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Senior Planner
The Opportunity
Wates Construction is seeking an experienced Senior Planner to join our London team, playing a pivotal role in the successful delivery of some of the capital’s most complex and high-profile construction projects.
This is an exciting opportunity for a planning professional with a strong track record across major new build, refurbishment, and cut & carve schemes, who thrives in a fast-paced environment and can influence project delivery from pre-construction through to completion.
Working closely with operational, commercial, and pre-construction teams, you will provide strategic planning expertise, develop robust programmes, drive programme certainty, and support successful project outcomes across a diverse portfolio of projects ranging from £20m to £200m+.
About The Role
As a Senior Planner, you will be responsible for developing, managing, and monitoring tender and live construction programmes while supporting project teams in identifying opportunities, mitigating risks, and enhancing delivery performance.
Key Responsibilities
- Producing detailed tender and contract programmes using Primavera P6 and/or Asta PowerProject.
- Developing construction methodologies for complex new build and cut & carve projects.
- Collaborating with bid, design, commercial, and operational teams during pre-construction.
- Establishing critical paths, program logic, resource requirements, and key project milestones.
- Monitoring progress against baseline programmes and producing regular updates and recovery plans where required.
- Identifying programme risks and opportunities, implementing mitigation strategies to maintain project objectives.
- Leading programme workshops and collaborating with project stakeholders to ensure planning assumptions are robust and aligned.
- Supporting project teams in managing design, procurement, logistics, and commissioning activities.
- Preparing delay analysis, programme narratives, and progress reports for internal and external stakeholders.
- Providing strategic planning input on complex phased, occupied, and constrained urban construction sites.
- Supporting the development and mentoring of Assistant and Project Planners across the business.
- Contributing to continuous improvement initiatives, planning best practice, and innovation across the division.
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What We’re Looking For
We are looking for an accomplished construction planner who can demonstrate significant experience delivering challenging projects within a main contracting environment.
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Essential Experience
- Proven experience in a Senior Planner or Planner role with a recognised UK main contractor.
- Strong experience delivering large-scale new build projects across commercial, mixed-use, residential, life sciences, education, healthcare, or public sector sectors.
- Extensive experience managing programmes for cut & carve, structural refurbishment, and complex urban regeneration projects.
- Experience on projects typically valued between £20m and £200m+.
- Strong understanding of construction methodologies, sequencing, and project controls.
- Experience supporting projects through both pre-construction and delivery phases.
- Ability to influence project teams and challenge programme assumptions constructively.
- Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
Technical Skills
- Advanced proficiency in Primavera P6 and/or Asta PowerProject.
- Strong understanding of NEC and JCT forms of contract.
- Knowledge of critical path analysis, earned value techniques, and programme risk management.
- Experience preparing programme narratives, resource-loaded programmes, and delay analysis.
- Strong Microsoft Office capabilities, particularly Excel.
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