UK Atomic Energy Authority
Assistant Project Planner
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Assistant Project Planner
Assistant Project Planner – UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA)
About us
Fusion, the process that powers the sun and stars, is one of the most promising options for generating the cleaner, carbon-free energy that our world badly needs. UKAEA leads the way in driving forward fusion energy, partnering with industry and research organisations to deliver ground-breaking advancements. Our mission is to bring fusion electricity to the grid by developing the power stations of tomorrow and the skilled workforce to deliver them.
About the role
As Assistant Project Planner, you will work alongside Project Managers, Technical Leads, and key stakeholders to develop, maintain, and monitor project plans. Ensuring clarity on project scope, milestones, dependencies, and resource requirements, you will support the successful delivery of UKAEA’s programmes and projects—keeping plans realistic, achievable, and aligned with business objectives.
With exposure to diverse projects, you’ll play a pivotal role in project planning, performance monitoring, and reporting, helping teams identify risks, optimise schedules, and make informed decisions throughout the project lifecycle.
If you have a degree (or equivalent experience) in disciplines such as physical sciences, engineering, economics, business studies, or project management, along with a strong grasp of project planning and project controls processes—including earned value analysis—this opportunity could be for you.
What you’ll be doing
- Develop and maintain project schedules, ensuring clear definitions for activities, milestones, and dependencies while ensuring regular updates.
- Collaborate closely with Project Managers and technical teams to translate project scope into robust, deliverable plans.
- Create Product Breakdown Structures (PBS), Work Breakdown Structures (WBS), and project schedules.
- Monitor project progress, identify schedule risks and slippages, and recommend corrective actions—with the opportunity to mentor junior planners.
- Perform critical path analysis, scenario planning, and schedule reviews to support efficient project delivery.
- Forecast resource requirements and support resource levelling and scheduling activities.
- Produce project performance reports, dashboards, and KPIs to inform governance, project boards, and senior decision-making processes.
- Engage with stakeholders across projects to manage dependencies and support integrated programme planning.
- Offer expertise on project planning processes, controls, and best practices throughout the entire project lifecycle.
- Contribute to the continuous improvement of project planning standards and participate in initiatives within the Project Management Office (PMO).
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You may also have the chance to mentor more junior planners.
What you’ll bring
- Experience in a project environment, such as Project Planner, Project Manager, Workstream Lead, or similar role.
- A solid understanding of project planning and project controls principles.
- Strong communication skills and ability to manage relationships with stakeholders across multidisciplinary teams.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel, Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
- Exceptional organisational, analytical, and problem-solving skills alongside the ability to manage multiple priorities while delivering high-quality planning information.
- Experience with project planning software such as Primavera or Microsoft Project, or the ability to master it quickly.
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Benefits
For more details on our benefits, visit Benefits Page. Highlights include:
- £43,702 base salary, inclusive of specialist allowance.
- Up to 7% corporate performance bonus.
- Final salary defined benefits pension scheme (equivalent to 21.5% employer pension contribution).
- 25 days annual leave, plus 2.5 privilege days & 8 Bank Holidays.
- 3 days of site closure during the Christmas break.
- Flexible working options and family-friendly leave provisions.
- Commitment to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (ED&I)—ensuring a workforce that reflects both the breadth and depth of talent needed to drive clean energy.
At UKAEA, our goal is clean energy for all, and we actively encourage applications from groups underrepresented in STEM, including women and people from diverse ethnic backgrounds. All appointments are made on merit.
If you have questions or need adjustments to support an equal opportunity application process—such as variations to our interview process or information sharing—please email [email protected].
As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to providing an inclusive recruitment process for all candidates.
Location: UKAEA Culham, Oxfordshire Division: Central Operations Grade: Grade E
Department: Projects & Programme Management Office
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