Project Planner - Marine Defence in Kilsby

Overview

We’re expanding our Portfolio Management Office and seeking experienced Project Planners to support our Marine Defence programs. This is a high‑impact opportunity to play a key role in the planning and execution of complex, critical customer projects that drive real‑world outcomes in energy and defence.

Responsibilities

• Project Planning & Scheduling – Take full ownership of integrated project schedules across the entire lifecycle, from bid through to contract close‑out. Develop, maintain and monitor detailed schedules covering engineering, supply chain, manufacturing, site works and commissioning. Drive alignment across project stakeholders, suppliers and internal teams to ensure accurate timelines and milestone visibility. Create and manage baseline plans, perform schedule updates and support contract change‑control processes.
• Customer and Stakeholder Engagement – Act as a key planning interface in customer and internal meetings, delivering clear and confident schedule presentations. Support the commercial team by reviewing contractual terms related to scheduling and progress reporting. Lead preparation of schedule impact assessments for variation orders and internal change controls.
• Schedule Risk Management – Identify risks and opportunities early, driving proactive mitigation strategies to protect project delivery timelines. Support Project Managers with early‑warning alerts and recovery plans that reduce cost and schedule exposure. Develop critical‑path and what‑if analyses to test project resilience and optimise execution paths.
• Earned Value and Reporting – Generate schedule‑derived outputs such as Earned Value Analysis to provide data‑driven insights into project health. Monitor and report progress to internal and external stakeholders with transparency, clarity and rigor.

Qualifications

• Proven background in project planning for complex engineering programmes.
• Experience managing multiple projects concurrently in a high‑paced, matrix environment.
• Understanding of PMI or similar project management methodologies, with knowledge of supply chain and manufacturing processes.
• Proficiency in Primavera P6 and Microsoft Project, plus strong MS Excel capabilities (pivot tables, macros, data analysis).
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with a confident and professional approach to stakeholder engagement.
• Strong organisational and prioritisation skills.
• Higher levels of UK Security Clearance (SC clearance) required. Existing clearance or ability to obtain clearance is mandatory.

What Will Make You Stand Out

• Experience in marine, defence or complex industrial sectors.
• Demonstrated ability to build, baseline and impact project schedules, perform critical‑path and cost‑loading analyses, and manage EOT and acceleration claims.
• Familiarity with concurrent delay analysis and robust understanding of schedule risk management.
• Experience mentoring or coaching cross‑functional project teams and early‑career colleagues in planning best practices.

Benefits

• Employer pension contribution regardless of individual contribution.
• Private health insurance.
• Income protection and life assurance.
• 26 days annual leave plus bank holidays.
• Competitive compensation package and benefits tailored to your needs, with a flexible working culture that respects work‑life balance and individual career goals.