Senior Planner / Manager (Belfast) in Newtownabbey

Your new company Hays Belfast are proud to be partnering with one of Northern Ireland's leading and most established Fit Out contractors to recruit an experienced Senior Construction Planner / Planning in Belfast. This organisation has been operating at the forefront of the fit-out sector for nearly 50 years, delivering high-end projects across the UK and Ireland, with values typically exceeding £. They have developed a prestigious global client base across the Commercial, Retail, Hospitality, Education, and Stadia sectors, and are widely recognised for delivering complex, design-led projects to exceptional standards.

This is an excellent opportunity to join a business with a strong pipeline of work, where you will play a key role in delivering projects from pre-construction through to completion, all while benefiting from a Belfast-based role with minimal UK travel.

Your new role

Reporting to the Company Directors, you will join a well-established and growing planning team, working across a portfolio of high-value fit-out projects. You will take ownership of the full planning life cycle, developing and managing detailed construction programmes from tender and estimating phases through to live project delivery and completion. This will include producing project-specific programmes, method statements, logistics plans, procurement schedules, and commissioning programmes, ensuring projects are delivered on time, on budget, and in line with client expectations.

Working closely with Project Managers, Contracts Managers, Quantity Surveyors, and Design teams, you will promote best practice in planning and play a key role in aligning project delivery with programme strategy. You will also be responsible for developing design deliverable programmes, monitoring critical paths, and ensuring full visibility of project progress.

Using Asta Powerproject (and other planning tools where required), you will regularly review, update, and analyse programmes, carrying out "what-if" scenario planning, identifying risks, and recommending mitigation or recovery strategies where necessary. You will act as a key communication link across all stakeholders, challenging subcontractor programmes, ensuring alignment with overarching project timelines, and providing detailed reporting on progress, delays, and change. This will include supporting extension of time claims, compensation events, and programme-related contractual matters.

This is a role that offers real influence, where you will be expected to contribute to risk management, programme optimisation, and continuous improvement across multiple projects.

What you'll need to succeed

To be successful, you will have proven experience operating as a Construction or Project Planner, ideally within a fit-out or main contracting environment. You will demonstrate strong technical capability in Asta Powerproject and Microsoft Project, with the ability to develop, manage, and interrogate complex programmes across multiple projects simultaneously. Exposure to Primavera P6 and knowledge of M&E services would be advantageous.

You will have a solid understanding of construction sequencing, methodologies, and project delivery, alongside experience working under common forms of contract including NEC, ECC, and supporting both operational and commercial teams, particularly in relation to programme reporting, extensions of time, and variations, will be key. You will also be confident producing monthly reports, communicating programme impacts, and engaging directly with both internal teams and external stakeholders.

The ability to review and challenge subcontractor programmes, identify risks, and drive proactive solutions is essential for this position. The role will involve limited UK travel (typically once a month or slightly more if required), with the majority of work based in Belfast / Hybrid working from home.

What you'll get in return

In return, you will join a highly respected contractor delivering high-profile, design-led fit-out projects across the UK and Ireland. You will benefit from:

• A strong and secure pipeline of projects
• Clear career progression within a growing business
• An attractive salary and benefits package
• Performance-related bonus
• Private healthcare
• Pension and flexible benefits platform
• Hybrid working (office, home, and site)
• Minimal travel with strong work-life balance

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Planner looking to step into a senior, influential role within a leading fit-out specialist, working on some of the most prestigious projects in the region.

What you need to do now

If you're interested in this role, please contact Chris McNamara or send your CV via this advert. If this opportunity isn't quite right, but you are considering a move, please get in touch for a confidential discussion about your career.