Project Controls Manager (Planning) in Port Talbot

We believe that our strength is not just in our steel but the diversity of our workforce. Our people make the difference. Are you ready to lead the planning strategy behind one of Europe's most transformative industrial megaprojects - and shape the future of UK steelmaking for a generation? Project Invictus is one of the most ambitious industrial programmes in Europe and represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to shape the future of steelmaking in the UK.

As Construction Manager, you will play a central role in delivering a groundbreaking megaproject that will transform our operations and support the transition to a more sustainable, modern steel industry. Reporting to the Head of Project Performance & Controls, the Senior Project Controls Manager (Planning) is responsible for leading and assuring programme-wide project controls delivery, with a primary focus on planning and scheduling excellence across a complex portfolio of capital projects. The role owns the integrated planning framework and schedule governance, while ensuring effective integration with cost, risk, change, and performance management.

Acting as a senior advisor to Programme's Project Leaders, the postholder provides authoritative insight, challenge, and decision-support to enable safe, predictable, and on-time delivery. The Senior Project Controls Manager (Planning) leads and develops a multi-disciplinary Project Controls and Planning team, embedding best practice standards, driving capability improvement, and ensuring a single version of the truth across the programme.

The Senior Project Controls Manager (Planning) has a high degree of influence on the predictability and success of the capital programme. Effective leadership of planning and integrated project controls is critical to safeguarding schedule certainty, cost performance, and risk exposure across the portfolio.

As part of the role your responsibilities will include, but not be limited to, the following:

• Programme Planning & Scheduling Leadership (Primary Bias)
• Establish, own, and maintain the Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) across all projects, packages, and contractors, aligned to WBS, OBS, and CBS.
• Define and implement the planning strategy, standards, processes, tools, and templates in line with organisational policy and industry best practice (APM / PMI / NEC).
• Oversee development of robust baseline schedules covering engineering, procurement, construction, installation, commissioning, and ramp-up.
• Ensure schedules are logic-driven, resource-informed, risk-aware, and suitable for governance and decision-making.
• Lead critical path, near-critical path, and float analysis to proactively manage schedule risk.
• Sponsor and assure quantitative schedule risk analysis, including contingency and mitigation integration.

• Integrated Project Controls & Performance Management
• Ensure effective integration of schedule, cost, risk, and change control into a coherent project controls environment.
• Oversee Earned Value Management (EVM) implementation and analysis (SPI, CPI, EAC, TCPI), ensuring consistency between schedule and cost performance.
• Maintain schedule and controls baselines, approving and governing change control in line with programme requirements.
• Lead or support forensic schedule analysis and impact assessments where delay or disruption occurs.
• Provide insight into resource demands, constraints, and optimisation across the programme.

• Reporting, Insights & Decision Support
• Provide timely, accurate, and error-free reporting to senior stakeholders using the Project Management System as a single source of truth.
• Deliver clear schedule narratives, dashboards, and performance insights to Programme Boards, Sponsors, and Steering Committees.
• Identify trends, variances, risks, and opportunities; present options and recovery strategies to enable informed decisions.
• Lead monthly schedule reviews, performance interrogations, and look-ahead planning forums.

• Governance, Assurance & Contractual Alignment
• Ensure planning and controls comply with NEC contract requirements, supporting early warnings and Compensation Event schedule assessments.
• Ensure planning reflects CDM Regulations 2015, construction sequencing, access constraints, and safety-by-design principles.
• Lead or sponsor schedule health checks, assurance reviews, and audits (e.g. DCMA-style assessments).
• Maintain auditable records to support stage-gate approvals, investment decisions, and external assurance.

• Leadership, Capability & Resource Management
• Lead, coach, and develop the Planning and Project Controls team, ensuring clarity of expectations and effective delivery.
• Act as functional lead for planning capability, setting competency standards and development pathways.
• Identify capability gaps and implement training, mentoring, and succession planning.
• Foster a collaborative, high-performance culture across client, contractor, and delivery teams.

• Stakeholder Engagement & Influence
• Act as a trusted senior partner to Programme Managers, Project Managers, Engineers, and Commercial teams.
• Lead cross-functional planning and performance forums across engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, and operations.
• Interface with contractors to ensure compliant, integrated, and high-quality schedule submissions.
• Challenge optimistically and constructively to drive realism, accountability, and delivery confidence.

Qualifications: Applicants for this role will be expected to be educated to degree level in Quantity Surveying, Construction Management, Engineering, or related discipline (or equivalent experience). Holding certifications in APM PMQ, PPQ Qualification, APM EVM Certification, APM PPC Practitioner Certification or equivalents. APM Member or equivalent institution desirable. Extensive experience leading planning and project controls on large, complex CAPEX programmes (industrial / infrastructure / heavy engineering). Expert-level knowledge of planning and scheduling discipline, including:

• Primavera P6 (advanced: baselines, logic, layouts, analytics)
• Critical Path Method (CPM)
• Earned Value Management (EVM)
• Schedule risk analysis and recovery planning
• Strong understanding of NEC contracts and programme-level schedule implications.
• Ability to integrate schedule with cost, risk, and change management.
• Advanced data analysis, reporting, and stakeholder communication skills.
• Proven leadership experience managing and developing professional teams.

Tata Steel is one of the world's top 10 steel producers. The combined group has an annual aggregate crude steel capacity of more than 33 million tonnes with approximately 80,000 employees across four continents. We're part of the Tata Group, one of the largest, most diverse conglomerates in the world with businesses in the UK including Tata Steel, Jaguar Land Rover and Tetley Tea. Sustainability is at the very heart of what we do and we are dedicated to managing our operations responsibly and to continuously improving our performance. Innovating for tomorrow, making a positive impact today. Tata Steel in the UK is committed to our ambition of reducing energy consumption and to becoming a carbon neutral steelmaker by 2045.

Benefits: Salary: Competitive - Plus benefits to include car (or allowance), leading pension scheme, Private Health Insurance (Family Cover) plus annual bonus. A market competitive salary, 35 days holidays per annum, Annual Bonus - subject to business performance, One of the UK's leading defined contribution pension schemes (10% employer contribution / 6% employee contribution), Annual Pay Review, Private Healthcare Scheme (Family cover). We also have an extensive list of lifestyle benefits including an employee assistance programme as well as Employee discount scheme for companies including Vodafone, Jaguar Land Rover and also various local and national retailers and services.