Senior Planner in Newport

Equans Data Centers are seeking to appoint a Senior Planner to be based on a project site in Newport/West Drayton to assist the delivery of our projects. The Senior Planner will provide a professional planning service in every stage of the project lifecycle from tender, through to design, construction and commissioning, ensuring all activities are captured and playing a key role within project teams.

Responsibilities

• Provide planning services as a key part of the project team ensuring the teams are delivering on project time objectives.
• Understand the level of planning service and anticipated time allocation for each project.
• Identify, communicate and manage project risks, collaborating with the team to solve any issues or problems.
• Build strong internal and external relationships with the Planning department and broader project and client teams.
• Communicate with other disciplines within production teams to ensure they are aware of their roles in meeting the programme.
• Ensure compliance with company procedures and planning standards.
• Provide detailed and accurate regular progress reporting to the project team and client as required.
• Summarise project status upstream to senior management, highlighting unresolved major risks and potential overruns.
• Manage time and workload to ensure deadlines are met, highlighting any potential overload to the Line Manager as soon as it appears.
• Review processes to enhance planning best practice that can aid and improve performance and consistency across the project teams and wider planning community.
• Lead programme meetings and react quickly to client‑led changes, ensuring audit trails.
• Forge robust links with key stakeholders by working closely with senior managers and directors.
• Review projects that have deviated from the plan and provide advice on plans and strategy, cause and effect, and contribute to decisions on the best way forward.

Benefits

• Competitive salary, car or car allowance and benefits package.
• 25 days annual leave (+ public holidays)
• Life Cover equivalent to 4 times annual salary
• Company Stakeholder Pension Scheme
• Private Medical Insurance (Family Cover)
• 2 corporate social responsibility days per year
• Broad range of learning opportunities, such as professional qualifications, collective/individual training and personalised support programmes
• Attractive Employee Referral Rewards Scheme
• Access to employee networks (AccessAbility, Encompass, RISE, WOMEN TOGETHER, Working Parents, Young Professionals)
• 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme and mental wellbeing app access

Qualifications

• Experience of construction projects across a broad range of sectors, bias towards Data Centres and Pharmaceutical (Cleanrooms/laboratories) industries.
• Planning software expertise, preferably in P6 and Asta Powerproject.
• Ability to manage multiple project programmes running in parallel.
• Demonstrate knowledge of all aspects of a project lifecycle: design, procurement, construction (structure, architecture, M&E services, process) and commissioning.
• Excellent communication skills; ability to articulate key issues clearly and listen to others.
• Knowledge of the key features of common forms of contract entered into in the UK.
• Attention to Health and Safety matters.
• Commercially astute.
• Excellent knowledge of Excel for use in dashboard reporting.
• A strategic approach, communicating effectively, making confident decisions and getting the best out of others.

About Equans Data Centers

Equans Data Centers is a strategic data centre partner. We deliver the whole data centre, providing full general contracting for hyperscaler and colocation data centre projects across Europe, through a single point of contact. Leveraging Bouygues Energies & Services and Equans' experiences, we provide expertise in construction and engineering, global standardisation, precision localisation and total control of the supply chain.

With more than 1,200 highly skilled employees across eight European countries, Equans Data Centres has delivered over 400,000 m² of data halls, exceeding 640 MW of IT space for major data‑centre providers such as VIRTUS, Digital Reality, Equinix, Vantage, Stack Infrastructure, Data4 and many others.

Eligibility: You must have evidence of the right to work in the UK. Relocation is not offered for this role.

Equality: We encourage applications from women, ethnically diverse individuals and people with disabilities, and all candidates who identify with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.