Lead Project Planner

Lead Project Planner Location: Manchester, Derby or Warrington with Hybrid Working The impact you’ll have We need you to lead and inspire a high‑performing project planning team, ensuring our schedules are robust, realistic, and aligned to delivering one of the UK’s most complex and exciting engineering programmes. You’ll bring structure, insight, and coordination across our integrated programme—helping us stay on track, anticipate risks early and make confident, data‑driven decisions. As a Lead Project Planner, you’ll oversee planners and senior planners, guide best practice, mentor developing talent, and shape the standards that underpin success across the organisation. Your contribution will directly influence programme performance, stakeholder confidence, and our ability to deliver a first‑of‑a‑kind SMR solution. What you’ll be doing We need you to: Lead and coordinate a team of project planners, setting clear expectations and ensuring high‑quality planning outputs. Develop, maintain and continuously improve detailed project schedules using Primavera P6, ensuring strong front‑end scheduling, WBS structure management, coding frameworks and defined fields. Operate confidently within an Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) environment, ensuring horizontal and vertical logic is correct and meaningful. Work closely with key stakeholders across engineering, programme management, supply chain, procurement, operations and manufacturing to ensure alignment and shared understanding of timelines and dependencies. Lead planning meetings, workshops and schedule reviews to drive accuracy, challenge assumptions and support decision‑making. Monitor progress, identify slippage or risk, propose mitigations early and support effective baseline control Provide consistent reporting and schedule insight, including dashboards and commentary for senior leadership. Coach and mentor junior planners and apprentices, helping grow capability across the team. Promote planning standards, best practice and continuous improvement across the PMO. What you’ll bring We’re realistic—if you meet around 75% of the below, we still want to hear from you. Essential experience Strong experience working as a planner or senior planner on complex, large‑scale engineering or infrastructure programmes. Nuclear experience is an advantage, but not essential—complex programmes from other sectors translate well. Experience leading or coordinating teams of planners. Deep practical knowledge of Primavera P6 (front‑end scheduling + architecture including WBS, coding, resource dictionaries, user‑defined fields). Experience working within an IMS/Master Integrated Plan environment with clear understanding of structured reporting Knowledge of Earned Value Management (EVM) principles and the ability to apply them. The specific EVM toolset is less important than strong theory and process knowledge. Experience of change management and baseline change control. Ability to identify, integrate and manage schedule‑related risks. Nice to have Awareness of NEC contracts and how schedules support customer deliverables. Valuable but not mandatory. Experience delivering schedules within a contractual/bid environment. Minimum training & qualifications (Equivalent experience considered) Primavera P6 Practitioner – APM PMQ APM PPC (Practitioner) Why join us You’ll join an inclusive, supportive and ambitious organisation shaping the future of clean energy. We value diversity, respect individuality, and create an environment where everyone can contribute meaningfully. We’re committed to providing reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process and throughout employment. You’ll work with talented engineers and programme experts, have real influence across complex programmes, and play a central role in building a new generation of planners. What we can offer you; £57,500 – £75,600 base salary £2,200 annual benefits allowance 12.5% bonus opportunity 6× pensionable life assurance 50% income protection 28 days holiday + bank holidays £250 new joiner payment Flexible & part‑time working options available Working location This is a hybrid role which will require some days in our offices in either Warrington, Derby or Manchester. Ready to make an impact? If you’re excited by complex schedules, integrated delivery, and shaping the future of clean energy—and you enjoy leading people, developing capability and driving best practice—we’d love to hear from you. #LI-VS1 #LI-Hybrid Why Join Us? You’ll be joining a forward-thinking organisation that values transparency, fairness, and innovation. We offer: • A flexible, inclusive, and supportive working environment. • Opportunities for career growth in a rapidly scaling business. • A culture that values diversity, innovation, and continuous learning. We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all backgrounds. Inclusivity is important to us, and as a Disability Confident organisation, we are committed to fair, supportive, and continually improving recruitment practices that ensure everyone has the opportunity to thrive. Confidence can sometimes hold us back from applying for a job. But we'll let you in on a secret: there's no such thing as a 'perfect' candidate. If you feel you meet 75% of the requirements for this role, we would love to hear from you. Also, if you are considering a career move or a sector-jump, please get in touch – we welcome applications from people with transferable skills. Our Application Process Due to the safety regulations within the nuclear industry, applicants will be required to participate in additional screening. These are: • Obtaining Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) clearance • Satisfactory completion of a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check • Satisfactory completion of a basic financial probity check . We are Rolls-Royce SMR A career with Rolls-Royce SMR offers a unique opportunity to contribute to an exciting organisation delivering a transformational mission. Rolls-Royce SMR is a radically different approach to proven nuclear technology. Each Rolls-Royce SMR power station will generate 470MW of low-carbon energy - equivalent to more than 150 onshore wind turbines and enough to power a million homes for over 60 years. With its Rolls-Royce SMRs will play a vital role in supporting renewable energy by helping to overcome intermittency and ensure a stable, sustainable energy future. We’re proud to be one of the few employers that can genuinely say we’re a strengths-based organisation. Our people are here because of what makes them exceptional - and our role is to help them make the most meaningful contribution of their careers, doing work they love. We offer opportunities that go beyond traditional career paths. At Rolls-Royce SMR you can develop your career by exploring roles and challenges that align with your unique talents. Our culture At Rolls-Royce SMR, we are committed to ensuring that our teams reflect the communities we serve and that everyone can be themselves at work. We know that diverse teams are more innovative and get better results, and that our people can thrive and be more successful in truly inclusive cultures. Join us and help shape our culture. Find out more about our inclusion pledge. Rolls-Royce SMR is a place where everyone can grow, so whatever background you bring with you, please apply if this is a role that would make you excited to come into work every day and help shape our culture. Why join us? You’ll be joining a forward-thinking organisation that values transparency, fairness, and innovation. We offer: • A flexible, inclusive, and supportive working environment. • Opportunities for career growth in a rapidly scaling business. • A culture that values diversity, innovation, and continuous learning. We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all backgrounds. Inclusivity is important to us, and as a Disability Confident organisation, we are committed to fair, supportive, and continually improving recruitment practices that ensure everyone can thrive. What we offer At Rolls-Royce SMR, our reward offering is focused on recognising you for your efforts and motivate you to continue achieving. Our rewards and benefits scheme are designed for employees to have complete control. By providing complete autonomy, you can focus on what’s important to you. Whether it’s investments, insurances or wellbeing, it’s in your hands. Work is an activity, not a place. We understand due to commitments and lifestyle; the world of work has evolved beyond the 9 - 5. Whether its varied hours or hybrid working, our flexible working arrangements make it possible for employees to achieve a true work life balance. Your career journey At Rolls-Royce SMR, we don’t just want you to contribute, we want you to grow. We have open dialogue with our employees to understand the ambitions for their career and set plans to achieve them. Whether it’s helping you obtain formal qualifications or pairing you with a mentor, Rolls-Royce SMR will provide you with a fulfilling career. Our Team | Rolls-Royce SMR Join our talent community We're always on the lookout for the best talent. If there isn't a role which is suitable for you now, you can Introduce Yourself.