Lead Planner – Highways

We are working with a leading Tier 1 contractor delivering a £280m major highways junction improvement scheme and are looking to appoint an experienced Lead Planner / Planning Manager. This is a key role reporting directly to the Project Director, offering full ownership of programme strategy, governance and delivery across a complex, multi-disciplinary civil engineering project. You will be responsible for leading all planning activities across the scheme, ensuring the programme is robust, compliant and aligned to delivery on site. Key responsibilities include: Ownership of the contract and target cost programme Managing and maintaining the baseline programme, including change and re-baselining Leading programme governance throughout design and construction phases Managing compensation events and change management processes Producing and presenting programme updates and reports to senior stakeholders Ensuring alignment between the programme and site delivery across: o Earthworks o Drainage o Structures and roadworks o Utilities and traffic management Working closely with delivery teams to ensure the programme is realistic and deliverable Leading and mentoring planning resource on the project You will be an experienced planner operating at Lead Planner / Planning Manager level, with a strong background in major highways projects. You will have: Proven experience on major highways schemes (junction improvements, smart motorways, major road upgrades) Civil engineering background with previous delivery experience on highways projects advantageous Strong experience in programme governance, including target cost and contract programmes Solid understanding of NEC3 / NEC4 contracts Strong track record managing compensation events and change management Ability to build programmes from first principles Experience working closely with delivery and senior project teams Expert user of Primavera P6 Experience with Asta Powerproject, Aphex or Apex tools advantageous Experience with time-location / TILOS / time chainage planning beneficial If you are an experienced planner looking to take ownership of programme delivery on a high-value £280m highways scheme, this is an excellent opportunity to step into a lead role with real influence at project level