporting or training colleagues.
• Experience of supplier management and allocation activities.
• Understanding of SLA-driven operational environments.

About CMAC Group

We’re on a mission to keep the world moving - wherever, whenever people need it. We believe disruption shouldn’t stop people in their tracks. From delayed flights to complex transport challenges, we make the complicated simple - getting people where they need to be safely and seamlessly.

Since 2007, we’ve built a technology-led platform connecting clients to a trusted global network, moving over 5 million passengers every year across the UK, Europe and beyond. We partner with airlines, rail providers, major corporations and emergency services, delivering 24/7 solutions through our family of brands when it matters most, with the scale and flexibility to handle even the most time critical journeys.

We’re not just moving people - we’re solving real world problems, creating calm in disruption and delivering exceptional service when it matters most.

CMAC Group actively promotes equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI). EDI is extremely important to us and we work hard to ensure that everyone connected with CMAC - whether employees, customers, Board Members, suppliers, or partners - has genuine and equal opportunities to participate in our organisation. We welcome and support people of all backgrounds and identities, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation. Our aim is to create an environment where everyone’s rights, dignity, and individuality are respected. We value the unique contribution each person brings to our team and business, and we are committed to building an environment where everyone feels included and able to thrive.

CMAC Group is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates and are committed to ensuring fair, accessible, and equitable treatment for all applicants and employees.