At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead planning for major construction projects, ensuring schedules are robust and compliant.
- Company: Join Mercury, a leader in innovative construction solutions across Europe.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, career development, and a supportive team environment.
- Other info: Dynamic workplace with opportunities for continuous improvement and personal growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on groundbreaking projects that connect communities and businesses.
- Qualifications: 5+ years in planning, strong skills in Primavera P6, and project lifecycle understanding.
The predicted salary is between 51750 - 63250 £ per year.
Beware of Fraudulent Mercury Job Postings.
Fraudsters may be posting fake job listings claiming to be from Mercury.
Legitimate Mercury job offers will never ask for personal information or upfront payments.
Always verify job postings through official Mercury channels.
Mercury is the European leader in construction solutions.
We build and manage complex engineering & construction projects for the world’s leading corporations.
Our solutions help deliver technologies and life changing advancements that connect people, communities, and businesses, giving them the power to achieve incredible things.
Our people have the courage to be innovative.
Their determination and sharp focus enable us to deliver with certainty, time and time again.
We deliver our clients’ visions through leading edge construction solutions across multiple sectors, including Enterprise Data Centres, Advanced Technology & Life Sciences, Hyperscale Data Centres, Fire Protection.
At Mercury, it is our duty to encourage and back our people to realise their vision of themselves.
We place them at the heart of what we do, providing challenging opportunities to develop within a great team in a supportive environment that allows them to reach their full potential.
Key Responsibilities of the Role
- Responsible for a project or portfolio of projects (regional / sectoral), serving as the lead planner across assigned scope, taking ownership of the full planning lifecycle, driving programme strategy, and acting as the senior planning authority for all schedule-related matters on the project or portfolio.
- Responsible for all aspects of planning, as defined by the Planning SOP, ensuring rigorous compliance with internal standards, client specifications, and contractual requirements, while also identifying opportunities to improve and refine planning processes, templates, and deliverables across the assigned projects.
- Reporting to the Planning Department on all functional matters, including schedule health, KPI trends, tool utilisation, compliance with planning standards, and providing feedback on the effectiveness of current procedures, recommending enhancements where appropriate.
- Developing and maintaining schedules for pre-construction / construction / commissioning phases using Primavera P6 (or equivalent scheduling software), taking full ownership of schedule architecture including WBS design, activity coding structures, calendar assignments, logic networks, and constraint management, ensuring schedules are robust, auditable, and reflective of the agreed construction methodology, procurement strategy, and contract programme
- Milestone projections, delay / float path analysis, leading critical path and near-critical path analysis, multi-path float consumption monitoring, and scenario-based forecasting to provide senior management and clients with robust, evidence-based milestone confidence assessments and early warning of programme threats.
- Earned Value Management (EVM) systems – leading the implementation, calibration, and ongoing management of EVM frameworks where contractually required or adopted by the project, ensuring accurate calculation and interpretation of key metrics (CPI, SPI, EAC, ETC, TCPI), and presenting EVM outputs in a manner that supports informed commercial and programme decision-making.
- Monitoring schedule performance and productivity, establishing performance baselines and benchmarks, conducting systematic analysis of planned vs. actual progress and productivity rates, identifying adverse trends at an early stage, and driving corrective action plans through collaboration with project management and site teams.
- Auditing progress on site through structured and regular site audits, independently verifying reported progress against physical completion, challenging inconsistencies, validating measurement methods and quantities, and ensuring that the schedule remains a true and credible reflection of site reality at all times.
- Preparation of tender schedules to support the estimating and bid process, developing strategically sound, competitive, and deliverable programmes that reflect proposed methodologies, resource strategies, procurement timelines, phasing options, and contract milestones, providing programme narratives and risk commentary to strengthen bid submissions.
- Supporting and overseeing weekly workface planning systems, collaborating with site supervision, construction management, and subcontractors to develop effective short-interval plans (e. g., 1-week / 3-week / 6-week lookaheads) that translate the master schedule into actionable, crew-level work plans, and monitoring adherence to improve plan reliability and predictability.
- Resource / cash loading of schedules, applying detailed labour, plant, material, subcontract, and cost data to schedule activities, producing resource histograms, cash flow forecasts, and S-curves for internal planning, client reporting, and commercial alignment, ensuring loaded data is validated and reconciled with estimating and commercial inputs.
