Scheduling & Permitting Lead in Exeter

Right across infrastructure, there’s a requirement to not only maintain, but also renew and reimagine. Whatever stage you’re at in your career, with us you’ll have an opportunity to grow and develop. Delivering essential infrastructure services for life, while being safety first, and client and customer centric in a friendly, fun and respectful environment where you are encouraged to thrive.

Where will you be working? At M Group Highways, we’re supporting the safe transportation and movement of people across the UK. We don’t just build roads and bridges - we’re building a better future, creating lasting social value that gives back to the communities in which we work. You’ll be joining our Highways team, as the UK’s number one highway maintenance contractor, our teams use the latest innovations to create effective solutions. We offer a range of services including planned and reactive maintenance and highway improvement schemes.

What will you be doing? The Scheduling & Permitting Lead ensures accurate, efficient and compliant scheduling across all workloads, managing risks, maintaining service continuity and supporting KPI delivery. The role optimises resources, minimises disruption and enables safe, right-first-time performance while providing guidance to colleagues to maintain consistent, high-quality scheduling practices.

• Lead, support and develop the scheduling and permitting team to ensure high-quality, consistent performance.
• Deliver accurate, timely and compliant schedules that align work priorities with operational capacity and right-first-time delivery.
• Allocate and adjust resources effectively to maximise productivity, respond to demand changes and minimise service disruption.
• Manage in-day issues and exceptions proactively to maintain operational continuity and performance.
• Ensure all scheduling and permitting activity complies with regulatory, contractual and safety requirements, maintaining accurate, auditable records.
• Collaborate with operational teams, clients and stakeholders, communicating clearly to support effective delivery and resolve issues.
• Maintain high-quality system data, monitor performance metrics, and use insights to support decision-making and continuous improvement.
• Provide daily guidance, coaching and best-practice sharing to develop team capability and support consistent ways of working.
• Secure, manage and monitor streetworks permits, including notices, extensions and negotiations, to minimise FPN and S74 liabilities.
• Act as a key escalation point for scheduling and permitting queries across operational teams and client representatives.
• Plan and prioritise workloads effectively to ensure structured, timely and adaptable delivery.
• Apply data-driven problem-solving to identify risks, understand issues and develop practical, compliant solutions.
• Build collaborative working relationships and adapt communication to support smooth operational delivery.
• Follow all safety, regulatory and organisational procedures consistently to ensure compliant and reliable service delivery.

What you’ll bring Essential Proven experience in a scheduling, planning or coordination role within an operational environment. Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage high volumes of work and changing priorities. Confident user of scheduling, planning or works management systems, with strong IT capability. Excellent communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively at all levels. Strong analytical skills, including the ability to interpret performance data and identify trends. Experience working within a regulated or compliance-driven environment. Proactive, resilient and solutions-focused approach. Good standard of general education (for example, GCSEs or equivalent).

Desirable Experience in utilities, highways, transport or infrastructure environments. Knowledge of industry-specific regulations (e.g. street works, utilities compliance frameworks). Experience supporting or guiding others in a scheduling or planning function. Exposure to performance reporting, dashboards or management information. Experience contributing to continuous improvement or process optimisation initiatives.

What’s in it for you? We offer a range of benefits designed to support your life in and out of work, some of which include; Matched or contributory pension scheme, Online GP service, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, Employee assistance programme, My Rewards portal, access to 1000s of retail discounts, Life assurance, Personal accident insurance, Cycle to work, salary finance and give as you earn schemes, Enhanced maternity, paternity leave and adoption leave, Reward and recognition scheme. In addition, this role offers; 28 days' annual leave plus bank holidays, Recommend a friend - get rewarded for introducing people to us! Holiday purchase scheme, Personal Accident Cover.

About us We want to be an employer of choice and a great place to work, attracting diverse and talented people, who join us and make a difference. We are one of the Top 100 UK companies actively supporting and recruiting army veterans. Our ENABLE inclusion networks bring together people who have a shared passion, to help create an environment where everyone belongs. Our values help to shape our culture and how we work with one another. We recruit with these values in mind, to ensure your aspirations, and ways of working, align with ours. We’re responsible and go further for our people, clients, communities and the planet. We’re open and seek new and better ways of exceeding expectations. We’re together and as one team; the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. We’re ambitious and embrace opportunity, to lead essential infrastructure services for life. Whether you’re a trainee, apprentice or graduate, or progressing through your career, our people benefit from industry recognised programmes, training and development. It’s an exceptional time to be a part of M Group.

Please note: Occasionally, we may close job adverts before the stated closing date. We’d encourage you to apply as soon as possible to ensure your application is considered. For certain roles, successful candidates will be subject to 3rd party background checks as part of our hiring process. Some of our roles require drug and alcohol testing as part of our induction.