Lead Planner - Data Centre

About the Opportunity

We're seeking an exceptional Data Centre Lead Planner to lead programme delivery for large-scale, mission-critical data centre projects serving the world's most demanding clients. You'll join Soben during a pivotal phase of our global growth. As a senior member of our project delivery team, you'll drive strategic client relationships, lead high-performing project teams, and deliver complex hyperscale and colocation developments from inception to completion. This role requires regular travel to Norway, to support project delivery, client engagement, and on-site leadership.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end planning and scheduling for major data centre programmes, ensuring alignment with commercial, technical, and operational goals to control time, cost, quality objectives, and scope.
• Serve as senior point of contact for planning matters with clients, fostering trusted partnerships through clear communication.
• Provide strategic oversight of programme schedules, critical path analysis, baseline management, and progress tracking.
• Drive integrated project governance, reporting, and performance management across multiple workstreams.
• Lead and mentor planning teams, fostering accountability, high performance, and knowledge sharing.
• Provide on-site planning leadership during key project phases, including regular travel to construction sites.
• Oversee development and maintenance of robust performance measurement baseline to enable accurate progress and performance tracking aligned with client goals and objectives.
• Identify, analyse, and mitigate scheduling risks and critical path threats.
• Challenge construction phasing and sequencing to optimise programme delivery and value engineering.
• Ensure robust schedule health, forecasting, and earned value performance reporting.
• Support contract schedule requirements and delay/disruption analysis as required.
• Contribute to business development through planning expertise in proposals and client presentations.
• Champion digital planning tools, BIM integration, and innovative scheduling methodologies.
• Uphold Soben's Leadership Principles in all client and internal engagements.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Significant experience delivering large-scale, mission-critical data centre or hyperscale infrastructure projects.
• Proven track record leading complex construction programmes (£100m+ value) as Lead Planner/Senior Scheduler.
• Advanced proficiency with management information tools such as Primavera P6, MS Project, and Asta Powerproject.
• Advanced proficiency with planning methodologies independent of management information software used, and ability to adapt across different platforms.
• Strong commercial scheduling awareness with expertise in cost/schedule integration and earned value management.
• Experience operating at senior stakeholder level, managing executive client relationships.
• Demonstrable leadership of high-performing, geographically diverse planning teams.
• Deep understanding of data centre construction methodologies, phasing, commissioning, and MEP constraints.
• Comfortable with travel, including regular travel to construction sites.
• Experience with NEC, JCT, FIDIC or other major contract forms used across Europe.
• Strategic thinker able to translate high-level objectives into executable, resource-loaded schedules.
• Strong analytical skills for delay analysis, forensic scheduling, and claims support.
• Outstanding communication skills for presenting complex schedule information clearly.