At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead enterprise-level planning and drive transformation initiatives at Virgin.
- Company: Join the dynamic Virgin Group, known for daring innovation and a collaborative culture.
- Benefits: Enjoy unlimited leave, flexible working, and a generous benefits package.
- Why this job: Shape the future of Virgin while making a real impact in a hands-on role.
- Qualifications: Experience in complex planning and confidence in presenting insights to senior leaders.
- Other info: Embrace a community that values uniqueness and supports your whole self.
The predicted salary is between 67000 - 77000 £ per year.
This is a hands-on role at the heart of Virgin's change and transformation agenda. You'll build and lead an enterprise-level planning approach from the ground up, bringing clarity to complex initiatives and helping the business turn ambition into delivery. You'll sit at the intersection of strategy, transformation and day-to-day reality – shaping direction, creating structure, and making sure the right things get delivered at the right time.
Our Virgin Family: Join the Virgin Group – a diverse collective driving change, enhancing customer experience, and having a blast. We're daring, disrupting industries from finance to space, united as part of the Virgin Family. Virgin Red rewards customers who live the Virgin lifestyle. Earn Virgin Points across our vast partner network, unlocking everyday rewards and exclusive experiences. As the Virgin network hub, we foster deeper customer understanding, opening doors for partners. Bold, distinctive, customer-centric – that's Virgin Red. We're a huge brand, but not a huge team, which means we take a hands-on approach while thinking strategically. Everyone rolls up their sleeves to get things done, making it an exciting and collaborative place to work.
Tell me more:
- Develop, maintain and continually refine an integrated plan covering delivery-led programmes and business-led change.
- Ensure plans reflect strategic priorities, delivery capacity and investment boundaries, aligned to enterprise portfolio frameworks.
- Build strong relationships across the organisation, gathering accurate inputs and surfacing dependencies early.
- Work closely with Finance, Strategy and functional leads to ensure initiatives enter the plan at the right time, with the right resources.
- Present planning insight to governance forums and senior leaders, advising on sequencing, capacity trade-offs and risks to delivery timelines.
- Act as a trusted adviser when priorities compete, helping leaders see the bigger picture and make informed decisions.
- Proactively identify risks, pinch points and opportunities, embedding consistent planning standards and rhythms to keep delivery on track.
What you'll need:
- Experience in complex planning roles, ready to lead, set direction and do the work, not just design it.
- Strong experience in enterprise, portfolio or strategic planning within complex environments.
- A background spanning both delivery-led and change-led programmes.
- Confidence working with planning tools, methodologies and mixed delivery models (Agile, Waterfall or hybrid).
- Experience tracking progress across both formal programmes and less structured initiatives.
- The confidence to present planning insight to senior leadership.
- Comfort operating with ambiguity – and turning it into direction and momentum.
The extra details:
- Role type: Permanent
- Location: London hub (1-2 days per week) & your home space
- Salary: £67,000 - £77,000 plus bonus
- Working hours: Full time - We embrace flexible working.
- Benefits: Our benefits package isn’t just a list – it’s your ticket to an extraordinary career and life.
Closing date: 04 February
Some of the attributes that define a Virgin person just can’t be quantified in words. We pride ourselves on welcoming people from all walks of life, with all sorts of skill sets. Most recently, we successfully campaigned to add 'Dyslexic Thinking' as a skill on LinkedIn. We truly value passion for Purpose and Sustainability, welcoming creative thinkers and innovators. Any uniqueness is a strength and will be considered an asset to our workforce. If there is something you would like us to consider, to tailor the hiring process to the way you work best, please don’t hesitate to let us know.
Ready to turn your career into the ultimate adventure? Virgin's got the map, the compass, and the crew. Your great adventure awaits.
Planning Lead in England employer: Virgin
Contact Detail:
Virgin Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Planning Lead in England
✨Tip Number 1
Get to know the Virgin culture! Dive into their values and mission. When you understand what makes them tick, you can tailor your conversations to show how you fit right in.
✨Tip Number 2
Network like a pro! Reach out to current or former employees on LinkedIn. Ask about their experiences and get insider tips on what it’s really like to work at Virgin.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for the interview by thinking about how your past experiences align with the role. Be ready to share specific examples of how you've tackled complex planning challenges in the past.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, it shows you’re serious about joining the Virgin Family.
We think you need these skills to ace Planning Lead in England
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Planning Prowess: When you’re writing your application, make sure to highlight your experience in complex planning roles. We want to see how you've led initiatives and turned strategies into actionable plans. Don’t just tell us what you’ve done; show us how you did it!
Be Clear and Concise: Clarity is key! Use straightforward language to explain your experiences and skills. We appreciate a well-structured application that gets straight to the point, especially when it comes to your achievements in enterprise or strategic planning.
Connect the Dots: Make sure to connect your past experiences with the role you're applying for. We love seeing how your background in delivery-led and change-led programmes aligns with our needs. Show us how you can bring clarity to complex initiatives!
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply through our website for a smoother process. It’s the best way for us to keep track of your application and ensure it gets the attention it deserves. Plus, it shows you’re keen on joining the Virgin Family!
How to prepare for a job interview at Virgin
✨Know Your Planning Tools
Familiarise yourself with the planning tools and methodologies mentioned in the job description, like Agile and Waterfall. Be ready to discuss how you've used these in past roles to manage complex initiatives effectively.
✨Showcase Your Strategic Thinking
Prepare examples that demonstrate your ability to turn ambiguity into clear direction. Think of situations where you shaped strategy and ensured delivery aligned with business goals, as this is crucial for the role.
✨Build Relationships
Highlight your experience in building strong relationships across teams. Be prepared to discuss how you've gathered inputs from various stakeholders and managed dependencies to keep projects on track.
✨Present with Confidence
Practice presenting your planning insights clearly and confidently. You might be asked to share your thoughts on sequencing and capacity trade-offs, so ensure you can articulate your ideas succinctly to senior leaders.