Senior Planner in City of London

We are recruiting on behalf of a leading consultancy seeking a Senior Associate Planner to support continued growth and the delivery of high-quality planning services across a diverse client portfolio. This is a strategic role within the planning function, providing direction across complex projects and programmes. The successful candidate will ensure schedule integrity, embed robust planning governance, and align programme performance with wider project objectives. The role requires advanced technical capability combined with clear communication and leadership skills. You will mentor junior planners, collaborate with senior leadership, and contribute to continuous improvement across the project controls function. There are also opportunities to engage with emerging scheduling technologies, sector communities and specialist forums.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategic Schedule Leadership
  • Lead the development and management of detailed project and programme schedules using Primavera P6 or equivalent tools.
  • Establish and maintain planning and scheduling processes and procedures.
  • Develop integrated Work Breakdown Structures aligned to project scope and governance lifecycles.
• Planning Governance and Assurance
  • Implement and enforce planning standards aligned to client governance requirements.
  • Conduct schedule assurance reviews to ensure compliance.
  • Provide input at LoD2 and support preparation for LoD3 project audits.
  • Promote planning excellence and continuous improvement within the controls function.
• Schedule Performance Monitoring and Forecasting
  • Lead progress assessments, performance trending and variance analysis for senior leadership.
  • Identify schedule risks, develop mitigation strategies and undertake impact assessments.
  • Ensure integration between Schedule, Cost and Risk through collaborative project leadership.
• Stakeholder and Interface Management
  • Engage with senior stakeholders, clients and contractors to ensure schedule accuracy.
  • Facilitate planning and coordination workshops.
  • Translate complex schedule data into actionable insight for senior decision-making.
• Team Leadership and Development
  • Lead, mentor and develop a team of planners, ensuring high standards of delivery.
  • Act as a subject matter expert for Planning and Scheduling and advocate for the wider project controls function.
• Change and Risk Management
  • Contribute to risk management strategies and support change control processes.
  • Support management of project risk and opportunity registers to identify, quantify and realise efficiency improvements.
  • Lead planning input for claims and delay analysis where required.
• Reporting
  • Lead schedule reporting, ensuring schedule data, tender timescales and actual out-turn durations are captured, classified and fed back into the cost estimating database.
  • Support preparation and delivery of monthly cost forecasts to within ±5% accuracy, integrating cost plans with activity schedules.
  • Support implementation and continuous improvement of schedule reporting processes.
• Communication
  • Lead workshops, extract key information from project teams and present to senior management.
  • Work effectively with multiple senior stakeholders with competing interests.
  • Translate complex data into clear, concise reports and presentations.
  • Structure outputs to convey information effectively and professionally.

Candidate Requirements:

• Experience delivering planning services on major capital projects or programmes valued at £100m+.
• Experience working within live operational environments.
• Aviation sector experience desirable but not essential.
• Demonstrable experience leading and managing a project controls function.
• Proven track record of building and maintaining integrated programmes.
• Experience monitoring and maintaining forecast schedules against baseline.
• Experience within structured PMO or project controls environments.
• Experience producing dashboard-style reporting using Excel and/or Power BI.
• Competent user of Primavera P6, Microsoft Project and Microsoft Office.
• Familiar with standard forms of construction contracts (e.g. NEC).
• Strong communication skills across all organisational levels.
• Experience working with senior stakeholders with competing priorities.
• Ability to distil complex data into clear, engaging outputs.
• Able to deliver high-quality work within challenging timeframes in a consultancy environment.
• Excellent organisational and proactive time management skills.
• Self-motivated, with the ability to achieve objectives with minimal supervision.
• Motivated and ambitious.

Working Environment and Benefits:

Our client operates within a partner-led model that prioritises collaboration, innovation and professional development. You will work within a senior-led team environment with access to structured career development and lifelong learning opportunities. The benefits package includes:

• 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays and office closure between Christmas and New Year.
• Early finishes before bank holidays and on the final Friday of each month.
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• Flexible working from day one.
• £250 annual health and wellbeing allowance.
• Contributory private medical insurance with virtual GP access.
• Life assurance (4x basic salary).
• Salary sacrifice pension with matched 5% employer contribution.
• Professional subscription reimbursement.
• Enhanced family-friendly policies.
• Season ticket loan and cycle to work scheme.
• Referral bonus scheme.
• Unpaid sabbatical option (subject to eligibility).
• Compassionate leave and paid jury service leave.
• Sports and social activities.

Benefits are reviewed annually and may be subject to change.