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Project Planner
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The Role
At Howden Compressors, we deliver complex, high-value compressor packaging projects for customers around the world. As our Project Planner, you'll play a critical role in ensuring these projects are planned effectively, resourced appropriately and delivered successfully.
Reporting to the Project Controls Lead, you'll work as an integral member of the project team, partnering closely with Project Managers and stakeholders across Engineering, Procurement, Manufacturing, Commercial and Quality functions. You'll develop and maintain project schedules, identify risks and constraints, optimise resource allocation and provide the insight needed to keep projects on track.
This is more than a traditional scheduling role. You'll contribute to project controls activities including forecasting, performance reporting, resource planning and Earned Value Management, helping drive successful outcomes across a portfolio of complex engineering projects.
You'll typically support 3-4 concurrent projects, ranging in value from £2 million to £20 million, with a strong focus on international delivery. The role also offers opportunities to collaborate across the wider Howden network, supporting global planning initiatives and sharing best practice with colleagues around the world.
For ambitious professionals, this position offers excellent long-term development opportunities. Working closely with Project Managers, Engineers, Procurement specialists and business leaders, you'll gain broad exposure across the full project lifecycle, creating a strong foundation for future career progression within Project Management, Project Controls, Engineering, Procurement or other operational leadership roles across Howden.
What You'll Do
As Project Planner, you'll be responsible for developing and maintaining integrated project schedules and resource plans across a portfolio of package build projects.
Key responsibilities include:
- Creating, maintaining and continuously improving project schedules from pre-contract award through to project completion.
- Working closely with Project Managers and cross-functional teams to ensure schedules accurately reflect project scope, priorities and resource requirements.
- Identifying schedule risks, critical path activities, resource constraints and delivery bottlenecks, proactively developing solutions to minimise project impacts.
- Facilitating and supporting structured project review cycles, ensuring progress updates, schedule changes and project movements are accurately captured and communicated.
- Consolidating project schedules and resource plans to provide visibility across the wider project portfolio.
- Producing meaningful project performance reports, KPIs and Earned Value Management (EVM) metrics to support informed decision-making.
- Monitoring project progress and supporting on-time delivery through effective forecasting, planning and risk management.
- Driving continuous improvement initiatives that reduce lead times, improve workflow efficiency and enhance project execution.
- Working collaboratively with engineering, procurement, manufacturing, commercial and leadership teams to support successful project outcomes.
- Supporting planning and project delivery activities across the wider Howden network, including international collaboration opportunities.
- Promoting a culture of safety, quality and operational excellence in line with Howden standards and policies.
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What Do You Bring?
We're looking for someone who combines strong planning expertise with excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
You will likely have:
- Proven experience in project scheduling, planning or project controls within a manufacturing, engineering or project-based environment.
- A strong understanding of project planning and scheduling principles.
- Experience using scheduling and planning software, with Smartsheet experience highly desirable.
- The ability to identify and mitigate schedule, resource and delivery risks before they impact project performance.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving and organisational skills.
- The ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining attention to detail.
- Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with the confidence to engage and influence stakeholders at all levels.
- Experience driving process improvements across cross-functional teams.
- A proactive, customer-focused approach and a commitment to delivering high-quality outcomes.
Desirable experience includes:
- APM, PMI or other project management/planning qualification, or a desire to work towards one.
- Experience within a high-value engineered-to-order, capital equipment or manufacturing environment.
- Knowledge of Earned Value Management (EVM) methodologies.
- Experience using Power BI, Autodesk or related project controls tools.
- Advanced Excel skills.
- Awareness of commercial contracts and project delivery frameworks.
- Knowledge of compressor packaging systems or similar engineered products.
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Why Join Howden?
- Play a key role in the successful delivery of complex international engineering projects.
- Take ownership of planning activities across projects valued between £2 million and £20 million.
- Gain exposure to the full project lifecycle, from pre-contract through to customer delivery and cash collection.
- Collaborate with stakeholders across engineering, manufacturing, commercial, leadership and global project teams.
- Develop your expertise in project controls, forecasting, resource planning and performance management.
- Benefit from a supportive environment with opportunities to pursue professional qualifications such as APM and PMI.
- Enjoy a flexible hybrid working approach, with arrangements agreed collaboratively to support both business and individual needs.
- Build your career within a global engineering organisation, with opportunities to develop into a variety of specialist and leadership roles across project delivery, engineering, procurement and operations
If you're passionate about project planning and want to make a visible impact on major engineering projects across the world, we'd love to hear from you.
Our Benefits
- A flexible, hybrid working environment
- Generous holiday entitlement package totalling 33 days annual leave
- Howden Pension Plan with a maximum employer contribution of 7%
- Company electric vehicle scheme through salary sacrifice
- Enhanced Maternity, Paternity, shared parental and adoption leave pay
- Free onsite parking
- Healthcare cash plan
- Group Life Assurance plan at 3x salary
- Group Income Protection plan
- Access to My Howden Benefits & Wellbeing Portal - Cycle2Work programme, range of discounts across various retailers, employee assistance programme, wealth of information to support health & wellbeing
- Dedicated Spark Service - free counselling, physiotherapy, financial support, medical second opinion, remote GP, personal training, nutrition consultations etc
- Financial planning & mortgage support
- Opportunity to be involved in our ESG ‘Bright Future’ initiatives - STEM ambassador & volunteering
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