Senior Project Planner (Rail & P6)

Senior Planner – Contract

Location: York
Contract: Contract
IR35 Status: Outside IR35
Sector: UK Rail & Infrastructure
Function: Project Controls / Planning

The Opportunity

An excellent opportunity has arisen for an experienced Senior Planner to join a UK/IRE Project Controls team based in York, supporting a diverse portfolio of complex rail and infrastructure projects.

This is a contract opportunity outside IR35 and would suit a confident, technically strong planner with proven experience using Primavera P6 within the UK rail and infrastructure sector.

The successful candidate will provide planning and project controls expertise across bids and live projects, producing robust programmes, analysing performance and supporting project teams with risk, change and delivery management.

Key Responsibilities
Develop and maintain comprehensive, logically robust programmes covering the full project lifecycle.
Produce cost and resource-loaded programmes using Primavera P6.
Establish and maintain accepted baseline programmes, providing a clear basis for managing change and demonstrating cause and effect.
Monitor programme performance and identify risks, delays, deviations and slippages, recommending appropriate mitigation.
Identify and manage key milestones, critical and sub-critical paths, and internal and third-party interfaces.
Produce project schedules, performance data and planning reports accurately and within agreed timescales.
Support bids and projects with high-quality planning and project controls information.
Attend and present at client progress meetings, representing the Project Controls function.
Build and maintain strong relationships with clients and key project stakeholders.
Lead and participate in programme and risk workshops, including Schedule Risk Analysis.
Analyse current and future workloads to ensure planning commitments can be achieved.
Ensure planning processes and procedures are fully implemented and maintained.
Support Earned Value Management, including data analysis and trend analysis.
Provide supervision, constructive feedback and technical guidance to junior planners.
Lead and mentor early-career team members.
Work closely with Project Controls and Project Management teams to communicate programme drivers, deliverables, risks and potential impacts.
About You

The ideal candidate will have:

Proven experience as a Senior Planner / Planner on complex multidisciplinary infrastructure projects.
Strong experience within the UK Rail and/or Infrastructure sector.
Excellent working knowledge of Primavera P6.
Experience producing logically robust, cost and resource-loaded programmes.
Strong understanding of project controls, programme performance, risk and change management.
Experience conducting risk workshops and Schedule Risk Analysis.
Understanding of Earned Value Management and programme trend analysis.
Strong commercial awareness and understanding of cause and effect.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with confidence engaging directly with clients and stakeholders.
Previous experience leading, supervising or mentoring junior planning staff.
A self-motivated, proactive and flexible approach.
HNC/HND or degree in a relevant discipline.
APM membership is desirable.
Flexibility to travel to client sites and other offices where required.
What’s on Offer
Outside IR35 contract
York-based opportunity
Work on complex and high-profile UK rail and infrastructure projects
Senior position within an established Project Controls function
Client-facing role with significant responsibility and autonomy
Opportunity to contribute to both live projects and bids