Arcadis
Lead Planner - London & South East (L9)
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Lead Project Planner – Mobility Programme Management
Location: London & South of England
The Arcadis Mobility Programme Management & Commercial Management unit is seeking a highly skilled Lead Project Planner to lead the planning, scheduling, and delivery of one of our major mobility infrastructure programmes. This pivotal role combines strategic planning, team leadership, and performance reporting across rail, highways and aviation projects, ensuring timely and cost-effective execution while driving continuous improvement.
About the Role
The Lead Project Planner will develop and oversee comprehensive project controls, ensuring alignment with commercial targets, regulatory standards, and delivery objectives. You will act as the central point of accountability for planning robustness, performance tracking, and risk mitigation:
- Serve as subject matter expert in project planning, scheduling, and forecasting for major rail and infrastructure programmes.
- Enforce rigorous project baselining, risk management, and stakeholder coordination.
- Drive innovation in planning methodologies, leveraging digital tools and data insights.
- Contribute to bidding strategies, tendering processes, and revenue estimation for business growth.
- Provide confidence to clients, senior management, and contractors through clear, actionable project intelligence.
This role offers visibility, autonomy, and impact across Arcadis’ high-profile mobility projects, delivering tangible infrastructure solutions for the UK’s future.
Role Accountabilities
- Strategic Planning & Control:
- Lead planning and scheduling for complex projects, ensuring robust project controls across lifecycle stages.
- Develop and maintain baseline plans, work breakdown structures (WBS), and schedules aligned with delivery objectives.
- Monitor progress, variances, risks, and dependencies, implementing recovery and contingency plans as required.
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Commercial & Financial Intelligence:
- Provide expert input into bids, estimates, and resource allocation to support growth initiatives.
- Prepare and report on earned value management (EVM), progress metrics, and financial forecasts for strategic decision-making.
- Analyse project and programme data to identify trends, risks, and anomalies.
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Compliance & Quality Assurance:
- Audit contractor plans and ensure adherence to Network Rail standards and procedures.
- Verify project deliverables meet scheduled milestones, budget constraints, and quality frameworks.
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Team Leadership & Mentoring:
- Mentor and develop junior planners, enhancing skills transfer and knowledge retention.
- Foster a collaborative planning culture, driving adherence to standards and best practices.
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Stakeholder Engagement:
- Work closely with clients, senior managers, multidisciplinary teams, and contractors to align expectations and deliver value.
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Process Improvement & Innovation:
- Continuously evaluate and refine planning processes and tools.
- Explore digital solutions, automation, and Six Sigma methodologies to enhance efficiency.
Requirements
Essential:
- 10+ years’ experience in project planning, scheduling, and control, preferably within major rail, infrastructure, or construction programmes.
- Degree, HNC, or HND in Engineering, Project Management, Construction, or a related discipline.
- Proven expertise in planning and commercial aspects of UK mobility sector (rail, highways, aviation).
- Leadership capability—experience mentoring teams in fast-paced, high-pressure environments.
- Proficiency in planning software: Primavera P6, MS Project, or similar.
- Strong organisational, commercial, analytical, and communication skills.
- Practical experience with project controls, cost engineering, financial reporting, and commercial models.
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Desirable:
- Membership of a relevant professional body (e.g., APM, CEC, ACoP).
- Six Sigma certification (Yellow Belt recognised as an advantage).
- Broader sector knowledge: experience with highways, aviation, or engineering construction planning systems.
- Familiarity with contractor frameworks, PPP models, or asset management tools.
Why Arcadis?
At Arcadis, we believe collaboration and culture are critical. We empower our teams to harness their expertise, with a skills-based career approach that fosters personal growth and shared ambition. Our work has an immediate, global impact:
- Do meaningful work: Be part of large-scale mobility solutions shaping sustainable infrastructure.
- Realise your potential: Unlock career agility, mentorship, and opportunities across energy, transport, and environmental sectors.
- Join a purpose-driven business: Our expert teams deliver visible, end-to-end value.
"Together, we create a legacy."
Our Commitment to Equality, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging (ED&I)
Arcadis is committed to fostering diversity and inclusion across all six streams (Age, Disability, Faith, Gender, LGBT+, and Race). A inclusive culture is core to our innovation and the quality of our work. We encourage applicants of all backgrounds and identities to apply, and guarantee every role is evaluated objectively and equitably.
Join Arcadis — where expertise meets purpose.
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