Senior Project Planner - Defence Programs | Hybrid Work in Bristol

At Babcock we’re working to create a safe and secure world, together, and if you join us, you can play your part as a Principal Project Planner at our Ashton Vale, Bristol site.

The Role

As a Principal Project Planner, you’ll be central to delivering some of the UK’s most complex and strategically important defence programmes. You’ll take the lead in managing project schedules, ensuring seamless integration between planning tools and financial or material demand systems. Your work will have a direct impact on national security and drive innovation across aerospace and engineering, while also advancing your own career and leadership capabilities.

Day-to-day, you’ll be required to:

• Collaborate with Control Account Managers, project controllers, and senior stakeholders.
• Develop and maintain robust integrated project schedules.
• Champion project outcomes and mentor junior planners.
• Embed governance and assurance into schedule management.
• Drive performance measurement and delivery focus across programmes.

This role is full time, 37 hours per week and provides hybrid working arrangements with days onsite and days working from home.

Essential Experience of the Principal Project Planner

• Proven ability to create and maintain governance artefacts.
• Advanced proficiency in Primavera P6.
• Extensive recent experience in a similar role within defence, engineering, or complex project environments.
• Experience supporting Quantitative Schedule Risk Analysis.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills.

Qualifications for the Principal Project Planner

• Relevant professional qualifications in project planning or engineering.
• Certifications in project management methodologies.

Security Clearance

The successful candidate must be able to achieve and maintain Security Check (SC) security clearance for this role. Many of the positions within our company are subject to national security clearance and Trade Control restrictions. This means that your eligibility for certain roles may be affected by your place of birth, nationality, current or former citizenship, and any residency you hold or have held.

What We Offer

• Generous holiday allowance.
• Matched contribution pension scheme, with life assurance.
• Access to a Digital GP, annual health check, and nutritional consultations through Aviva DigiCare.
• Employee share scheme.
• Employee shopping savings portal.
• Payment of Professional Fees.
• Reservists in the armed forces receive 10-days special paid leave.
• Holiday Trading is a benefit that allows UK Babcock employees to buy additional leave or to sell up to one working week of annual leave from their annual entitlement.
• ‘Be Kind Day’ enables employees to take one working day's paid leave a year (or equivalent hours) to undertake volunteering work with their chosen organisation or registered charity.
• Excellent development opportunities and benefits package including an employee assistance programme supporting physical, mental and financial wellbeing.

Babcock International

For over a century Babcock has helped to defend nations, protect communities and build a better world. To continue, we must adapt, advance and be a sustainable business with a shared goal.

We are a disability confident committed employer. If you have a disability or need any reasonable adjustments during the application and selection stages, please email careers@babcockinternational.com with the subject header ‘Reasonable adjustments requirement’. We’re committed to building an inclusive culture where everyone’s free to thrive. We are happy to talk about flexible working – please ask about alternative patterns of work at interview.

Closing Date: 11/03/2026