- All other duties associated with the role, including active contribution to continuous improvement initiatives, development and refinement of planning tools, templates, procedures, and training materials, participation in departmental strategy and governance, and support of wider organisational objectives and the advancement of the planning discipline across the business
Essential Criteria for the Role
- Minimum 5+ years’ planning and project controls experience within large-scale construction, engineering, or mission-critical environments, preferably including Data Centre project delivery.
- Strong understanding of the full project lifecycle, from design development, procurement, and construction through to commissioning, handover, and close-out
- Advanced proficiency in Primavera P6, with the ability to develop, update, maintain and analyse detailed project programmes, lookahead schedules, progress updates, and reporting baselines.
- Strong capability in programme logic development, DCMA metrics, construction sequencing, critical path analysis, baseline control, progress validation, float management, and schedule quality review
- Good knowledge of Earned Value Management, schedule variance analysis, milestone tracking, productivity trends, delay identification, and recovery planning principles.
- Strong reporting and analytical skills, including the ability to produce clear programme dashboards, lookahead reports, progress narratives, milestone trackers, constraint logs, and risk summaries.
- Good communication and stakeholder engagement skills
- High level of ownership, organisation, and attention to detail, with the ability to work independently, prioritise competing demands and meet tight reporting and delivery deadlines
- Mercury is an equal opportunities employer
- #J-18808-Ljbffr
Senior Planner in London employer: Mercury Engineering
At Mercury, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work culture that fosters innovation and collaboration. Our commitment to employee growth is evident through challenging opportunities and a supportive environment, allowing our team members to reach their full potential while working on impactful projects in the construction sector. Located in a vibrant area, we provide not only competitive benefits but also a chance to be part of a leading company that shapes the future of engineering and construction.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Planner in London
✨Join Construction Networks
Get yourself involved in local construction networks or industry events. They often have job boards, and networking can lead to unadvertised positions. Plus, it’s a great way to meet potential future colleagues!
✨Show Off Your Skills on Site
If you’ve done any hands-on work, whether it's through internships or personal projects, make sure you can showcase it. Consider volunteering for local construction projects or getting involved in community build days; it’s a solid way to demonstrate your skills and build connections.
✨Utilise Construction Job Sites
Don't just rely on the big job boards. Look at niche construction job sites—many companies prioritise these for full-time roles. Apply through these sites, but don’t forget to reach out directly to companies you admire, like Mercury Engineering, to express your interest!
✨Tailor Your Application for Full-Time Roles
Make your application stand out by tailoring it specifically for full-time positions. Highlight how your previous projects align with the company's work. At StudySmarter, we encourage you to demonstrate your commitment and long-term interest in the industry when applying for roles like Senior Planner at Mercury Engineering.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Planner in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Showcase Your Relevant Experience:In the construction industry, it's essential to highlight any hands-on experience you have. Whether it’s past projects you've worked on or specific roles you've held, make sure your CV emphasises your practical skills and contributions to construction sites.
Include Certifications and Qualifications:Don’t forget to list any certifications relevant to construction, like CSCS cards or other safety qualifications. These can really set you apart from other candidates and show that you’re serious about health and safety on-site.
Tailor Your Cover Letter to Construction:When writing your cover letter for a construction role, focus on your problem-solving capabilities and teamwork. Construction relies heavily on collaboration, so mention how you’ve worked successfully with others to complete projects on time and within budget.
Adapt Your CV Format to the Field:Ensure your CV is clear and easy to read, with sections dedicated to skills such as project management, technical abilities, and site supervision. Construction roles often require a blend of technical know-how and soft skills, so make sure both are highlighted effectively.
How to prepare for a job interview at Mercury Engineering
✨Brush Up on Technical Knowledge
For a construction role, it's crucial we have a solid grasp of industry standards, safety protocols, and specific tools used on-site. Make sure you're familiar with relevant regulations and can talk confidently about them, as these often come up in interviews.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Since this is a full-time position, be ready to discuss any previous construction projects you've worked on. Bring a portfolio or have detailed descriptions that highlight your role, the challenges you faced, and how you overcame them—this’ll show you’re not just book-smart but also practically savvy.
✨Understand the Team Dynamics
Construction is all about teamwork, so prepare to discuss how you interact with different stakeholders like architects, engineers, and contractors. Maybe think of examples from past experiences to illustrate your ability to communicate and collaborate effectively.
✨Prepare for On-the-Spot Problem Solving
Be ready for some practical questions or scenarios where you'll need to demonstrate your problem-solving skills. Interviewers might present you with a hypothetical construction issue to solve, so practice articulating your thought process clearly and logically—this could really set you apart!
